Hollywood Hits

Another of Oprah's favorite films this year was Frost/Nixon, a drama based on the interviews between Richard Nixon and journalist David Frost during the post-Watergate era. Director Ron Howard says his intention with the film was to show more than just the problems with presidency and power. "It does take, I think, a very honest and truthful and realistic look at the man within the framework of the drama of this story. And so in humanizing him, I hope it does create some sympathy. He was a very complicated figure."

Ron says his admiration for Frost/Nixon began after he saw the play, which the movie is based on. "I was completely enthralled and entertained, and I think that's ultimately what really hooked me," he says. "It's incredibly entertaining. Yes, it deals with history. Yes, it expresses some themes that are thought provoking, and I'm proud of those aspects of the movie. But what Peter Morgan, who is the same guy who wrote The Queen and The Last King of Scotland, does is, he gets all that right and also creates this really suspenseful, funny, entertaining story with rich characters."