If I Were An Academy Voter - 2006 Part II

Best Art Direction
Academy Winner/My Pick - Pan's Labyrinth
Commentary -A visually stunning movie, that deserves as many tech awards as it could get.

Best Cinematography
Academy Winner/My Pick - Pan's Labyrinth
Commentary -One of its greatest strengths was how beautifully it was shot, and I could not be happier that the Academy recognized its brilliance.

Best Costume Design
Academy Winner - Marie Antoinette
My Pick - Dreamgirls
Commentary - I thought the costumes were so over-the-top to the point of ridiculous. So instead I would have gone with the more subtle 1960's garb of the Dreamgirls, plus it was a ten times better movie.

Best Film Editing
Academy Winner/My Pick - The Departed
Commentary - While it looks like I am going for a Pan's Labyrinth sweep, I have to give a nod to the highly energetic, twisty turning tale of Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Plus Thelma Schoonmaker is a legend.

Best Makeup
Academy Winner/My Pick - Pan's Labyrinth

Commentary - The Academy definitely got it right, as the other two choices were not even in the running. That being said the makeup effects of Pan's Labyrinth were fantastic, so I guess it was a win/win.

Best Original Score
Academy Winner - Gustavo Santaolalla "Babel"
My Pick - Javier Navarette "Pan's Labyrinth"
Commentary - I found Babel overlong, stretching its themes to the point of exhaustion, only buoyed by its incredible performances. That being said, I went with the score for Pan's Labyrinth, not only because I liked it better, but because I don't think Babel deserves anything outside of potential acting categories.

Best Sound Mixing
Academy Winner/My Pick - Dreamgirls
Commentary - The flashy, upbeat, and crystal clear sound of Dreamgirls really helped those incredible songs really pop.

Best Sound Editing
Academy Winner - Letters From Iwo Jima
My Pick - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Commentary - I thought that the swashbuckling and intricate sound detail that was a staple of the Pirates saga deserved some recognition.

Best Visual Effects
Academy Winner/My Pick - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Commentary - Since Poseidon and Superman Returns were not even in the same league of Bill Nighy's Davie Jones in terms of visual effects, this was a pretty easy choice .