I’ll save most of my snark for Oscar night, when we’ll probably do the traditional running commentary on the site and/or message boards here. But my initial impressions? I’d like to see Munich or Good Night, and Good Luck in the Picture, Director and Actor categories. I think that despite being in a town notorious for flexible morality, the Academy is just too uptight to give many awards to Brokeback Mountain, but I could be mistaken (knowing them, they’ll give it to Crash). Walk the Line could be a contender in a few categories, and it’s nice to see A History of Violence at least get notice, however minor. Not a strong showing for Peter Jackson’s big gorilla.

And Wallace and Gromit is the only viable choice for Best Animated Feature, but I admit I’m not a Miyazaki fan.


Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, And Good Luck
Munich

Best Director
Ang Lee – Brokeback Mountain
Bennett Miller – Capote
Paul Haggis – Crash
George Clooney – Good Night, And Good Night
Steven Spielberg – Munich

Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Capote
Terrence Howard – Hustle & Flow
Heath Ledger – Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix – Walk The Line
David Strathairn – Good Night, And Good Luck

Best Actress
Judi Dench – Mrs Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman – Transamerica
Keira Knightley – Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron – North Country
Reese Witherspoon – Walk The Line

Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney – Syriana
Matt Dillon – Crash
Paul Giamatti – Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal – Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt – A History Of Violence

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – Junebug
Catherine Keener – Capote
Frances McDormand – North Country
Rachel Weisz – The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams – Brokeback Mountain

Best Original Screenplay
Crash
Good Night, And Good Luck
Match Point
The Squid And The Whale
Syriana

Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
The Constant Gardener
A History Of Violence
Munich

Best Animated Film
Howl’s Moving Castle

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit

Best Cinematography
Batman Begins
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night, and Good Luck
Memoirs of a Geisha
The New World 

Best Visual Effects
Narnia
King Kong
War of the Worlds