Welcome to the 86th Annual Academy Awards. Sunday night it was definitely one of the most glorious nights in Hollywood, with celebrities waiting anxiously to see if they would get one of those golden Uncle Oscar statues with them. There were definitely some winners, and some not so winners, but in this industry everyone who has the courage to take a stand a follow their dream is already a winner.
However, let's see in some more detail who did actually take a golden statuette. Hosted by the ever so brilliant Ellen DeGeneres the show started with the usual monologue of the presenter - sarcasm, offensive and penis jokes - definitely what the Oscars were missing.
I would say the big winner of the night was definitely 'Gravity' - for all the technical awards - leaving 'Dallas Buyer's Club', 'Blue Jasmine' and '12 Years a Slave' up for grabs on all the acting awards. Sadly 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and the much hyped 'American Hustle' remained unmoved, just I had predicted.
But let's not stall any longer and let's take a look at Sunday night's winners:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
WINNER
12 Years a Slave (2013)
Other Nominees:
American Hustle (2013)
Captain Phillips (2013)
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Gravity (2013)
Her (2013)
Nebraska (2013)
Philomena (2013)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
(Just like Ellen said at the beginning of the show: "there are 2 possibilities. Possibility no.1 for '12 Years a Slave to win Best Picture and possibility no.2 you're all racists". Well, the Academy proved not so racist after all, since they indeed picked this film as Best Picture. Now, whether they picked cause they genuinely liked it or not to prove themselves as racists, we will never find out. I guess it's a little bit of both, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter.)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER
Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Other Nominees:
Christian Bale for American Hustle (2013)
Bruce Dern for Nebraska (2013)
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave (2013)
(Despite all the jokes online regarding the Oscar not being given (yet again) to Leonardo DiCaprio, the race for this particular award was never between DiCaprio and McConaughey, but rather for Ejiofor and McConaughey. So, well deserved this award was given to McConaughey who campaigned for this film and the role alike and not for a single moment did he gave up on what he believed in.)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
WINNER
Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine (2013)
Other Nominees:
Amy Adams for American Hustle (2013)
Sandra Bullock for Gravity (2013)
Judi Dench for Philomena (2013)
Meryl Streep for August: Osage County (2013)
(Like I said in my review of this post, she was a sheer delight to watch hoe neurotic she got. Loved her in the film, a well deserved Oscar in my opinion, although I would have liked Adams to also be given her chance to shine, but I'm hopeful she will at some point in her career.)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
WINNER
Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Other Nominees:
Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips (2013)
Bradley Cooper for American Hustle (2013)
Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave (2013)
(Now for this one, I was really anxious. I was really rooting for Leto from day one and I'm glad the Academy made the right choice, albeit the fact that they had to consider such actors as Fassbender and Cooper, who are equally brilliant in their own way.)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
WINNER
Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Other Nominees:
Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine (2013)
Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle (2013)
Julia Roberts for August: Osage County (2013)
June Squibb for Nebraska (2013)
(The most single best deserved Oscar of the evening. No actor deserved this Oscar more than Lupita Nyong'o. We knew it, the Academy knew it, the whole friggin' world knew it. Brava to this girl, this Kenyan woman, who even as she first received her Oscar the first thing she said was to thank the person who albeit her sorrow offered her at that moment such joy; the woman whom she portrayed, who was based on the real life story of 'Patsey', who was described by Solomon Northup in his book of slavery. What a brilliant actress she is, and what a bright young talanted woman. Well done!!!)
Best Achievement in Directing
WINNER
Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity (2013)
Other Nominees:
Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave (2013)
David O. Russell for American Hustle (2013)
Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Alexander Payne for Nebraska (2013)
(The master! The triumph! The glory! WELL DONE, Cuaron finally made it. He achieved to receive the Oscar which he so deserved even from 'Y Tu Mama Tambien'. Also would have been a worthy winner for Steve McQueen to have gotten it, but alas, the statue is only one, so I'm fairly sure McQueen has plenty more chances of winning something again in the near future, as he's a brilliant director too.)
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
WINNER
Her (2013): Spike Jonze
Other Nominees:
American Hustle (2013): Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
Blue Jasmine (2013): Woody Allen
Nebraska (2013): Bob Nelson
Dallas Buyers Club (2013): Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack
(I have to admit I came to screen this film quite late in the award season, so I didn't have time to digest it and take it all in, but boy did it impress me. From the get go, it's a beautiful little story, a gem if you ask me, and it so deserved to receive an Oscar for script-writing.)
