2006 Academy Awards(R) Show

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What: The Academy Awards 2006 Show
When 1st Seen: 5 March 2006
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 11: 37 p.m.

Utterly forgettable from the opening number to the rushing off the stage of the Crash Producers after their stunning win for Best Picture, this was one of the least memorable Academy Awards(R) Shows in recent memory. Jon Stewart did his best, but he really lacks the motion picture pedigree to really make this show work. I never thought I would be clammering for Billy Crystal to come back so much. The set was beautiful but dark, the musical numbers were lack-luster/boring (how come Dolly Parton didn't get any kind of set or special effects for her song and if these were the three best songs from movies for this year this has to be one of the worst years for music in the history of films), many of the presenters seemed fatigued while many audience members looked like they'd rather be anywhere else on earth; and, in general, the acceptance speeches were timid and sometimes inane. It is odd, given that there really were so many great things about the movies that the Academy had gathered to honor. There were some odd but acceptable upsets (George Clooney in Syriana beats out Paul Giamatti and Jake Gyllenhall?) in the award-giving and then some that just made no sense at all (I just will never see how a movie can be the best of the year, without the best director so either Paul Haggis should have won or Brokeback Mountain should have won). Meanwhile, poor Steven Spielberg. I guess he's a good producer (Memoirs of a Geisha) at least when it comes to picking the Art Director, the Cinematographer, and the Costume Designer. Other than that...he's utterly hopeless. War of the Worlds got nada and Munich got nada. Looks like Peter Jackson is the new Steven Spielberg when it comes to special effects and sound etc. Oh well, the Superbowl for moview fans was a disappointment. This happens. We cannot expect Adrien Brody to grab and kiss Halle Berre every year or Michael Moore to give a great political speech or great Uma/Oprah/Uma/Oprah jokes. Better luck next year.

Now for sizing up how I did in my predictions vs. reality.
Key: predicted to win / should win / actually won

Best motion picture of the year

• Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features)
• Capote (UA/Sony Pictures Classics)
• Crash (Lions Gate)
• Good Night, and Good Luck. (Warner Independent Pictures)
• Munich (Universal & DreamWorks)

Reactions: Crash was a very deserving film. I never thought it had a chance of winning in a million years. I am very happy it won. I really enjoyed all 5 films (Capote should not have been nominated over Memoirs of a Geisha in my opinion, but anyway). I just figured that Hollywood would fail to have realized the impact of this film and that way too few people saw it. When I saw it this summer, I told everyone I knew to see it. Unfortunately, it didn't last long in theaters. I highly recommend seeing it on DVD--it's not as good as the big movie screen, but this is a film that will translate to the small screen just fine. I give this film a lot of kudos. The small performances are tremendous and Paul Haggis did a brilliant job with both the original screen play--for which he received the Academy Award(R) and directing.

Total: 0 for 1 on my part.

Achievement in directing

• Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features) Ang Lee
• Capote (UA/Sony Pictures Classics) Bennett Miller
• Crash (Lions Gate) Paul Haggis
• Good Night, and Good Luck (Warner Independent Pictures) George Clooney
• Munich (Universal and DreamWorks) Steven Spielberg

Reactions: Well, Paul Haggis should have won. Still, I believe that Munich was the best picture and that Spielberg should have won. Still, I did predict that Ang Lee would win and he did, so that's got to be worth something.

Total: 1 for 2

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Judi Dench in Mrs. Henderson Presents
• Felicity Huffman in Transamerica
• Keira Knightley in Pride & Prejudice
• Charlize Theron in North Country
• Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line

Note: I never thought Reese Witherspoon would win this, however, she was entirely deserving as she did a tremendous job.

Total: 1 for 3

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Amy Adams in Junebug
• Catherine Keener in Capote
• Frances McDormand in North Country
• Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener
• Michelle Williams in Brokeback Mountain

Reaction: This one I predicted precisely. Since The Constant Gardener was utterly ignored, I though Ms Weisz would win, and she did. I still feel that Catherine Keener deserved it more.

Total: 2 for 4

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote
• Terrence Howard in Hustle & Flow
• Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain
• Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line
• David Strathairn in Good Night, and Good Luck

Reaction: Four gentlemen got robbed because all four were better than Philip Seymour Hoffman. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Hoffman did a stand up job bringing Capote to life. But compared with these other gentlement that was a walk in the park.

Total: 2 of 5

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• George Clooney in Syriana
• Matt Dillon in Crash
• Paul Giamatti in Cinderella Man
• Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain
• William Hurt in A History of Violence

Reactions: Cinderella Man got nothing this year. I don't get it. Meanwhile, I really like George Clooney, but this was not his best role. I still wish Mr. Gyllenhaal had gotten the award.

Total: 2 for 6

Best animated feature film of the year

• Howl’s Moving Castle
• Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
• Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Reactions: Well I thin Wallace and Gromit deserve some kind of praise after all of these years. Where was Chicken Little's nomination? Anyway, I am disappointed that the wildly imaginative Corpse Bride didn't win. Tim Burton got robbed on this one.

Total: 2 for 7

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