Academy Award Nominations: Best Supporting Actress

I'm not going to bother with a complete list of Oscar nominations because by this time, you've probably already seen them. (In case you haven't, here you go). Instead, I figured I'd just take one category at a time, starting with Best Supporting Actress, since that's the only one for which I've seen every nominee.

Here are the nominees, followed by the number of awards each has won already this year, from various critics' societies (a breakdown of who won what from whom can be found here).

Adriana Barraza for Babel: 1
Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal: 6
Abigail Breslin for Little Miss Sunshine: 5 (2 for Supporting Actress, 3 for Performance by a Youth)
Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls: 18 (11 for Supporting Actress, 7 for Breakthrough Performance)
Rinko Kikuchi for Babel: 4 (3 for Supporting Actress, 1 for Breakthrough Performance)

Hudson is clearly the favorite to win, though her fellow nominees all delivered strong work. Effie is really a leading role in Dreamgirls, and Hudson gets as much screen time as Beyonce Knowles. But Knowles is a Big Star, so she got the above-the-title billing and the right to a (non-existent) Leading Actress nomination. And to be fair, she did make The Pink Panther and Goldmember.

Of all the nominees, Kikuchi impressed me most. Her character was the most heartbreaking in Babel and her story the most compelling, both because of her extraordinary performance. Barraza was just as good, but I didn't believe for one second that her son would dump her in the desert with two children in the middle of the night.

Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses of our generation. In 2006, she turned in equally strong work in Babel, the little-seen (and even littler-appreciated) The Good German and Notes on a Scandal, for which she is nominated. Her versatility is reminiscent of Meryl Streep's. But, like Streep, Blanchett is so consistently good that she may never get another Oscar. We expect her to be great, and aren't surprised when she is. She'd have to have another perfect vehicle like Elizabeth to really wow the Academy.

Breslin is the heart and soul of Little Miss Sunshine and her performance showed remarkable range. Consider her reaction to the news that she qualified for the pageant, the silent way she comforts her brother along the side of the highway, and her joyfully oblivious striptease. This is a cute little girl who can also act - which is always a nice surprise. (As a totally random side note, I saw LMS at a preview screening that was followed by a Q&A with the film's directors. One guy raised his hand and compared Breslin with a "young Dakota Fanning." Please.)

Front-runner: Jennifer Hudson
Upset-that-wouldn't-surprise-me: Abigail Breslin
I would vote for: Rinko Kikuchi

The Overlooked:
Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration
Sharon Stone, Bobby

Anyone I've left out?

2006 Awards Season Round-Up: Golden Globes, Producers Guild and 8 other Film Critics Circle Awards

2006 Award Season Round-Up

Your one stop shop for winning the office Oscar pool

Below is a list of award-winners from those award-giving institutions that I feel merit mention. I'll update throughout the award-season.

(Not every film society gives every award, so some categories may seem a little thin.)

Critics' Societies Included:

• African-American Film Critics Association (A-A)
• Austin Film Critics Association (Au)
• Boston Society of Film Critics (Bo)
• Broadcast Film Critic Association (BFCA)
• Central Ohio Film Critics Association (OH)
• Chicago Film Critics Association (Chi)
• Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association (DFW)
• Florida Film Critics Circle (FL)
• Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe Awards (GG)
• The International Press Academy Satellite Awards (IPA)
• Iowa Film Critics (IA)
• Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KC)
• Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LV)
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LA)
• National Board of Review (NBR)
• National Society of Film Critics (NSFC)
• New York Film Critics Circle (NY)
• New York Film Critics Online (ny.com)
• Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OK)
• Online Film Critics Society (OFCS)
• Phoenix Film Critics Society (Ph)
• Producers Guild of America (PGA)
• St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association (St.L)
• San Diego Film Critics Society (SD)
• San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SF)
• Southeastern Film Critics Association (SE)
• Toronto Film Critics Association (Tor)
• Utah Film Critics Society (UT)
• Vancouver Film Critics Circle
• Washington, DC Area Film Critics (DC)

Best Film
United 93: 9 (Au, DC, DFW, KC, NY, OFCS, OK, Ph, UT)
The Departed: 8 (Bo, BFCA, Chi, FL, IPA: dr, LV, SE, St.L: dr) *
Dreamgirls: 3 (A-A, GG: com/mus, IPA: comedy)**
Letters From Iwo Jima: 3 (LA, NBR, SD)
Children of Men: 2 (OH, Van)
Little Children: 2 (IA, SF)
Little Miss Sunshine: 2 (PGA, St. L: com/mus)
The Queen: 2 (ny.com, Tor)
Babel: 1 (GG: drama)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan: 1 (BFCA: mus/com)
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth): 1 (NSFC)

