Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck)
Paul Haggis (Crash)
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Bennett Miller (Capote)
Steven Spielberg (Munich)
Steven Spielberg (Munich)
Biggest Snub:
James Mangold – Walk the Line
My Overall Thoughts:
This was a pretty mediocre year for nominees and the fact that :Lee swept all the other Directing awards during the season, it was no surprise that he was the frontrunner.
My Rankings:
Directing
5. Bennett Miller
4. Paul Haggis
3. George Clooney
2. Steven Spielberg
1. Ang Lee
Movies
5. Brokeback Mountain – Doesn’t live up to the hype at all. Interesting concept, just doesn’t work on a level that you really can believe they are in love. Disappointing despite the fact that Lee does quite and impressive job putting it all together.
4. Capote – Great performance by Hoffman carries this movie. Difficult subject matter that is based on true events.
3. Crash – Weak Oscar Best Picture winner, but still pretty good movie that is a complex look at society.
2. Good Night, and Good Luck – Straitharn is great here as Murrow. Nice choice to do it all in black and white and incorporate real footage of McCarthy. Subtle but powerful film about the media influence on the world even back in the 50’s.
1. Munich – Excellent adaptation of the book Vengeance. Powerful anti-war message by Spielberg. Perhaps the best movie of 2005 IMHO.
4. Capote – Great performance by Hoffman carries this movie. Difficult subject matter that is based on true events.
3. Crash – Weak Oscar Best Picture winner, but still pretty good movie that is a complex look at society.
2. Good Night, and Good Luck – Straitharn is great here as Murrow. Nice choice to do it all in black and white and incorporate real footage of McCarthy. Subtle but powerful film about the media influence on the world even back in the 50’s.
1. Munich – Excellent adaptation of the book Vengeance. Powerful anti-war message by Spielberg. Perhaps the best movie of 2005 IMHO.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – I guess so. Quite a lackluster year at the Oscars and the choice to split between BP and BD helped Lee walk away with this one eventhough none of them can be seen as outstanding.
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
MovieRob 
A). Brokeback doesn’t live up to all the hype in YOUR humble opinion.
B). Crash is a “weak Best Picture winner” in the humble opinions of others (OK, maybe a lot of others…), most of whom, in fact – Academy voters who were pissed off that Brokeback Mountain didn’t win BP
C).Good Night and Good Luck (in MY humble opinion) isn’t all that great, and still probably the best thing that Clooney has directed to date. Moral: He’s not that good a director.
D). MUNICH was EXCELLENT. One of Spielberg’s best (and that’s saying something). Criminally underseen.
and
E). Not really a “lackluster year” when you have Bennett Miller’s superb direction of CAPOTE ranked 5th on your list.
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Hey Rob. Just reminding you that the Fourth Annual Barrymore Trilogy Blogathon is now running. I have you on the roster for “The Farmer’s Daughter”, “Lone Star” and “Never Been Kissed”.
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