2006 ACS Academy Awards Pool

[reismark]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences have made their choices. As much as we may agree or disagree with some or all of them, it's now time for us to predict how much more they'll screw up in choosing winners out of nominees. (And I mean that in the most loving sense of "screw up" one can think of.)

How it works: In this thread, post a list of your predicted winners from 1 to 24 with the appropriate letter for each one. The submission deadline is one hour before showtime: 7:00 PM EST on Sunday, March 5, 2006. Once the show is over, ballots will be scored as follows:

• Each of the 24 winning nominees will be assigned a base value equivalent to the number of ballots that did not select the nominee, plus one. Then, depending on the award in question, they will receive a multipler as follows:
  
  -- The major awards (1-8) will receive a 2x multipler.
  -- The technical awards (9-18) will receive a 1.5x multipler, with scores rounded to the nearest whole number.
  -- The minor awards (19-24) will receive no multipler.
  
  As a example: 27 eligible ballots are received. 11 select Claire Simpson's film editing for The Constant Gardener, and it ends up winning. The point value that goes to those who made that selection would be (27 - 11 + 1) x 1.5 = 25.5, which rounds to 26 points.
• Each ballot's score is then determined by adding up the point values of the nominees the ballot has correct. Highest score wins.

It couldn't be any simpler than that. Good luck, and have fun!

/me tries to comfort a certain pissed-off 25-foot-tall gorilla.

1. BEST PICTURE

1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Capote
3. Crash
4. Good Night & Good Luck
5. Munich

2. BEST DIRECTOR

1. George Clooney; Good Night & Good Luck
2. Paul Haggis; Crash
3. Ang Lee; Brokeback Mountain
4. Bennett Miller; Capote
5. Steven Spielberg; Munich

3. BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

1. Philip Seymour Hoffman; Capote
2. Terrence Howard; Hustle & Flow
3. Heath Ledger; Brokeback Mountain
4. Joaquin Phoenix; Walk the Line
5. David Strathairn; Good Night & Good Luck

4. BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

1. Judi Dench; Mrs. Henderson Presents
2. Felicity Huffman; Transamerica
3. Keira Knightley; Pride & Prejudice
4. Charlize Theron; North Country
5. Reese Witherspoon; Walk the Line

5. BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

1. George Clooney; Syriana
2. Matt Dillon; Crash
3. Paul Giamatti; Cinderella Man
4. Jake Gyllenhaal; Brokeback Mountain
5. William Hurt; A History of Violence

6. BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

1. Amy Adams; Junebug
2. Catherine Keener; Capote
3. Frances McDormand; North Country
4. Rachel Weisz; The Constant Gardener
5. Michelle Williams; Brokeback Mountain

7. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. Woody Allen; Match Point
2. Noah Baumbach; The Squid & the Whale
3. George Clooney & Grant Heslov; Good Night & Good Luck
4. Stephen Gaghan; Syriana
5. Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco; Crash

8. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. Jeffrey Caine; The Constant Gardener
2. Dan Futterman; Capote
3. Tony Kushner & Eric Roth; Munich
4. Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana; Brokeback Mountain
5. Josh Olson; A History of Violence

9. BEST ART DIRECTION

1. Jim Bissell & Jan Pascale; Good Night & Good Luck
2. Stuart Craig & Stephenie McMillan; Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
3. Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer; Pride & Prejudice
4. Grant Major, Dan Hennah & Simon Bright; King Kong
5. John Myhre & Gretchen Rau; Memoirs of a Geisha

10. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Dion Beebe; Memoirs of a Geisha
2. Robert Elswit; Good Night & Good Luck
3. Emmanuel Lubezki; The New World
4. Wally Pfister; Batman Begins
5. Rodrigo Prieto; Brokeback Mountain

11. BEST COSTUME DESIGN

1. Colleen Atwood; Memoirs of a Geisha
2. Jacqueline Durran; Pride & Prejudice
3. Gabriella Pescucci; Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
4. Arianne Phillips; Walk the Line
5. Sandy Powell; Mrs. Henderson Presents

12. BEST FILM EDITING

1. Mike Hill & Dan Hanley; Cinderella Man
2. Michael Kahn; Munich
3. Michael McCusker; Walk the Line
4. Claire Simpson; The Constant Gardener
5. Hughes Winborne; Crash

13. BEST MAKEUP

1. David Leroy Anderson & Lance Anderson; Cinderella Man
2. Howard Berger & Tami Lane; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
3. Dave Elsey & Nikki Gooley; Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

14. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1. Alberto Iglesias; The Constant Gardener
2. Dario Marianelli; Pride & Prejudice
3. Gustavo Santaolalla; Brokeback Mountain
4. John Williams; Memoirs of a Geisha
5. John Williams; Munich

15. BEST ORIGINAL SONG

1. "In the Deep"; Crash
2. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"; Hustle & Flow
3. "Travelin' Thru"; Transamerica

16. BEST SOUND EDITING

1. Mike Hopkins & Ethan Van der Ryn; King Kong
2. Richard King; War of the Worlds
3. Wylie Stateman; Memoirs of a Geisha

17. BEST SOUND MIXING

1. Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges & Hammond Peek; King Kong
2. Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill & Peter Kurland; Walk the Line
3. Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer & Ronald Judkins; War of the Worlds
4. Kevin O'Connell, Greg Russell, Rick Kline & John Pritchett; Memoirs of a Geisha
5. Terry Porter, Dean Zupancic & Tony Johnson; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

18. BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1. Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers & Richard Taylor; King Kong
2. Dennis Muren, Pablo Helman, Randal Dutra & Daniel Sudick; War of the Worlds
3. Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer, Jim Berney & Scott Farrar; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

19. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

1. Corpse Bride
2. Howl's Moving Castle
3. Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

20. BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

1. Badgered
2. The Moon & the Son: An Imagined Conversation
3. The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
4. 9
5. One Man Band

21. BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

1. Darwin's Nightmare
2. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
3. March of the Penguins
4. Murderball
5. Street Fight

22. BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

1. The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club
2. God Sleeps in Rwanda
3. The Mushroom Club
4. A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin

23. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

1. Don't Tell - Italy
2. Joyeux Noël - France
3. Paradise Now - Palestine
4. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days - Germany
5. Tsotsi - South Africa

24. BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

1. Ausreisser (The Runaway)
2. Cashback
3. The Last Farm
4. Our Time Is Up
5. Six Shooter

[reismark]

One thing I forgot to add: I would appreciate it if after submitting your ballot, you could visit this thread and give me some feedback and suggestions on my project to construct a new site to handle this and all my other pools.

I'll be posting my own picks at a later date.

[Winston]

You mean we're supposed to care about something as insignificant - and obviously pre-arranged/fixed - as this?

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Yes. Now make your picks.



I'll make mine when I get back from class.

[alva]

Money is brokeback mountain.

Hoping Good night and good luck will win.

[civman2000]

Hoping Good night and good luck will win.

Massively overrated, OK but not great movie.

[Guynemer]

For the first time in several years, I didn't see any of the Best Picture nominees. In fact, the only film I saw in the past year that received any noms in the Big Eight categories was The Constant Gardener. Don't think I can make any serious predictions this year, I'm afraid.

[joncha]

I'll go first.

1. A. Brokeback Mountain
2. B. Paul Haggis; Crash
3. A. Philip Seymour Hoffman; Capote
4. E. Reese Witherspoon; Walk the Line
5. E. William Hurt; A History of Violence
6. B. Catherine Keener; Capote
7. E. Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco; Crash
8. D. Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana; Brokeback Mountain
9. D. Grant Major, Dan Hennah & Simon Bright; King Kong
10. C. Emmanuel Lubezki; The New World
11. A. Colleen Atwood; Memoirs of a Geisha
12. D. Hughes Winborne; Crash
13. C. Dave Elsey & Nikki Gooley; Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
14. D. John Williams; Memoirs of a Geisha
15. A. "In the Deep"; Crash
16. A. Mike Hopkins & Ethan Van der Ryn; King Kong
17. D. Kevin O'Connell, Greg Russell, Rick Kline & John Pritchett; Memoirs of a Geisha
18. A. Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers & Richard Taylor; King Kong
19. C. Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
20. A. Badgered
21. C. March of the Penguins
22. B. God Sleeps in Rwanda
23. C. Paradise Now - Palestine
24. D. Our Time Is Up

[reismark]

*punts*

Deadline's this Sunday!

My picks will be up tomorrow...

[joncha]

I shalle win!

[Ted Striker]

Crash FTW

[Asher]

Felicity Huffman better win for her role in Transamerica. It was incredible.

[reismark]

1. A. Brokeback Mountain

I'm not brave enough to pick the upset, but the film that has the best chance of dethroning the favorite (and also the film that should be winning this category) is not Crash, but Good Night & Good Luck, a wonderful film with no flaws of note that's both relevant for our times while being beloved by the Academy veterans that still carry a lot of weight.