*dr = drama
**com/mus = comedy/musical

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, The Departed: 17 (Bo, BFCA, Chi, DC, DFW, FL, GG, IA, LV, NBR, NY, OFCS, OH, OK, Ph, SE, St. L)
Paul Greengrass, United 93: 4 (KC, LA, NSFC, SF)
Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men: 3 (Au, UT, Van)
Bill Condon, Dreamgirls: 2 (A-A, IPA (tie))
Stephen Frears, The Queen: 2 (ny.com, Tor (tie))
Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, L'Enfant: 1 (Tor (tie))
Clint Eastwood, Flags of Our Fathers: 1 (IPA (tie))
Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima: 1 (SD)

Best First Film
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine: 3 (OK, ny.com, OSFC)
Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson: 2 (Bo, NY)
Rian Johnson, Brick: 2 (Au, Chi (Most Promising Director))
Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking: 2 (NBR, Tor)
Emilio Estevez, Bobby: 1 (Ph (Breakout Performance of the Year, Behind the Camera))

Best Original Screenplay
Peter Morgan, The Queen: 9 (Chi, GG, LA, IPA, NSFC, NY, ny.com, St. L, Tor)
Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine, 6 (BFCA, DC, DFW, KC, Ph, SE)
Rian Johnson, Brick: 3 (OH, SF, UT)
Guillermo del Toro, El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth): 2 (Au, OFCS)
Zach Helm, Stranger Than Fiction: 1 (NBR)
Karen Moncrieff, The Dead Girl: 1 (SD)

Best Adapted Screenplay
William Monahan, The Departed: 8 (Bo. Chi, FL, IPA, KC, OH, Ph, SE)
Jason Reitman, Thank You for Smoking: 3 (DC, LV, SD)
Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men: 2 (Au, OFCS)
Todd Field & Tom Perrotta, Little Children: 1 (SF)
Ron Nyswaner: The Painted Veil: 1 (NBR)

Best Animated Feature
Cars: 11 (Au, BFCA, GG, IA, NBR, OH, OK, PGA, SD, SE, St. L)
Happy Feet: 6 (DC, DFW, LA, NY, ny.com, Tor)
Monster House: 2 (FL, LV)
Flushed Away: 1 (Ph)
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth): 1 (IPA (Animated or Mixed Media))
Over the Hedge: 1 (KC)
A Scanner Darkly: 1(OFCS)

Best Documentary
An Inconvenient Truth: 19 (Chi, DC, DFW, FL, KC, LA, LV, NBR, NSFC, ny.com, OFCS, OH, OK, Ph, SE, SF, St. L, UT)
Deliver Us from Evil: 3 (Bo (tie), IPA, NY )
Shut Up & Sing: 2 (Bo (tie), SD)
This Film Is Not Yet Rated: 1 (Au)
Manufactured Landscapes: 1 (Tor)

Best Foreign (Language) Film
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth): 12 (Au, Bo, DC, FL, IA, ny.com, OFCS, OH, OK, SE, SF, St. L)
Letters From Iwo Jima: 7 (BFCA, Chi, DFW, GG, KC, Ph, UT)
Volver: 3 (IPA, NBR, Van)
L'armee des obres (Army of Shadows): 1 (NY)*
L'Enfant: 1 (Tor)
Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others): 1 (LA)
Qian li zou qi (Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles): 1 (SD)
*Though it was made in 1969, L'armee des obres did not receive its US premiere until 2006.

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King Of Scotland: 23 (A-A, Bo, BFCA, Chi, DC, DFW, FL, GG: dr, IA, IPA: dr, KC, LA (tie), LV, NBR, NSFC, NY, ny.com, OFCS, OK, Ph, SE, St. L, Van)
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan: 5 (GG: com/mus, LA (tie), SF, Tor, UT)
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed: 2 (Au, OH)
Joseph Cross: Running with Scissors: 1 (IPA: com/mus)
Ken Takakura, Qian li zou qi (Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles): 1 (SD)

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen: 28 (A-A, Bo, BFCA, Chi, DC, DFW, FL, GG: dr, IA, IPA: dr, KC, LA, LV, NBR, NSFC, NY, ny.com, OFCS, OH, OK, Ph, SD, SE, SF, St. L, Tor, UT, Van)
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada: 2 (GG: com/mus, IPA: com/mus)
Ellen Page, Hard Candy: 1 (Au)

Best Supporting Actor
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children: 8 (Chi, DFW, IA, NY, OFCS, OK, SE, SF)
Michael Sheen, The Queen: 5 (KC, LA, ny.com, Tor, UT)
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond: 4 (DC, LV, NBR, St. L)
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls: 4 (A-A, BFCA, GG, OH)
Jack Nicholson, The Departed: 3 (Au, FL, Ph)
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed: 2 (Bo, NSFC)
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine: 1 (Van)
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed: 1 (IPA)
Ray Winstone, The Proposition: 1 (SD)

