Oscars 2006
The Sunday Age
Sunday March 5, 2006
There have been some bizarre omissions - Michael Haneke's Cache was disqualified as Austria's nomination for best foreign language film because it's in French rather than the director's native tongue. But this year's Academy Awards also offer an impressive list of nominees. What follows are my tips for who or what will win and who or what deserves to win. Best Picture - Brokeback Mountain - Capote - Crash - Munich - Goodnight, and Good Luck Brokeback Mountain is a certainty. Either Capote or Crash would be deserving winners, but will have to settle for victories in other categories. Best Director - Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain - Bennett Miller, Capote - Paul Haggis, Crash Has to be Lee because he directed the best picture. But I'd go for Miller (Capote) or Haggis (Crash), both making their directorial debuts. Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote - Terrence Howard for Hustle & Flow - Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain - Joaquin Phoenix for Walk the Line - David Strathairn for Good Night, and Good Luck Hoffman is also a certainty and, despite fine performances from all the other nominees - notably Ledger in Brokeback Mountain - he deserves to win. Best Actress - Judi Dench for Mrs Henderson Presents - Felicity Huffman for Transamerica - Keira Knightley for Pride & Prejudice - Charlize Theron for North Country - Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line Given the way all the other award ceremonies have gone, I guess Witherspoon will win for the overrated Walk the Line. But I can't see how anyone could go past Huffman's magnificent performance in Transamerica. Best Supporting Actor - George Clooney for Syriana - Matt Dillon for Crash - Paul Giamatti for Cinderella Man - Jake Gyllenhaal for Brokeback Mountain - William Hurt for A History of Violence Gyllenhaal is the likely winner for Brokeback Mountain. He'd be my pick too. Best Supporting Actress - Amy Adams for Junebug - Catherine Keener for Capote - Frances McDormand for North Country - Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener - Michelle Williams for Brokeback Mountain Keener's incarnation as Harper Lee in Capote should see her approach the podium, and deservedly so. Weisz is a (very attractive) dark horse for The Constant Gardener. Best Original Screenplay - Paul Haggis, Robert Moresco for Crash - George Clooney, Grant Heslov for Good Night, and Good Luck - Woody Allen for Match Point - Noah Baumbach for The Squid and the Whale - Stephen Gaghan for Syriana Haggis (nominated last year for Million Dollar Baby) and Moresco will win for Crash, and deserve it. But I won't be sorry if Gaghan is rewarded for Syriana. Best Adapted Screenplay - Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana for Brokeback Mountain - Dan Futterman for Capote - Jeffrey Caine for The Constant Gardener - Josh Olson for A History of Violence - Tony Kushner, Eric Roth for Munich McMurtry and Ossana will take home Oscars for adapting E. Annie Proulx's short story Brokeback Mountain, and should. Best Foreign Language Film - La Bestia nel cuore (Italy) - Joyeux Noel (France) - Paradise Now (Palestine) - Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (Germany) - Tsotsi (South Africa) Haven't seen either the Italian or German nominees, but Joyeux Noel looks a probable winner. Paradise Now would be my choice. Best Documentary - Darwin's Nightmare - Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - La Marche de L'Empereur - Murderball - Street Fight I've yet to see Street Fight, but the penguin saga La Marche de L'Empeurer will win. My choice would be Hubert Sauper's Darwin's Nightmare, the best (and most disturbing) documentary of the past decade.
© 2006 The Sunday Age
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