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
WINNER
12 Years a Slave (2013): John Ridley
Other Nominees:
Before Midnight (2013): Richard Linklater
Captain Phillips (2013): Billy Ray
Philomena (2013): Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013): Terence Winter
(Although I had a sneaky suspicion that the 'Wolf' would possibly win this, I'm so glad it went to '12 Years a Slave' instead.)
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
WINNER
Frozen (2013)
Other Nominees:
The Croods (2013)
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Ernest & Celestine (2012)
The Wind Rises (2013)
(The Disney phenomenon in years. Hope Disney learns from this formula that 'Frozen' has already cast and they keep up the brilliant work. Brava to the good ol' Disney.)
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
WINNER
The Great Beauty (2013): Paolo Sorrentino(Italy)
Other Nominees:
The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012): Felix Van Groeningen(Belgium)
The Missing Picture (2013): Rithy Panh(Cambodia)
The Hunt (2012): Thomas Vinterberg(Denmark)
Omar (2013): Hany Abu-Assad(Palestine)
(Albeit it not exactly what I was rooting for, this film has come a long way and it's been quite a long time since the Italians have graced Hollywood with their presence. Well done to them and their Fellinish atmosphere.)
Best Achievement in Cinematography
WINNER
Gravity (2013): Emmanuel Lubezki
Other Nominees:
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013): Bruno Delbonnel
Nebraska (2013): Phedon Papamichael
Prisoners (2013): Roger Deakins
The Grandmaster (2013): Philippe Le Sourd
(I think I called this one when I was reviewing 'Gravity'. To be fair, Lunezki is a cinematography master, in all the films they've done with Cuaron, they've excelled, so well done to him.)
Best Achievement in Editing
WINNER
Gravity (2013): Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger
Other Nominees:
12 Years a Slave (2013): Joe Walker
American Hustle (2013): Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers
Captain Phillips (2013): Christopher Rouse
Dallas Buyers Club (2013): Martin Pensa, John Mac McMurphy
(Not to bother with the much technical awards in the evening, but it seems that 'Gravity' nailed it in every possible way, as you will also see below it won most about every technical award there was on Sunday evening.)
Best Achievement in Production Design
WINNER
The Great Gatsby (2013): Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn
Other Nominees:
12 Years a Slave (2013): Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker
American Hustle (2013): Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
Gravity (2013): Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woollard
Her (2013): K.K. Barrett, Gene Serdena
(A nice addition to the list to see Baz Luhrmann's extravaganzza of a film receive some kind of recognition.)
Best Achievement in Costume Design
WINNER
The Great Gatsby (2013): Catherine Martin
Other Nominees:
American Hustle (2013): Michael Wilkinson
12 Years a Slave (2013): Patricia Norris
The Grandmaster (2013): William Chang
The Invisible Woman (2013): Michael O'Connor
(Again, well done to the team of 'The Great Catsby' for their meticulous detail in stylizing the film.)
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
WINNER
Dallas Buyers Club (2013): Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews
Other Nominees:
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013): Steve Prouty
The Lone Ranger (2013): Joel Harlow, Gloria Pasqua Casny
(A unique choice to give this award to, despite that the nominations were not very rich in this department I'm glad the team of the 'Dallas Buyers Club' got it in the end.)
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
WINNER
Gravity (2013): Steven Price
Other Nominees:
The Book Thief (2013): John Williams
Her (2013): Will Butler, Owen Pallett
Saving Mr. Banks (2013): Thomas Newman
Philomena (2013): Alexandre Desplat
(Like I already said...wonderful, mesmerizing score by Steven Price and I was ecstatic it got its recognition that it deserved. Well done!!!)
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
WINNER
Frozen (2013): Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez("Let It Go")
Other Nominees:
Despicable Me 2 (2013): Pharrell Williams( "Happy")
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013): Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., Brian Burton("Ordinary Love")
Her (2013): Karen O("The Moon Song")
(Albeit the performance of this piece during the evening went from mediocre to awful - what was that high pitch note right at the end Idina? where you ticked off by Travolta's mispronounciation of your name?, such a disappointment - it has proven to be a global phenomenon and it was a very well deserved award for this category.)
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
WINNER
Gravity (2013): Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, Chris Munro
Other Nominees:
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013): Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Tony Johnson
Captain Phillips (2013): Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013): Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland
Lone Survivor (2013): Andy Koyama, Beau Borders, David Brownlow
(Technical awards go to..............Gravity!!! Sound mixing, glorious and very precise.)
