Last night was Hollywood’s big night out. The dresses were big, but the show was bigger. Some of Hollywood’s elite were handed little gold men, and some went home empty handed. Last week, I predicted the winners of the most notable categories. Most of my predictions held up, but here’s what actually went down inside the Dolby Theatre on Sunday.
Picture courtesy of usatoday.com
Best Director
The Nominees Were: Steven Spielberg “Lincoln”, Michael Haneke “Amour”, David O. Russell “Silver Linings Playbook”, Ang Lee “Life of Pi”, Benh Seitlin “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
And The Winner Is: Ang Lee for “Life of Pi”. After the scandalous snub of both Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck, this category made things interesting. This is the first time in a decade the winner of the Director’s Guild prize (Affleck) did not also take home the Academy Award.
“Life of Pi” was a visual delight, and I think that’s what gave Lee the edge. This is the first time in Oscar history a director has won for a 3D movie. Lee’s visual spectacle really changed the game, and I think the Academy appreciated his unique vision.
Best Actress
The Nominees Were: Naomi Watts “The Impossible”, Jessica Chastain “Zero Dark Thirty”, Jennifer Lawrence “Sliver Linings Playbook”, Quvenzhané Wallis “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, Emmanuelle Riva “Amour”
And The Winner Is: Jennifer Lawrence for “Silver Linings Playbook”. This race was tough, but it was amazing to see the adorable fan-favorite come home with the gold. Lawrence looked stunning, even when she tripped up the stairs going to accept her award. Her flustered acceptance speech was a endearing and a true Oscar moment.
Lawrence’s performance was deserving of the gold, even though she was up against some heavyweight names. Many rooted for Jessica Chastain’s tough portrayal of the CIA agent determined to catch Bin Laden. However, Chastain’s character could be given no personal story due to confidentiality and I think that’s where Lawrence pulled away from the competition. Lawrence’s portrayal of a seriously troubled widow was personal, vulnerable and so real it was sometimes difficult to watch.
Best Actor
The Nominees Were: Bradley Cooper “Silver Linings Playbook”, Daniel Day Lewis “Lincoln”, Hugh Jackman “Les Misérables, Joaquin Phoenix “The Master”, Denzel Washington “Flight”
And The Winner Is: Daniel Day Lewis for “Lincoln”. If Hollywood was Camelot, Day Lewis is King Arthur and last night was no exception. He is now the only actor with three Best Actor Oscars, and some are even referencing him as the greatest actor of all time. Regardless of his place in history, Day Lewis’s acceptance speech was eloquent, beautiful, and even funny. He joked about presenter Meryl Streep being Spielberg’s first choice to play Lincoln, and won the audience over instantly.
It’s pretty easy to break down what happened in this category. Day Lewis was in a league of his own, and even his big name competition couldn’t catch up. Hugh Jackman chose the wrong year to give the performance of his life in “Les Miserables”, his Jean Valjean definitely brought home the gold another year. Day Lewis’s method acting and perfect portrayal of out 16th president helped him blow away the competition.
Best Picture
The Nominees Were: “Life of Pi”, “Lincoln”, “Silver Linings Playbook”, “Zero Dark Thirty”, “Django Unchained”, “Les Misérables”, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, “Argo”, “Amour”
And The Winner Is: “Argo” and by association, Ben Affleck. After being snubbed in director category, Affleck was vindicated with the Best Picture win last night. Some people said “Argo” was too “Hollywood” for the Best Picture title, thinking the top spot should be awarded to a starker drama like “Zero Dark Thirty”.
However, I think the film’s blockbuster elements made it stand out. The film grabbed ahold of its audience and kept them engaged the whole time. This says a lot, especially for a historical movie based on true events (Even I’ll admit the historical ‘Lincoln’ sometimes tested my patience).