Grinding Out Sausages

The Academy Awards are next Sunday. And like the past 15 years, I'll be watching them on TV. I've come close to attending twice before, but that's another story. For now, I'll continue to offer my thoughts from the peanut gallery:

2005 was a decent year for movies. I don't think any of this year's films will become classics, but on the other hand, there were a lot of very good movies. And all of this year's nominations are better than some past winners like The English Patient or American Beauty.

If I were voting, my order for Best Picture would be:
Munich
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash
Capote
Brokeback Mountain

I think the only film that doesn't belong in the list is Brokeback Mountain. I believe it was only nominated because that is the politically correct vote. I'd be thrilled if a gay-themed film really was the best picture of the year, but Brokeback is a small movie with solid performances that is actually a bit dull. A very good movie, just not one of the five best of the year.

Here are the films I wish had been nominated instead:
Walk the Line
Match Point
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
RENT
Syriana
In My Country

Below this tier, these were my favorite films of the year:
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Merchant of Venice
Me, You, and Everyone We Know
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Wedding Crashers
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Oliver Twist
North Country
In Her Shoes
Bee Season
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohia
March of the Penguins
Hustle & Flow
Chronicles of Narnia
Harry Potter 4
Kingdom of Heaven
Wallace & Gromit
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Elizabethtown
Batman Begins
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
Red Eye
Flightplan

And to be complete and fun, these were the films where I really wanted my time and money back:
Domino
Star Wars 3
King Kong
Lord of War
The Island
Pretty Pursuasion
Hitch
Be Cool
Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy
Layer Cake
Zathura
Aeon Flux
The New World
War of the Worlds
The Bad News Bears
Fantastic 4
Waiting