Oscar Winners...and Reactions



Last night was the Oscars, such as they are. Here are the winners, with my thoughts.
Best Motion Picture – Argo
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Achievement in Directing – Ang Lee for Life of Pi
Best Original Screenplay – Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Best Adapted Screenplay – Chris Terrio for Argo
Best Original Song – “Skyfall” from Skyfall
Best Original Score – Mychael Danna for Life of Pi
Best Production Design – Lincoln
Best Film Editing – William Goldenberg – Argo
Best Supporting Actress – Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables
Best Sound Editing - Zero Dark Thirty & Skyfall *TIE* – first tie since 1968!
Best Sound Mixing – Les Miserables
Best Foreign Language Film – Amour
Best Documentary Feature – Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Short – Inocente
Best Live Action Short – Curfew
Best Makeup & Hairstyling – Les Miserables
Best Costume Design – Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina
Best Visual Effects – Life of Pi
Best Achievement in Cinematography – Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi
Best Animated Feature – Brave
Best Animated Short – Paperman
Best Supporting Actor – Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained

Congrats to the winners! I haven't seen all the films (Silver Linings Playbook, Argo or Life of Pi) but someday I shall. Now, my reactions aren't me saying "it didn't deserve to win" but rather "I was hoping it would win" as well as anything that I felt was out of the nominations to begin with.

BEST PICTURE
I haven't seen Argo, but I'm glad it won. The Town was a great film, and Affleck has proven a very capable actor, director and film making of late. I was rotting for Django, but am glad it lost to this film. 

BEST ACTOR

If Day Lewis hadn't won (as I had been hoping), than that would have been it! Of the other acting nominees, I'd only seen Les Miserables and thought Hugh Jackman was quite good, but Daniel Day Lewis knocked it out of the park.

BEST ACTRESS

I'm so glad Jennifer Lawrence won! I'd seen her in Winter's Bone and Hunger Games (oh yeah, as well as X-Men First Class) and can recognize her acting chops. This was a tough field, and I'm glad Jennifer won.

DIRECTING

I'm not familiar with Ang Lee's work. I loved Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (at first I didn't like it but a second viewing made me a fan), as well as similar films that followed (House of Flying Daggers...) I didn't think Brokeback Mountain was anything special (I am not anti gay, homophobic etc..I just wasn't crazy about the film. Especially when it was in company such as Munich.) and I hadn't seen Life of Pi yet. I was rotting for Spielberg here. Congrats to Mr. Lee though! Also...why wasn't Ben Affleck nominated for Argo? If he was, do you think he would have won??

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

I was rooting for Django here and am glad it won, as I loved the film, and am Tarrantino fan. I am surprised Mark Boal didn't win though. 

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

This area was a throw-away to me, as I wasn't in favour of anyone really.

SONG

Adele rightfully won this with her Skyfall song.

SCORE

Wow, what a category this year! My pick was Skyfall (because there was no Hobbit!!) but look who was up: Williams, Desplat, Dario... I'll have to give that Pi score a whirl....

PRODUCTION DESIGN

This was a tough category, looking at what was nominated. I was hoping The Hobbit would win this, as it was well-designed, and got shafted in other areas. 

EDITING

This was (and usually is) an area I don't get too concerned with.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway won, as I knew she would.

SOUND EDITING

Wow there was a tie!! I'm glad for the winner(s)!

SOUND MIXING

I was hoping for Skyfall here, but Les Miserables was a good film too so it's OK.

FOREIGN FILM

Why not 'Best Foreign Picture'? I guess that sounds a bit weird. Anyway, I hadn't seen any of these, though Amour was my pick. 

There are some categories I usually just 'guess' at so I'll skip a few, as I don't have anything to say, really.

VISUAL EFFECTS

Again, I haven't seen Life of Pi, but I was really that The Hobbit would win this. Oh well, still two more films to go....and, I'm more curious than ever to see Life of Pie. I won't Netflix that - seems like one to see on blu-ray (in 2D, thank you. 3D is OK at the theatre but stupid at home).

CINEMATOGRAPHY

I was stuck between Skyfall and Django here...and they both lost...nuts! But....wait...the same movie that won cinematography also won visual effects? Hmm....so, when's the blu-ray out?

ANIMATED FILM

Glad that Pixar (Brave) won! I really enjoyed it, and thought it was as if Tangled and How to Train Your Dragon had a child together. I was also kind of hoping Frankenweenie would win, but at least it was nominated. 

SUPPORTING ACTOR

I'm glad Christoph Waltz won for Django, as he had with Basterds. I enjoyed Django, and his performance was a good part of why.

Interesting this year...I wasn't able to tune in, as I was doing 'cat and house sitting' at my sisters' place, and there's no cable / satellite here. I'm glad that some films won in the categories that they deserved to, but I was extremely disappointed with the lack of nominations in the technical fields for The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hobbit. Not even a best score nomination for The Hobbit!? And both these films had some good use of audio and visual. On the other hand, I'm glad Skyfall nabbed as many nominations as it did. Till next year....

PS, if you're a fan of "films", check out http://www.awardscircuit.com for more-in depth movie news, as well as info regarding festival films, and more 'Oscar bait' types. 








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