OSCAR NOMINATIONS
Let me start out by stating that 2005 was not a strong year in film. The Academy Award nominations were not surprising, given the outcome of both the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. Walk the Line is the most glaring omission in the Best Picture category. And while I appreciated Crash for the stellar performances of an impressive ensemble cast, in my opinion it is not Best Picture caliber. A History of Violence was a superior film from controversial director David Cronenberg, and Viggo Mortensen should have been a Best Actor nominee. Along the same lines, although Terrence Howard gives a career-altering performance in Hustle & Flow, it did not strike me as Oscar-worthy. I am rooting for Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, but I realize that the Best Actor trophy is all but in the hands of Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote. Until now, Jake Gyllenhaal was snubbed for Best Supporting Actor nods, but he rightfully scored one for the big dance. Kiera Knightly is at the polar opposite spectrum of her career to Dame Judi Dench, who seems to get nominated for everything she does. Knightly’s first nomination is a throwaway, much as Renee Zellweger’s was for Bridget Jones a few years ago. Speaking of Judi Dench…it looks like William Hurt is this year’s Dench – a Best Supporting Actor nomination for about 10 minutes of scene-stealing screentime. Will voters reward Paul Giamatti with an Oscar in this category because he’s a sentimental favorite after losing two years in a row? I don’t know the answer, but I will tell you that Cinderella Man isn’t even on my rental radar. It’s a shame that more people didn’t see Transamerica, because Felicity Huffman is amazing, unrecognizable and mezmerising in this little indie gem. But Reese Witherspoon has transplanted Julia Roberts as America’s Sweetheart, and will probably take home the Best Actress Oscar, the first of many in her career. All bets are on Rachel Weisz for Best Supporting Actress, but there would be no Junebug without Amy Adams, and Brokeback would have been an entirely different movie without the intense emotional resonance of Michelle Williams. My vote for Best Director goes to Ang Lee for his small but beautiful and haunting film.