Academy Awards 2006 Predictions
Update: I scored 17/24, enough for a triple-tie for first place in the Oscar party and $13. Haha. Wow, our pool is so competitive now. If I had not rooted so much for Dolly Parton, it may have been the difference. But a shared first place still isn't too bad. One of the more interesting highlights was we all gasped at Crash winning best picture. Who knew that Oscars could be a spectator sport. Go Clooney!
For a couple of years now, my Filipino friends get together for an annual Oscar party. We each contribute $5 to the "Oscar pool" and the person who predicts the most winners gets the cash. I won two years ago (well, because I picked Return of the King across the board) and placed second last year, stubbornly choosing Bill Murray for Best Actor for not choosing Million Dollar Baby for Best Picture. At any rate, this year, despite not watching most of the nominated films, I will try my luck again in making my educated guesses.
So here are my picks for the 2006 Academy Awards:
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 and DreamWorks)
Rickey's Pick: Brokeback Mountain (I'm going consensus here and not taking a risk with Crash)
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote" (UA/Sony Pictures Classics)
Terrence Howard in "Hustle & Flow" (Paramount Classics, MTV Films and New Deal Entertainment)
Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain" (Focus Features)
Joaquin Phoenix in "Walk the Line" (20th Century Fox)
David Strathairn in "Good Night, and Good Luck." (Warner Independent Pictures)
Rickey's Pick: Philip Seymour Hoffman (again, consensus)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Judi Dench in "Mrs. Henderson Presents" (The Weinstein Company)
Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica" (The Weinstein Company and IFC Films)
Keira Knightley in "Pride & Prejudice" (Focus Features)
Charlize Theron in "North Country" (Warner Bros.)
Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line" (20th Century Fox)
Rickey's Pick: Reese Witherspoon (again, consensus, although I'm bitter because Reese just topped Julia as the highest paid actress of all time)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
George Clooney in "Syriana" (Warner Bros.)
Matt Dillon in "Crash" (Lions Gate)
Paul Giamatti in "Cinderella Man" (Universal and Miramax)
Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback Mountain" (Focus Features)
William Hurt in "A History of Violence" (New Line)
Rickey's Pick: George Clooney (taking a risk here, but I believe in the power of Clooney)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Junebug" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Catherine Keener in "Capote" (UA/Sony Pictures Classics)
Frances McDormand in "North Country" (Warner Bros.)
Rachel Weisz in "The Constant Gardener" (Focus Features)
Michelle Williams in "Brokeback Mountain" (Focus Features)
Rickey's Pick: Rachel Weisz (playing it safe here again, even if a lot of people are picking Amy Adams and Michelle Williams)
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
Rickey's Pick: Ang Lee (the safest prediction this year)
Adapted screenplay
"Brokeback Mountain" (Focus Features)
"Capote" (UA/Sony Pictures Classics)
"The Constant Gardener" (Focus Features)
"A History of Violence" (New Line)
"Munich" (Universal and DreamWorks)
Rickey's Pick: Brokeback Mountain (another safe choice)
Original screenplay
"Crash" (Lions Gate)
"Good Night, and Good Luck." (Warner Independent Pictures)
"Match Point" (DreamWorks)
"The Squid and the Whale" (Samuel Goldwyn Films and Sony Pictures Releasing)
"Syriana" (Warner Bros.)
Rickey's Pick: Crash (safe)
Achievement in cinematography
"Batman Begins" (Warner Bros.)
"Brokeback Mountain" (Focus Features)
"Good Night, and Good Luck." (Warner Independent Pictures)
"Memoirs of a Geisha" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
"The New World" (New Line)
Rickey's Pick: Brokeback Mountain
Achievement in art direction
"Good Night, and Good Luck." (Warner Independent Pictures)
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (Warner Bros.)
"King Kong" (Universal)
"Memoirs of a Geisha" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
"Pride & Prejudice" (Focus Features)
Rickey's Pick: Memoirs of a Geisha
Achievement in film editing
"Cinderella Man" (Universal and Miramax)
"The Constant Gardener" (Focus Features)
"Crash" (Lions Gate)
"Munich" (Universal and DreamWorks)
"Walk the Line" (20th Century Fox)
Rickey's Pick: Crash
Achievement in costume design
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (Warner Bros.)
"Memoirs of a Geisha" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
"Mrs. Henderson Presents" (The Weinstein Company)
"Pride & Prejudice" (Focus Features)
"Walk the Line" (20th Century Fox)
Rickey's Pick: Memoirs of a Geisha
Achievement in makeup
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (Buena Vista)
"Cinderella Man" (Universal and Miramax)
"Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith" (20th Century Fox)
Rickey's Pick: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Achievement in sound editing
"King Kong" (Universal)
"Memoirs of a Geisha" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
"War of the Worlds" (Paramount and DreamWorks)
Rickey's Pick: King Kong
Achievement in sound mixing
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (Buena Vista)
"King Kong" (Universal)
"Memoirs of a Geisha" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
"Walk the Line" (20th Century Fox)
"War of the Worlds" (Paramount and DreamWorks)
Rickey's Pick: Walk the Line
Achievement in visual effects
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (Buena Vista)
"King Kong" (Universal)
"War of the Worlds" (Paramount and DreamWorks)
Rickey's Pick: King Kong
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Brokeback Mountain" (Focus Features)
"The Constant Gardener" (Focus Features)
"Memoirs of a Geisha" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
"Munich" (Universal and DreamWorks)
"Pride & Prejudice" (Focus Features)
Rickey's Pick: Memoirs of a Geisha
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"In the Deep" from "Crash" (Lions Gate)
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from "Hustle & Flow" (Paramount Classics, MTV Films and
New Deal Entertainment)
"Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica" (The Weinstein Company and IFC Films)
Rickey's Pick: Travelin' Thru (another risk, but I want Dolly Parton to win an Oscar, plus they're giving this song away for free on iTunes)
Best animated feature film of the year
"Howl's Moving Castle" (Buena Vista)
"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" (Warner Bros.)
"Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit" (DreamWorks Animation SKG)
Rickey's Pick: Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Best documentary feature
"Darwin's Nightmare" (International Film Circuit)
"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" (Magnolia Pictures)
"March of the Penguins" (Warner Independent Pictures)
"Murderball" (THINKFilm)
"Street Fight" (A Marshall Curry Production)
Rickey's Pick: March of the Penguins
Now, guessing the following categories correctly, normally determines who will win the pot. These are also the hardest to research on the Internet, and these are my best efforts:
Best documentary short subject
"The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club"
"God Sleeps in Rwanda"
"The Mushroom Club"
"A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin"
Rickey's Pick: God Sleeps in Rwanda
Best foreign language film of the year
"Don't Tell"
"Joyeux Noël"
"Paradise Now"
"Sophie Scholl - The Final Days"
"Tsotsi"
Rickey's List: Tsotsi
Best animated short film
"Badgered"
"The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation"
"The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello" (Monster Distributes)
"9"
"One Man Band"
Rickey's Pick: The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation
Best live action short film
"Ausreisser (The Runaway)"
"Cashback" (The British Film Institute)
"The Last Farm"
"Our Time Is Up"
"Six Shooter" (Sundance Film Channel)
Rickey's Pick: Ausreisser (The Runaway)
Wish me luck. I hope I win the pot.