Best Picture
“Children of Men”

Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, “Children of Men”

Best Actor
Gael García Bernal, “The Science of Sleep”

Best Actress
Laura Dern, “Inland Empire”

Best Supporting Actor
Jack Nicholson, “The Departed”

Best Supporting Actress
Rinko Kikuchi, “Babel”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Departed”
Written by William Monahan
Based on an original screenplay by Feliz Chong, Siu Fai Mak

Best Original Screenplay
“Babel”
Written by Guillermo Ariaga

Best Art Direction
“Children of Men”
Jim Clay, Geoffrey Kirkland,

Best Cinematography
“Children of Men”
Emmanuel Lubezki

Best Costume Design
“Dreamgirls”
Sharen Davis

Best Film Editing
“United 93”
Clare Douglas, Richard Pearson, Christopher Rouse

Best Makeup
“Pan’s Labyrinth”

Best Music – Original Score
“The Fountain”
Clint Mansell

Best Music – Original Song
“Listen” from “Dreamgirls”

Best Sound Mixing
“Happy Feet”

Best Sound Editing
“Happy Feet”

Best Visual Effects
“Superman Returns”

Best Animated Feature
“Over the Hedge”

Best Ensemble Performance
“Shortbus”

Now beyond that, I like to offer up varying degrees of commendations. This or that, just to get some other titles out there and give an overall view of how I saw the 2006 cinematic landscape:

Most Underrated Film of the Year
“Running with Scissors”

Most Overrated Film of the Year
“Volver”

Best Directorial Debut
Rian Johnson, “Brick”

Breakthrough Performance (Male)
Kazunari Ninomiya, “Letters from Iwo Jima”

Breakthrough Performance (Female)
Rinko Kikuchi, “Babel”

Best Cameo Performance (Male)
Dustin Hoffman, “The Lost City”

Best Cameo Performance (Female)
Julia Ormond, “Inland Empire”

Best Performance in a Bad Film
Cate Blanchett, “The Good German”

Worst Performance in a Good Film
Rachel Weisz, “The Fountain”

Best FYC Campaign
Paramount Pictures for “Dreamgirls”

This film has been on the awards circuit for ten months, and it shows no signs of stopping. But Paramount/Dreamworks has put together a fetching ad campaign full of bright colors and christening itself as THE contender to beat this awards season.

Studio of the Year
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Call it the “best schmoozer” award if you must, but I think this kind of thing can creatively reach a bit deeper. Sometimes it goes beyond the dollars earned and the quality of product on the whole. After all, the worst film can be a top grosser and the best film can lack the pizzazz of a supportive studio. It seemed every time I came home this fall, there was something else in the mail pitching consideration for a Fox Searchlight offering. Whether it be a little yellow bus for “Little Miss Sunshine,” separate category cards for “Notes on a Scandal” or a “Thank You for Smoking” Christmas card, this was a studio visibly encouraged by and supportive of its slate of 2006 cinematic product. Also going to great lengths to throw hip events for films like “Sunshine” and “Fast Food Nation,” this is a company, and a PR team, that understands how to reach out to the industry, and they did so vibrantly, excitedly, all throughout the year. It certainly helps that their slate was a valuable, diverse and exceptional one, to say the least. Bravo.

Best Poster
“The Last King of Scotland”

Best Trailer
“The Prestige”

Most Surprising Film of the Year
“The Painted Veil”

Most Disappointing Film of the Year
“Miami Vice”

Best Action Sequence
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”

The Kraken sinks the Black Pearl and the end(?) of Jack Sparrow.

Best Opening Titles Sequence
“Casino Royale”

Entertainer of the Year
Clint Eastwood

Whatever your opinions of “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima,” these efforts combine for one hell of an ambitious endeavor. I applaud such bravura, as anyone who knows the effort that goes into making just ONE movie would.