The Snubby Awards: 2006 Oscars

It's that time again: The Snubby Awards!  For those of you who don't know, the Snubby Awards take a look at all of the Best Picture nominees from a given year and determine if the best film won or if one was snubbed.  If that's the case, they win the coveted Snubby Award!

This time we'll be taking a look at the 2006 Oscars, which was a mostly decent field of movies (with one exception).  The nominees were: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night, and Good Luck, and Munich with the winner being Crash.  Did Crash deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Let's find out!

#5. Crash

I don't think this is a hot take at all.  I don't know if I know anybody who thinks Crash should have won Best Picture and it's a crime that it did.  I had heard that most people think Crash is the worst Best Picture winner, and, of those I've seen, I have to agree.  While there are some good performances and I love the structure of the interweaving story, there isn't much else here to like.  This is a movie about race that was written by two white guys...and it feels like it.  It's a shallow film where all of the characters suck and the ultimate message is lost in the mess.  I can't believe this movie was nominated for Best Picture and the fact that it won is a travesty.  Another film was snubbed...and badly.

 5/10: Meh 

#4. Capote

Capote gives us a look at the life of Truman Capote (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) as he worked on writing his book, In Cold Blood, which detailed the events of some real-life killings in a small town.  The film mostly focuses on the relationship between Capote and one of the killers as he works on his book.  This was a fascinating film with excellent and emotional performances across the board.  Hoffman won Best Actor for his role and I can absolutely see why.  I completely forgot I was watching Hoffman at times.  My only real hangup with this movie is the "why" of it all.  The movie focuses on humanizing a killer.  Yeah, he's a complex person, but the bottom line is he murdered people in cold blood.  The movie tries to make us feel bad for him as he faces the death penalty, but should we?  I'm not sure.

 8/10: Really Good 

#3. Good Night, and Good Luck

This one is another movie that is based on actual events.  Good Night, and Good Luck follows journalist Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) as he takes on U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (Himself) during the anti-Communist hearings.  This is another really interesting story with an excellent performance from Strathairn.  I also love that they use footage of McCarthy and only use his own words.  No actor portrays him, we only see what he said.  I wish the movie had hit a bit harder at times and I felt that the Patricia Clarkson/Robert Downey Jr. subplot should have been dropped completely or expanded upon more, but this is another really solid film.

 8/10: Really Good 

And now for the Top 2 in no particular order.

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain follows two cowboys in rural Wyoming and their unlikely love story.  A huge turning point in LGBTQ cinema, Brokeback Mountain was the first of its kind in mainstream film.  The performances are amazing with incredibly complex and interesting characters.  This is a heartbreaking and wholly engaging film that I didn't want to end.  In fact, my only complaint is that it's too short.  134 minutes and it's still too short.  I wanted this movie to continue on and I felt like it ended too early.

 9/10: Great 

Munich

 

Another based on real events movie, Munich takes place after the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games.  It follows a group of assassins working for Israel.  Their mission: kill everyone involved with planning the Massacre.  Munich is a really well made and emotional thriller.  The cast is great and the movie really pulls you into the assassination sequences.  It's a brutal and heart-breaking film.  To my surprise, it's also somewhat critical of Israel, which I was not expecting.  Although the 3rd act doesn't quite match the strength of what came before, this is another worthy Nominee.

 9/10: Great 

And the Snubby Award goes to...!

Brokeback Mountain!  This is another take that isn't hot.  Most people I know of believe this should have won Best Picture, and they're right.  It's a crying shame really.  I know it has the reputation of being the "gay cowboy movie," but there's so much more to this movie.  It's one that everybody should see.

Next time we'll be looking at the 2005 Oscars.  Did Million Dollar Baby deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Stay tuned!