Monday, February 27, 2012

The 84th Annual Academy Awards – The Winners

The most important award ceremony in the world of cinema ended about an hour ago and I’m still on an incredible, indelible, and unforgettable high following my biggest idol’s third Oscar win.  Meryl Streep has finally joined that rarified club of 3 Oscar winners that until today included only Ingrid Bergman, Jack Nicholson, and Walter Brennan (Katherine Hepburn holds the record for most acting Oscar wins with four).

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep won her first Oscar in 1979 for Kramer vs. Kramer (Supporting Actress) and her second in 1982 for Sophie’s Choice (Lead Actress).  Her third Oscar for The Iron Lady (Lead Actress) comes 29 years after her last win, with a career during which our greatest living actress accrued a record 17 Oscar nominations!!

Her win tonight was long overdue and greatly deserved (from what I’ve heard, since I still have to see the movie).  I have to admit that when Colin Firth announced her as the winner I was so overjoyed that I started crying.  And I was still crying countless tears of happiness well after the ceremony had ended.

The ceremony itself was simple and flowing.  Billy Crystal, back in the host seat for the ninth time after Eddie Murphy dropped out, did a good job, but wasn’t as brilliant as he’s been in years past.  His jokes were good but too few.  His introductory clip, in which he replayed scenes from many of the nominated movies of the night, was just cute.  And his medley of songs for the nine Best Picture nominees was, again, just cute.

What I was a little disappointed by was the impression I got that he’s not embracing his age, like many other men in Hollywood unfortunately do.  Likely, that contributed to him feeling a little stiff.

The presenters, on the other hand, did a better job than usual at appearing interesting, funny, and charming, especially Gwyneth Paltrow & Robert Downey, Jr. and Ben Stiller & Emma Stone, whose skits felt fresh, different, and cool.

Beauty was, as usual, front and center, with Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez (it pains me to say this), and Cameron Diaz looking more stunning than anyone.  Lopez especially looked more gorgeous than ever in a gown that made her look like a Greek goddess.

Natalie Portman, Octavia Spencer, and Rooney Mara also looked particularly good, and even Meryl Streep, who sometimes makes poor sartorial choices, looked great.

As for the men, Tom Cruise was in great shape, but Tom Hanks looked better than he has in years.  The beefcake award however goes to Bradley Cooper, who would look gorgeous even wearing layers of paper mache.

The musical number by Cirque du Soleil was great, I liked the movies montage, and I found the skit about the screeners for The Wizard of Oz (Which character do you not like and would want to see gone?  Dorothy – LOL!!) very funny.

I also loved the Billy Crystal/Melissa McCarthy skit and the brief interviews with actors and actresses that were interspersed throughout.  Finally, I appreciated the world map put up during the Foreign Oscar presentation, which gave a visual clue of where those unknown movies were coming from.

The personalized introductions of each lead actor and actress was also a nice touch, while I wasn’t crazy about the In Memoriam montage.  Usually it’s much more celebratory, with clips from an artist’s work, rather than still images with a name and dates.  In years prior, I found this rite of passage a lot more touching than this year.

The best acceptance speeches were given by Octavia Spencer (sweet and adorable), Christopher Plummer (funny and gracious), and Meryl Streep, who sounded genuinely grateful and surprised.

The sour notes of the night would actually have to be Viola Davis’ outfit and hairdo.  What was she thinking??  After showing up with gorgeous gowns and perfect hair and makeup for the Golden Globes and the SAGs, she decided to come to the Oscars with bleached hair and a dress that looked like it was made with curtain material.  Just awful.

And here are the night’s winners with a brief comment:

Best Motion Picture of the Year

The Artist (2011): Thomas Langmann

So glad that this “foreign” movie about old Hollywood won the night’s biggest prize.  It was well deserved and becomes only the second black and white movie to ever win Best Picture.

The Descendants (2011): Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011): Scott Rudin
The Help (2011): Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
Hugo (2011/II): Graham King, Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris (2011): Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
Moneyball (2011): Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt
The Tree of Life (2011): Nominees to be determined
War Horse (2011): Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011)

So happy for Dujardin.  He deserved this award, while Clooney will get plenty more chances.  What a handsome man!!

Demián Bichir for A Better Life (2011)
George Clooney for The Descendants (2011)
Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Brad Pitt for Moneyball (2011)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady (2011)

No words can really express my happiness for Meryl’s win in this category.  BRAVA!!!!!

Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs (2011)
Viola Davis for The Help (2011)
Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn (2011)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010)

So glad he won.

Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Jonah Hill for Moneyball (2011)
Nick Nolte for Warrior (2011)
Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Octavia Spencer for The Help (2011)

Very glad she won, even though Bejo, Chastain, and McCarthy were all equally deserving.  She was so sweet onstage!!

Bérénice Bejo for The Artist (2011)
Jessica Chastain for The Help (2011)
Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids (2011)
Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs (2011)

Best Achievement in Directing

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (2011)

So well deserved after the chances the guy took to make this movie.

Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris (2011)
Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life (2011)
Alexander Payne for The Descendants (2011)
Martin Scorsese for Hugo (2011/II)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Midnight in Paris (2011): Woody Allen

Very happy that at least this beautiful movie got one of the night’s biggest awards.

The Artist (2011): Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids (2011): Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
Margin Call (2011): J.C. Chandor
A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

The Descendants (2011): Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

Same as above.

Hugo (2011/II): John Logan
The Ides of March (2011): George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Moneyball (2011): Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Rango (2011)

Can’t wait to see this movie!!

A Cat in Paris (2010)
Chico & Rita (2010)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Puss in Boots (2011)

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi(Iran)

Bullhead (2011): Michael R. Roskam(Belgium)
Footnote (2011): Joseph Cedar(Israel)
In Darkness (2011): Agnieszka Holland(Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (2011): Philippe Falardeau(Canada)

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Hugo (2011/II): Robert Richardson

Can’t wait to see this movie!!  A little shocked that The Tree of Life didn’t even win this award.  Although, given how little I’ve liked the movie, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it didn’t have a lot of support in the Academy’s voting body.

The Artist (2011): Guillaume Schiffman
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Jeff Cronenweth
The Tree of Life (2011): Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse (2011): Janusz Kaminski

Best Achievement in Editing

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

Very well deserved, even if it’s an upset.

The Artist (2011): Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants (2011): Kevin Tent
Hugo (2011/II): Thelma Schoonmaker
Moneyball (2011): Christopher Tellefsen

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Hugo (2011/II): Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo

The Artist (2011): Laurence Bennett, Gregory S. Hooper
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
Midnight in Paris (2011): Anne Seibel, Hélène Dubreuil
War Horse (2011): Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

Best Achievement in Costume Design

The Artist (2011): Mark Bridges

Anonymous (2011/I): Lisy Christl
Hugo (2011/II): Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre (2011): Michael O'Connor
W.E. (2011): Arianne Phillips

Best Achievement in Makeup

The Iron Lady (2011)

Can’t wait to see this movie!!

Albert Nobbs (2011)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

The Artist (2011): Ludovic Bource

The Adventures of Tintin (2011): John Williams
Hugo (2011/II): Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Alberto Iglesias
War Horse (2011): John Williams

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

The Muppets (2011): Bret McKenzie("Man or Muppet")

Bret McKenzie is so cute.  Too bad they didn’t have them perform their songs (even in a year when there were only TWO nominees…)

Rio (2011): Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett("Real in Rio")

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Hugo (2011/II)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Moneyball (2011)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
War Horse (2011)

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Hugo (2011/II)

Drive (2011)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
War Horse (2011)

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Hugo (2011/II)

From the clips I’ve seen, Hugo’s visual effects are amazing, but I would have liked to have seen rewarded the excellent work done in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Real Steel (2011)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Best Documentary, Features

Undefeated (2011)

Hell and Back Again (2011)
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011)
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)
Pina (2011)

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

Saving Face (2011/II)

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement (2011)
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad (2011)
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (2011)

Best Short Film, Animated

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011): William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg

Dimanche (2011): Patrick Doyon
La Luna (2011): Enrico Casarosa
A Morning Stroll (2011): Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe
Wild Life (2011): Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby

Best Short Film, Live Action

The Shore: Terry George

Pentecost (2011): Peter McDonald
Raju (2011): Max Zähle, Stefan Gieren
Time Freak (2011): Andrew Bowler, Gigi Causey
Tuba Atlantic (2010): Hallvar Witzø

Overall, I got 19 right and 5 wrong, including Best Actress, Cinematography, and Editing that were real upsets of “sure” winners, and Visual Effects, which were sort of certainly going to go to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

In conclusion, once again I can’t say that I’ve ever been happier to be wrong than when Meryl Streep won her THIRD Oscar.  She was radiant and the night belongs to her.

Meryl Streep2

Goodnight, and see you next year Oscar!!

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