The Best Picture of 2005

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2006)

While I rate Good Night, and Good Luck with an 8/10, that is because it is not perfect, nor were the excellent films (except for Crash) that were also nominated for best picture. Good Night and Good Luck is definitely an excellent educational piece for aspiring journalists and politicians. It is good to note that Murrow defied the advertisers and the executives by offering his opinion in an intelligent matter, unlike using 'comedy' or exploiting the woes of others (Michael Moore, the hacks at Fox News). Murrow had a sense of dignity about him, and was able to take down the ruthless McCarthy. If Murrow can use his wits to take down that jackass, any journalist can abandon dependence on technology's excesses to bring down the criminals that run this country today. But, we are fat and comfortable, as Mr. Murrow said.
As for the film itself...
It's not perfect. While I offer my Kudos to George Clooney for integrating actual footage of McCarthy and so forth, sometimes you can't help but feel such a method causes an uneven balance between the actors in the film and archival footage. But, this is only minor, as it is more effective than having actors play McCarthy and his cronies.
The good parts obviously outweigh the minor problems: Straitharn should've been the best actor of 2005. The writing is top notch, as the length of the film is perfect to get an adequate message across. George Clooney did not deserve Best Director at the Academy Awards (as Ang Lee, a more experienced director, won this award), but watch out for him in the future. After seeing Good Night and Good Luck, it certainly seems bright.
How Crash, with its horrible portrayal of race relations, won Best Picture over this, well I don't know.