I saw Crash, but I didn't see it becoming named best picture at the 2006 Academy Awards. Yet there it is!

I didn't see Brokeback Mountain (for certain reasons), but it now seems to be very close to Overrated Mountain.

And what sort of political scheming went on that gave a best original screenplay award to Crash, and best adapted screenplay to BBM, and best director to BBM's Ang Lee and not Crash's Paul Haggis?

It doesn't seem logical that the best directed movie would be the second to fifth-best film, but there you have it.

One theory I advanced is that Crash provided more work to Academy members, given it's 76-person ensemble cast. More work, ergo, more loyalty! :)

Zerby described Crash as her favourite movie of 2005. While I liked parts of it, I had some problems with the whole package.

But maybe being a movie about L.A., the homeland of the film industry, and just being liberal enough helped push it over the top.

One problem I've heard with BBM is that while gorgeously shot, the middle third gets a bit tedious. Maybe people decided while it was brave, groundbreaking, it was a drag.

Crash may have been just a little closer to the Hollywood norm, although it hardly aimed to be a fist-pumping crowd-pleaser.

One bit of feedback

Via email:

I liked Syriana ... but then again I am a conspiracy kind of guy.

Crash was ... a challenge.

But BrokeBack Mountain was grossly overrated. Slow, plodding, boring with a backdrop of nice pictures.

Kind of like watching someone's ENDLESS vacation pictures at an Alberta Dude ranch.

A total disservice to Proulx's story  ...if you like her work.