The 78th Annual Academy Awards nominations were announced on 31st January and, as expected, Hollywood has given itself a mountain to climb. Brokeback Mountain, that is.

Ang Lee's unique romantic drama scored eight nods, the most of any film this year. The ensemble race drama Crash, George Clooney's black-and-white newsroom tale Good Night, and Good Luck and the film of Arthur Golden's book Memoirs of a Geisha each received six, while Steven Spielberg's political thriller Munich and Bennett Miller's debut feature Capote each scored five.

With the exception of Spielberg's controversial drama, which was released by Universal Pictures and cost US$75 million to produce, this year's selections could largely be mistaken for the Independent Spirit Awards.

Hollywood, as we all know, did not have a stellar year, financially or creatively, in 2005. Low-budget, edgier films released by independent divisions of the major studios, however, did and it is only fair that they dominate the Big Night.

best picture

The five nominees for Best Picture were all well received by both critics and the audiences. Each is a solid drama that tackles tricky subject matter in a way that is both relevant and entertaining.

My personal pick out of this impressive group would be Munich, but it is all-round favourite Brokeback Mountain that looks likeliest to be the Academy's choice. Munich is far too polarizing to reward, and having won practically every Best Picture gong going while being near-unanimously praised, Oscar's biggest award seems to be the logical next step for "the gay cowboy film".

The remaining three features, Crash, Capote and Good Night, and Good Luck will find Oscar glory - and increased box office and DVD revenue - elsewhere.

best director

This is one of those odd years where all five of the Best Director nominees helmed the Best Picture nominees. Three of the nominees, George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck), Paul Haggis (Crash) and Bennett Miller (Capote), are first-time nominees joining veterans Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) and Steven Spielberg (Munich).

Munich is one of Spielberg's best directorial efforts in quite some time, and Clooney, Miller and Haggis turned in work equally as impressive. However, it may not be enough to stop the Brokeback Mountain express.

Much like his film, Lee has been an awards favorite. After scoring the all-important Directors Guild Award recently, Oscar night should be a no-brainer.

actor in a leading role

The Best Actor field is very strong this year, but David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck), Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line), surprise - but deserved - nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) and Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain) may have to suffice with just being nominated for their excellent work.

This year belongs to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who should cap off his winning streak with a Best Actor statue for his superb work in Capote. Ledger might give him a bit of competition, but in the end the award should be Hoffman's.

actress in a leading role

Another solid field with another sure bet. Reese Witherspoon leads the field of talented ladies with her performance as June Carter Cash in the biopic Walk the Line.

Her closest competition comes from that Desperate Housewife Felicity Huffman for her gender-bending turn in Transamerica.

Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice), Judi Dench (Mrs Henderson Presents) and Charlize Theron (North Country) round out the spots with their lauded work and might have been front-runners in other years. They will all be back in the running soon enough.

actor in a supporting role

I loved A History of Violence, and I nearly jumped out of my seat when I heard William Hurt's name as a nominee for David Cronenberg's film. His turn as a mafia boss was one of 2005's cinematic highlights.

But he is facing some serious competition in a category that always seems to display the best choices. Between Hurt, the multi-nominated George Clooney (Syriana), Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man), Matt Dillon (Crash) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain), it is almost impossible to pick just one here.

Venturing a guess, I would say that the race would come down to Giamatti, recipient of the Screen Actors Guild award, and Clooney, who nabbed a Golden Globe. Out of those two, the victor should be Giamatti - as an apology for ignoring him in the past two years in the Best Actor category.

actress in a supporting role

I haven't seen Junebug yet, so I can't comment on Amy Adams aside from the fact that I have not read one review for the film that hasn't mentioned how good she is in her role.

So, it looks like another crowded, quality category, which also includes Frances McDormand (North Country), Catherine Keener (Capote) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain).

This is not to say that there isn't a front-runner, and that would be Rachel Weisz for her superb work in The Constant Gardener. The film got less Oscar consideration than it should have. Giving Ms Weisz a statue for her fine work is one way the Academy could make up for this oversight.