The 2006 Oscar nominations announced yesterday represent slim pickings for SF&F and comic influenced entries, with little in the ‘major’ categories except a nod for William Hurt’s take in Cronenberg’s adaptation of Wagner’s graphic novel A History of Violence in the Best Supporting Actor category. A History of Violence also received a nomination in Best Adapted Screenplay category.
Other than that it was business as usual, which means genre films being largely relegated to the more technical and behind the scenes awards such as Best Costume Design or Best Visual Effects (one category where SF&F movies reign supreme). The Best Animated Feature made much more enjoyable reading since it sets up three cracking animated fantasies against one another: Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Corpse Bride and Howl’s Moving Castle, itself adapted from a fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones.
Several other artistic and technical categories have nods to the major SF movies of the last year – Batman Begins picks up a nomination for best Cinematography for instance. The full Oscar nominations are listed on the official Oscars site while the ceremony itself takes place on Sunday March 5th.
Wed, Feb 1, 2006
General