LAFCA

Well, the LAFCA (apparently) have released their winners. The Big winners are Brokeback Mountain, Catherine Keener, Good Night & Good Luck, Capote, and they surely won't hurt A History of Violence. The big surprise? The strong showing of 2046.

Picture: Brokeback Mountain (over A History of Violence)

I picked this one correctly. Yay for me.

Director: Ang Lee (over David Cronenberg)

Ditto. I don't really know how this "over A History of Violence" or whatever works? Does that mean said movie came second? Or is it just something Anne Thompson. If it means it came second then History of Violence could use this, but if it doesn't mean a thing...

Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote (over Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain)

My alternate won. I guessed Ralph Fiennes. Again, this COULD be used for Ledger's run but i don't know.

Actress: Vera Farmiga, Down to the Bone (over Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents)

Wow. I've barely heard anything about this movie. BUT the weird thing is, someone over at Dave Poland's blog actually mentioned that LA could go for this performance and nobody paid any attention. Judi also seems like an odd choice - that movie doesn't seem like the kind to win critics awards, but maybe we'll be proven wrong. Is Judi a much MUCH more formidable foe than we are expecting?

Supporting Actress: Catherine Keener, for four films (Capote, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Interpreter), over Amy Adams of Junebug

Amy Adams couldn't really done with the win here as a great great boost. She is definitely having a swell early season rush, but who knows where it will go. Keener is not necessarily an odd choice, just maybe left of centre. Could we be seeing another big contender for Supporting Actress? She is playing a real life person after all. I had neither of these two ladies though as my pick or alternate.

Supporting Actor: William Hurt, A History of Violence (over Frank Langella, Good Night, and Good Luck)

Now I'm convinced. I haven't seen History of Violence so I don't know how good Hurt actually is but actors and cameo's don't really get Oscar play (right?), but i suppose I should start REALLY considering this one. Again, neither of my picks made it. Frank Langella?

Screenplay: Dan Futterman, Capote (over Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale)

Again, neither of my picks made it. Futterman needed this, he was in danger of slipping. And again, can Baumbach use this or is his mention nothing?

Cinematography: Robert Elswit, Good Night, and Good Luck (over 2046)

Well, i didn't predict this category for some reason. It seems that they just add or substract categories each year. Can Sony Classics use this as a launching pad for 2046?

Production Design: 2046 (over Good Night, and Good Luck)

WOW. Did not see this one coming at all. Can't say I'm disappointed - it's a great pick. 2046 for Oscar? I doubt it, but I can dream.

Music: Joe Hisaishi, Howl's Moving Castle

Umm... that's cool. Strange, but cool. Do you think they wanted to reward it and didn't know where? It didn't beat ANYTHING apparently? I doubt this award will lead anywhere except maybe MAYBE help boost it into the Top 3 for Animated Feature

New Generation Award: Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow

I didn't get this one either, but I'm not surprised.

Documentary: Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man (over Alex Gibney's Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room)

lol, again, neither of my pics made it. Whatever. Grizzly Man isn't eligable so...

Animated Feature: Wallce + Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Was there any doubt?

Foreign Film: Michael Haneke's Cache (over 2046)

Well, my alternate for this category was 2046, so I got that right! But, I didn't know Cache had been released yet? Hmm. I'd swear it hadn't, but i won't because I don't live in America. But I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

That's it (apparently)

The big losers? CRASH CRASH CRASH

If Los Angeles didn't go for it, then what's the hope that many others (including Oscar) will? Also, Munich and Memoirs not showing MAY hurt it, but not really. Munich is doing it's own thing and Memoirs is dying a quick death in the major categories.

However, in my predictions I did write this "They also throw out some oddballs occasionally (Bill Nighy winning Supporting Actor in 2003 for Love Actually, AKA and I Capture the Castle)" - can we say that they did indeed do that this year. What with this Vera Farmiga woman who I've never heard of before.

I'm still confused about the "over ______" thing. What does it all mean?

Oh well, bring on New York, New York.