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls: 11 (A-A, BFCA, DC, GG, IPA, LV, NY, ny.com (tie), OH, SE, St. L)
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal: 6 (DFW, FL, OK, Ph, Tor, Van)
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel: 3 (Au, Chi, UT)
Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration: 3 (KC, NBR, ny.com (tie))
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine: 2 (IA, OSFC)
Adriana Barraza, Babel: 1 (SF)
Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson: 1 (Bo)
Luminita Gheorghiu, Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu): 1 (LA)
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada: 1 (NSFC)
Meryl Streep, A Prairie Home Companion: 1 (NSFC)
Lili Taylor, Factotum: 1 (SD)

Breakthrough Performance: Male
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat... and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby: 2 (Chi, OSFC)
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson: 1 (NBR)

Breakthrough Performance: Female
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls: 7 (Au, FL, NBR (tie), ny.com, OH, OK, Ph)
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel: 1 (NBR (tie))

Best Performance by a Youth, Male
Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine: 1 (BFCA)
Jaden Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness: 1 (Ph)

Best Performance by a Youth, Female
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine: 3 (BFCA, LV, Ph)

Best Acting By An Ensemble
Little Miss Sunshine: 4 (BFCA, DC, ny.com, Ph)
The Departed: 3 (IPA, NBR, OH)
Babel: 1 (SD)
United 93: 1 (Bo)

Best Art Direction and Production Design
K.K. Barrett (PD) & Anne Seibel (AD), Marie Antionette: 3 (DC, LV, Ph)
Henry Bumstead (PD), Jack G. Taylor Jr. & Richard Goddard (AD), Flags of Our Fathers: 1 (IPA)
Eugenio Caballero (PD/AD), El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth): 1 (LA )
Owen Paterson, V for Vendetta: 1 (SD)

Costume Design
Milena Canonero, Marie Antionette: 1 (Ph)
Patricia Field, The Devil Wears Prada: 1 (IPA)

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men: 6 (Au, Chi, LA, LV, NSFC, OSFC)
Guillermo Navarro, El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth): 3 (Bo, FL, NY)
Dean Semler, Apocalypto: 3 (DFW, OH, Ph)
Dick Pope, The Illusionist: 2 (ny.com, SD)
Tom Stern, Flags of Our Fathers: 1 (IPA)

Best Editing
Christopher Rouse, Richard Pearson and Clare Douglas, United 93: 2 (OSFC, SD)
Thelma Schoonmaker, The Departed: 2 (LV, Ph) Mark Helfrich, Mark Goldblatt, Julia Wong: X-Men: The Last Stand: 1 (IPA)

Best Music Score
Gustavo Santolalla, Babel: 3 (IPA, OH, SD)
Alexandre Desplat, The Painted Veil: 2 (GG, LA)
Philip Glass, The Illusionist: 2 (BFCA, ny.com)
Clint Mansell, The Fountain: 2 (Chi, OSFC)
Alexandre Desplat, The Queen: 1 (LA)
Thomas Newman, The Good German: 1 (LV)

Best Original Song
"Listen,"Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, Beyoncé Knowles, and Anne Preven, Dreamgirls: 1 (BFCA)
"Ordinary Miracle," David Stewart & Glen Ballard, Charlotte's Web: 1 (LV)
"The Song of My Heart," Prince Rogers Nelson, Happy Feet: 1 (GG)
"You Know My Name," Chris Cornell, David Arnold, Casino Royale: 1 (IPA)

Sound (Editing & Mixing)
Willie Burton, Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer, Richard E. Yawn, Dreamgirls: 1 (IPA)

Best Visual Effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 2 (IPA, St. L)
Superman Returns: 1 (Ph)
X-Men: The Last Stand: 1 (LV)

Very Short Reviews: United 93 and Babel

United 93 (2006, Paul Greengrass): 7.5/10
Everything that takes place on the ground works, effectively conveying the confusion, disbelief and horror of the events of that day. The scenes on the plane are less effective. It turns out Greengrass's version of what probably happened is what everyone else assumes probably happened.

Babel (2006, Alejandro González Iñárritu): 8/10
Babel has a lesson: Even though we may speak different languages, we're all still human beings. Also, don't shoot at cars. Cate Blanchett is as good as ever, but the film belongs to Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi. Brad Pitt plays the same Average-Joe-stuck-in-an-extraordinary-situation character he played in Se7en. He's better this time, but that's not saying a whole heckuva lot.