Contenders 2006

From the Oscarwatch forums 2006 films with Oscar potential (plot outlines from IMDB):

Flags Of Our Fathers

dir: Clint Eastwood

The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in WWII.

The Departed

dir: Martin Scorsese

The remake of the 2002 Hong Kong hit film revolves around a rivalry between the Massachusetts police force and an Irish-American gang. A gangster is chosen to infiltrate the police force while a young police officer is chosen to infiltrate the gang. When their paths cross, what will be the result?

Youth Without Youth

dir: Francis Ford Coppola

A pre-WWII drama where a life-changing incident turns a professor into a fugitive.

Marie Antoinette

dir: Sofia Coppola

Based on Antonia Fraser's book about the ill-fated Archduchess of Austria and later Queen of France, 'Marie Antoinette' tells the story of the most misunderstood and abused woman in history, from her birth in Imperial Austria to her later life in France.

Dreamgirls

dir: Bill Condon

Based on the Broadway musical, a trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960's.

The Good Shepherd

dir: Robert DeNiro

The tumultuous early history of the Central Intelligence Agency is viewed through the prism of one man's life.

The DaVinci Code

dir: Ron Howard

A murder in the Louvre and clues in Da Vinci paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years -- which could shake the foundations of Christianity.

A Good Year

dir: Ridley Scott

An Englishman (Crowe) inherits a vineyard in Provence. Upon arriving at his new property, he meets an American woman who claims that the land is hers.

The Good German

dir: Steven Soderbergh

In post-war Berlin to find his former mistress, an American journalist is lured into a murder mystery.

Breaking and Entering

dir: Anthony Minghella

An architect's dealings with a young thief cause him to re-evaluate his life.

Goya's Ghost

dir: Milos Forman

Painter Francisco Goya faces a scandal involving his muse, who is labeled a heretic by a monk.

Scoop

dir: Woody Allen

An American student (Johansson) in London begins an affair with an aristocrat.

Flight 93

dir: Paul Greengrass

A real time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.

September/World Trade Center

dir: Oliver Stone

Two Port Authority police officers become trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center.

Fur

dir: Steven Shainberg

A chronicle of the life of Diane Arbus, the revered photographer whose images captured attention in the early 1960s. After her suicide in 1971, she became the first American photographer to be exhibited at the Venice Biennale.

Notes on a Scandal

dir: Richard Eyre

A pottery teacher (Blanchett) enters into an affair with one of her students, causing upheaval in her personal and professional lives.

Che

dir: Steven Soderbergh

An epic about Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara, who fought for the people.

All the Kings Men

dir: Steven Zaillian

Based on the Robert Penn Warren novel. The life of populist Southerner Willie Stark, a political creature loosely based on Governor Huey Long of Louisiana.

A Prairie Home Companion

dir: Robert Altman

A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren (Streep), and a host of others hold court.

Inland Empire

dir: David Lynch

Set in the inland valley outside of Los Angeles, David Lynch's new film is a mystery about a woman in trouble.

Little Children

dir: Todd Field

Little Children centers on a group of young marrieds, whose lives intersect on the playgrounds, town pools and streets of their small community in surprising and potentially dangerous ways.

Volver

dir: Pedro Almodovar

After her death, a mother (Maura) returns to her home town in order to fix the situations should couldn't resolve during her life. Of her family left in the town, her ghost slowly becomes a comfort to her daughters (Cruz, Dueñas), as well as her grandchild (Cobo).

The Painted Veil

dir: John Curran

A woman becomes dissatisfied with her marriage, as her husband favors of his research over time with her. An affair leads her on a journey of self-discovery, and her new dedication to fighting cholera brings her to the Far East.

Margaret

dir: Kenneth Lonergan

A young woman (Paquin) witnesses a bus accident, and is caught up in the aftermath, where the question of whether or not it was intentional affects many people's lives.

The Black Dahlia

dir: Brian DePalma

An adaptation of James Ellroy's 1940s-set novel about two L.A. cops who head up the hunt for the killer of fledgling actress Elizabeth Short.

Copying Beethoven

dir: Agnieszka Holland

A fictionalized account of the last year of Beethoven's life.

Babel

dir: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Three stories set in Morocco, Tunisia, Mexico and Japan. The story begins with a tragedy striking a married couple on vacation.

Infamous

dir: Douglas McGrath

While researching his book In Cold Blood, writer Truman Capote (Jones) develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.

The Children of Men

dir: Alfonso Cuaron

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which man can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of mankind.

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If released:

Red Sun, Black Sand

dir: Clint Eastwood

Team of Rivals

dir: Steven Spielberg