2. C. Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain

Again, I'm mightily tempted to pick George Clooney for Good Night & Good Luck, a masterful work by a respected actor (and the Academy loves to honor actors who turn director, witness Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson). However, Lee's work is definitely comparable, and it's arguable the Academy owes him for selecting Steven Soderbergh over him in 2001, the year of Crouching Tiger.

3. A. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote

As I've hinted, the Brokeback bandwagon won't be powerful enough for a sweep, and the acting awards are where they'll lose out. Ledger will make it close, but Hoffman's gripping turn as Truman is definitely above the rest of the class even in this, the toughest of the categories to handicap. Such a shame for Joaquin Phoenix - any other year and he'd have been able to ride Ray's momentum.

4. E. Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

Probably the closest thing to a slam-dunk among the major categories. Reese is well-respected amongst her peers and will likely be awarded the win for her body of work over the years as much as for this individual performance. Felicity Huffman is her only competition, and I doubt that enough voters will have seen Transamerica for an upset to be possible.

5. C. Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man

One of the Academy's notorious apology awards, as this is essentially them telling Paul, "We're sorry that we ****ed you over so badly over the past two years" (for Sideways and, to a lesser extent, American Splendor). It's a competitive race, with everyone except Jake Gyllenhaal having a legitimate case, and despite Cinderella Man being an "eh" movie, the Oscar's overdue for Paul.

6. B. Catherine Keener, Capote

This race is essentially a two-horser, coming down to Keener and Rachel Weisz. Both command the screen in the time they appear on it - my reasoning in choosing Keener is simply that she's both playing an iconic role in Harper Lee, has much more time to work her magic on screen than Weisz does, and more than holds her own opposite Hoffman.

(Aside: I hope that the Academy has another one of those apology awards saved up next year for Scarlett Johannson - one month later, and I'm still trying to figure out why Michelle Williams is here ahead of her when the Academy already owes her for their complete ignorance of her performance two years ago in Lost in Translation, when she was the emotional glue that held that film together.)

7. E. Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco; Crash

The Academy will be looking for a place to honor Crash, and this will be where it happens - and it's quite a deserving piece of work, with its ability to seamlessly manage so many plotlines and still pack a powerful emotional punch. The Squid & the Whale is also up there in terms of quality, but Noah Baumbach will, unfortunately, have the same problem Felicity Huffman will.

8. C. Tony Kushner & Eric Roth; Munich

This will probably be the biggest surprise of the night - most expect that Brokeback will lose out in the acting awards, but few expect it'll lose out here. It will, though - to a bravely written film with as much importance for us now as Good Night & Good Luck does. The "superstar power" that Kushner's name provides can't hurt either, as well.

9. A. Jim Bissell & Jan Pascale; Good Night & Good Luck

10. E. Rodrigo Prieto; Brokeback Mountain

11. A. Colleen Atwood; Memoirs of a Geisha

12. E. Hughes Winborne; Crash

13. B. Howard Berger & Tami Lane; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

14. C. Gustavo Santaolalla; Brokeback Mountain

15. B. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"; Hustle & Flow

16. A. Mike Hopkins & Ethan Van der Ryn; King Kong

17. B. Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill & Peter Kurland; Walk the Line

18. A. Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers & Richard Taylor; King Kong

19. C. Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

20. D. 9

21. C. March of the Penguins

22. B. God Sleeps in Rwanda

23. D. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days - Germany

24. D. Our Time Is Up

[embalmer42]

For what it's worth:

1 - A) Brokeback Mountain
2 - B) Paul Haggis
3 - A) Phillip Seymour Hoffman
4 - E) Reese Witherspoon
5 - A) George Clooney
6 - D) Rachel Weisz
7 - E) Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco
8 - D) Larry McMurty & Diana Ossana
9 - A) Jim Bissel & Jan Pascale
10 - B) Robert Elswit
11 - C) Gabriella Pescucci
12 - A) Mike Hill & Dan Hanley
13 - A) David Leroy Anderson & Lance Anderson
14 - E) John Williams
15 - C) Travellin Thru
16 - A) Mike Hopkins & Ethan Van der Ryn
17 - B) Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill & Peter Kurland
18 - C) Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer, Jim Berney & Scott Farrar
19 - A) Corpse Bride
20 - C) The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
21 - D) Murderball
22 - B) God Sleeps in Rwanda
23 - A) Don't Tell
24 - D) Our Time Is Up

[reismark]

Picks are due in a little less than fourteen hours.

I was hoping for more participants than this...