The nominees for Best Picture of 2006 are:
- Babel
- The Departed
- Letters from Iwo Jima
- Little Miss Sunshine
- The Queen
The five contenders for 2006 are quite an impressive bunch. All five are engaging and thought-provoking, and any of them could appropriately be named my favourite. But a five-way tie is not what this verdict is about, so...
Little Miss Sunshine is quirky and lovable, and while its climax is deeply moving, it doesn't quite match the consistent intensity of the other films. Call it the comedy curse, but such is the tendency of those who give out accolades, even insignificant ones like mine. I will remove The Queen from the running also, for similar reasons. It's not a comedy, obviously, but its simplicity, while enhancing the film's enjoyment, is overshadowed by more complex stories from the other nominees.
Babel, The Departed and Letters from Iwo Jima are all deeply absorbing and include many heart-stopping moments. Choosing a favourite from this trio is no easy task. So, through no failing of the other two, I will declare The Departed as my pick of the 2006 Best Picture competition, another match the Academy's decision.
Little Miss Sunshine is quirky and lovable, and while its climax is deeply moving, it doesn't quite match the consistent intensity of the other films. Call it the comedy curse, but such is the tendency of those who give out accolades, even insignificant ones like mine. I will remove The Queen from the running also, for similar reasons. It's not a comedy, obviously, but its simplicity, while enhancing the film's enjoyment, is overshadowed by more complex stories from the other nominees.
Babel, The Departed and Letters from Iwo Jima are all deeply absorbing and include many heart-stopping moments. Choosing a favourite from this trio is no easy task. So, through no failing of the other two, I will declare The Departed as my pick of the 2006 Best Picture competition, another match the Academy's decision.
Best Picture of 2006
| |
Academy's choice:
The Departed
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Matt's choice:
The Departed
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Your choice:
Make your own selection by voting in the poll above. Next up, we move to the 1950s for yet another diverse selection of cinematic classics.
And the nominees for Best Picture of 1959 are:
- Anatomy of a Murder
- Ben-Hur
- The Diary of Anne Frank
- The Nun's Story
- Room at the Top
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This is one year where I don't really have a strong opinion. While I liked all of the films, I didn't think any of them were Best Picture worthy. I feel it was a bit of an off year, at least among nominated films. I'd pick Children of Men as the best picture from that year.
ReplyDeleteI checked my Top Ten list for 2006 and back then I ranked the Nominees this way:
ReplyDeleteBabel - Honorable Mention
Little Miss Sunshine - 8
The Queen - 7
Letters from Iwo Jima - 5
The Departed - 1
The films that finished in the other slots were:
Little Children - 2
Pan's Labyrinth - 3
Brick - 4
United 93 - 6
Children of Men - 9
The Illusionist - 10
There hasn't been too much shuffling in the 5 years since, except my appreciation for The Queen has grown with subsequent viewings.
The Departed clearly remains my pick, and I would have preferred Leonardo DiCaprio nominated for Best Actor for this film rather than Blood Diamond.
1959 has a nice mix of films, from epic to artsy European. It would be the next to last time the majority of nominees were filmed in black and white (1965 was the last).