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
WINNER
Gravity (2013): Glenn Freemantle
Other Nominees:
All Is Lost (2013): Steve Boeddeker, Richard Hymns
Captain Phillips (2013): Oliver Tarney
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013): Brent Burge
Lone Survivor (2013): Wylie Stateman
(Sound editing, again outstanding job with this one for 'Gravity'. Well done to the post sound production. It did wonders for the big screen.)
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
WINNER
Gravity (2013): Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould
Other Nominees:
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013): Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds
Iron Man 3 (2013): Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash, Daniel Sudick
The Lone Ranger (2013): Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams, John Frazier
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013): Roger Guyett, Pat Tubach, Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton
(No need to dwell on that. Of course it would have gone to 'Gravity'. That was the most obvious award to be received throughout the evening. So, well done of course.)
Best Documentary, Feature
WINNER
Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013): Morgan Neville
Other Nominees:
The Act of Killing (2012): Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sørensen
Cutie and the Boxer (2013): Zachary Heinzerling, Lydia Dean Pilcher
Dirty Wars (2013): Rick Rowley, Jeremy Scahill
The Square (2013): Jehane Noujaim, Karim Amer
(No comment due to I have not seen the Oscar nominees for this category.)
Best Documentary, Short Subject
WINNER
The Lady In Number 6 (2013): Malcolm Clarke, Carl Freed
Other Nominees:
Cavedigger (2013): Jeffrey Karoff
Facing Fear (2013): Jason Cohen
Karama Has No Walls (2012): Sara Ishaq
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall (2013): Edgar Barens
(No comment due to I have not seen the Oscar nominees for this category.)
Best Short Film, Animated
WINNER
Mr Hublot (2013): Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares
Other Nominees:
Feral (2012): Daniel Sousa, Dan Golden
Get a Horse! (2013): Lauren MacMullan, Dorothy McKim
Possessions (2012): Shuhei Morita
Room on the Broom (2012) (TV): Max Lang, Jan Lachauer
(No comment due to I have not seen the Oscar nominees for this category.)
Best Short Film, Live Action
WINNER
Helium (2014): Anders Walter
Other Nominees:
That Wasn't Me (2012): Esteban Crespo
Just Before Losing Everything (2013): Xavier Legrand
Do I Have to Take Care of Everything? (2012): Selma Vilhunen
The Voorman Problem (2012): Mark Gill
(No comment due to I have not seen the Oscar nominees for this category.)
The awards this year offered minimal entertainment, with the exclusion of the tributes to the heroes in the movies montage and the tribute to the 'Wizard of Oz' with Pink's stunning performance. What did make the evenig wonderful was Ellen DeGenere's selfie (look below) and the pizza dinner which she so briliantly orchestrated for the celebrities in the crowd. Ellen was a wonderful host, having her bits and numbers - dressing up as Glinda as well, and I'm sure the Academy will definitely invite her back again to host.
Onto next year's awards. Bigger, better and uncut.
Hope you enjoyed the ride all you film junkies out there.
Now, let's get back to reality. 22 Jump Street....juuuuuuuuuuust jokin'.
Films to anticipate for 2014:
- The Hobbit: There and Back Again
- Maleficent
- Into The Woods
- The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
- Far From the Madding Cow (remake)
- Godzilla (remake)
- Gone Girl
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
- The Immigrant
- Nymphomaniac Part 1 and Part 2
- Unbroken (Angelina Jolie's first directorial debut)
- Veronica Mars
- Transcendence
- Noah
- How to Train your Dragon 2
- Sin City: A Dame to Kill
- Exodus
- Dracula Untold
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Not Good, Very Bad Day
- Annie
- Pinocchio
- The Wind Rises
- Belle
- Paddington
- Stalingrad
- Grace of Monaco
- In Secret
- The Judge
- The Green Inferno
- Janis Joplin; Get it While you Can
- Paradise Lost
- Labor Day
- Only Lovers Left Alive
- How to Catch a Monster
- Imagine
- Before I Go to Sleep
- Third Person
- Dom Hemingway
- Blackbird
- Mortdecai
- The Garden of Last Days
- Magic in the Moonlight
- The Happy Prince
- Eliza Graves
- Wish I was Here
- Pele
- The Congress
- The Prophet
- Mood Indigo
- The Two Faces of January
- God Help The Girl
- Ex Machina
- Slow West
- The Imitation Game
- The Trip to Italy
- Serena
- Black Sea
- Manglehorn
- Men Women and Children
- Macbeth
- Mr. Turner
- Birdman
- Interstellar
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