2006 Oscar awards: A preview of tomorrow's winners nominated for Best Picture 

PRAVEENA SHIVRAM

19 February 2006

Every year, it is the Oscars that inadvertently determine the success stories in Hollywood, or for that matter, anywhere in the world. No matter what performers the world over claim, to own that Golden Statue, is a veritable dream they strive for. While the nominees rehearse their thank you speeches in front of their mirrors, audiences the world over work out various permutations and combinations for the film or the actor who will take home one of those statues.

This year, the nominations list throws open a lot of options for speculation for the best Motion Picture of the Year award. Here is a short overview of the five films that have earned the best picture nomination.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

The hype around this film has reached a feverish peak, as 11 nominations have been bestowed on it. Coming from Academy Award winner Ang Lee (for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), this film has already won the Golden Lion Award at the 2005 Venice International Festival. But that is not its only claim to fame. Based on the short story written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Proulx, the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain has also been penned by a team of Pulitzer Prize winning authors, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. 

The story traces the connection between two men – one a ranch hand and the other a rodeo cowboy. What begins as a casual camaraderie between them soon grows into a deeper and a more intimate relationship. For both Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), the years they spend apart from each other from the time they met, the fact that they have families and a life that follows a completely different track, their relationship transcends all, and ultimately, as they struggle to keep their double life a secret, the film begins to question concepts of fidelity, commitment and trust.

CAPOTE

If you have read Truman Capote's Breakfast At Tiffany's and enjoyed it, then this film is probably for you. Based on the biography of Capote's life written by Gerald Clarke, the movie traces the author's obsession with the simple fact that "in the hands of the right writer a non-fiction can be as compelling as fiction". The report of a murder case in the papers in Kansas prompts Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to make his journey into the unknown, along with his friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), who will soon win the Pulitzer Prize and attain popularity with her book To Kill A Mockingbird.

As he begins his investigation on the murder, he realizes that what he thought to be an interesting article actually grows into a possible book, a book he believes could rank with the greatest in modern literature. And today that book, In Cold Blood, is ranked among the best in non-fiction; and it was that book which eventually influenced non-fiction writing around the world. Directed by Bennett Miller and written by Dan Futterman, this is a film to watch out for at the Oscars.

CRASH

A film that deals with a pressing issue that seems to have taken the entire world in a vice-like grip, Crash was born out of writer/director Paul Haggis' personal experience of being car-jacked. With race and racism, terror and terrorism being used by both the media and various governments to incite fear in the minds of the public, this film raises some every important and relevant questions from the perspective of the minority. A film that will be easy for most audiences' around the world to identify with. Written in collaboration with Robert Moresco, this film questions the definitions of safety, of what it means to live in the modern world, through various characters such as Sandra Bullock who plays the lonely and suspicious wife of an ambitious District Attorney (Brenden Fraser). Or Jennifer Esposito who plays the role of a Los Angeles Police Detective. Or Matt Dillon as Officer Ryan and the character of Golden Globe winning actor Don Cheadle. The final mantra of the film? "You never know when you are going to fall apart, how close you are to crashing…"

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

Set in 1950's America, this film chronicles the early days of broadcast journalism in the country. Directed and co-written (along with producer Grant Heslov) by actor George Clooney, this film has already garnered three awards in International film festivals that include the best screenplay and best actor for David Strathairn at the Venice Film Festival 2005 and the official selection for the New York Film Festival, 2005. The film showcases the real-life conflict between television newsman Edward R Murrow (David Strathairn) and senator Joseph Mc Carthy. As the anchor of the show, See It Now, on CBS, Murrow along with the producer of the show Fred Friendly (George Clooney) reflect the team's desire to report facts as they are even if it means to defy the corporate and sponsorship pressures. This brings them in conflict with the Senator as they try to bring the truth of his communistwitchhunts to light. A public feud ensues, with Murrow emerging triumphant, as Mc Carthy is finally brought before the Senate and made powerless.

MUNICH

Three-time Academy Award winner Steven Speilberg brings the 1972 massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics alive through Munich. Classified as a historical thriller, this film recounts the efforts of a secret Israeli squad that tracks down 11 Palestinians who are believed to have planned the Munich massacre. Based on the actual event, including various interviews conducted with people who participated in the events themselves, Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner has written the screenplay. Eric Bana of Troy plays the role of the Mossad agent who leads the special squad through the 11 assassinations. Other cast includes Geoffrey Rush, Daniel Craig and Hanns Zischler.