The Writers Guild of America just named Brokeback Mountain and Crash the best movies of the year. This leads me to wonder, “Is Crash now a formidable best picture contender?” Crash has many of the elements of an Oscar winner including: depressing story lines, focus on a hot topic (racism), and excellent acting. However, one drawback may be its relatively short running time. At one hour and 47 minutes, the movie is 37 minutes shorter than Brokeback Mountain. Given Brokeback’s longer running time and even touchier subject-matter (homosexuality), I am sticking with Brokeback as my best picture pick for the time being.