The 2006 Venice Film Festival has run its course, and what a wild ride it’s been. First, the audience booed Aronofsky’s The Fountain because they “didn’t get it” and now they’ve handed out awards to several unpredictable candidates. They are either way ahead of the game or have completely lost their marbles. Time will tell.

The Associated Press reports that the winner of the prestigious Golden Lion - the top award at the festival - went to the Chinese movie Sanxia Haoren (Still Life), trumping The Queen, Bobby, and other more-likely contenders. Jia Zhang-ke's film is about the giant Three Gorges Dam project and its impact on regular people. Nothing says “great PR” like winning the highest award possible; good for them.

As for Best Actor, Ben Affleck took that award home for his role in Hollywoodland, leaving everyone with their jaws on the floor. After his critical slams for Gigli and most other films he’s made in the past 5 years, he must be happy to receive some love for a change.

French filmmaker Alain Resnais won Best Director for Private Fears in Public Places. And less surprisingly but not undeservedly, Helen Mirren took the Best Actress prize for Stephen Frear’s The Queen, lifting her chances in the Oscar race. Likewise, Peter Morgan won for Best Screenplay, showing tongue-in-cheek gratitude by saying, "Thank you Tony Blair for timing your political disintegration with the release of our film."

As for me, I'm going to cross my fingers (and toes) and hope that The Fountain is a better movie than the folks in Venice deem it to be. Otherwise, I might cry, and that's never a pretty sight.