 Billy Elliot 2000   R, 110 min.
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Director: Stephen Daldry
Cast: Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Jamie Draven, Gary Lewis, Jean Heywood, Stuart Wells, Mike Elliot, Janine Birkett, Nicola Blackwell, Billy Fane, Carol McGuigan, Joe Renton, Janine Birkett
Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) is a talented adolescent who, despite his working-class environment, confesses that he dreams of becoming a ballet dancer after he is introduced to Mrs. Wilkinson's (Julie Walters) ballet class at the boxing gym. Not unexpectedly, Billy must endure the bias of neighbors in his British coal mining town. Stephen Daltry was nominated for a Best Director Oscar, and Julie Walters was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
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 The Hours 2002 PG-13, 114 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Stephen Daldry
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Stephen Dillane, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Miranda Richardson, John C. Reilly, Linda Bassett, Toni Collette, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Christian Coulson, Michael Culkin
Virginia Woolf's novel "Mrs. Dalloway" connects the stories of three different women–Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), Laura Brown (Julianne Moore), and Clarissa (Meryl Streep)–in three different eras–1925, 1951, and 2001–who resort to suicide as the solution for their problems. Very well acted, but with this cast what else could one expect? Nicole Kidman won the Best Actress Oscar for her excellent performance. In addition, the film received eight nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Actress in a Supporting Role (Julianne Moore), and Actor in a Supporting Role (Ed Harris).
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The Reader 2008  R, 123 min.
Genre: Drama / Thriller / Romance
Director: Stephen Daldry
Cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, David Kross, Jeanette Hain, Susanne Lothar, Alissa Wilms, Forian Bartholomai, Friederike Becht, Matthias Habich, Frieder Venus, Marie-Anne Fliegel, Rainer Sellien, Hendrik Arnst
Based on Bernard Schlink's novel, this story begins in post-war Germany with the forbidden romance between 15-year-old Michael Berg (David Kross) and 30-ish Hanna (Kate Winslet) that develops when Michael reads stories to her. One day, Hanna vanishes, but the two reunite eight years later in 1966 when Michael (now played by Ralph Fiennes) is a law student and finds Hanna as a defendant in a court case. She is on trial for serving as a guard at Auschwitz where she condemned inmates to death. Michael has evidence that could change the verdict in Hanna's case, but will he present it or simply remain silent? Winslet won an Academy Award for Best Actress. The film also received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director.
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| 1. Billy Elliot (2000)
2. The Hours (2002)
3. The Reader (2008)
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