I am thoroughly sorry for you if you missed this year’s Oscars. After suffering through James Franco, Bill Crystal returned as host for the ninth time. Matching the classic, comedic host the set depicted an old movie theatre in a slightly garish fashion. The introductory film montages were tasteful and witty. However, the nominees were introduced through video presentations featuring edgy graphics that worked surprisingly well. Though the usual a-list parade presented the awards, the screen quickly went black to display elegant typography introducing the award and divided into panels. Acting nominees showed film clips as is customary, but the panels came in handy when introducing crew nominations. They allowed interviews with cast members and coworkers of the nominee to be shown while depictions of their work were simultaneously displayed. The presentation started out strong with Tom Hanks, and oscillated in quality after that. Cameron Diaz and Jenifer Lopez presented the award for costume design in glittery, pale dresses that epitomized the pastel trend of the night. However, after staring at the nominees on the projection screen they attempted to look back at the audience in a sultry fashion. This gesture proved so corny that both of them laughed genuinely after it.
Though some atypical films were nominated- think Bridesmaids Best Picture bid, classic films took home most of the gold. The Artist was the big winner, grabbing Costume Design, Score, Jean Dujardin for Best Actor, Micheal Hazanavicius for Best Director and Best Picture. Hugo won best visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing and cinematography. Personally, I was very Pleased with all of the acting awards. Meryl Streep won Best Actress for The Iron Lady, giving a charming and truly heartfelt speech hinting at how America must be so tired of her winging (though that is so far from the truth). Best Actor went to Jean Dujardin for The Artist as previously mentioned. Having seen his brilliant ability to convey emotions and thoughts without the use of vocal expression in The Artist, I feel he was the lcear winner and his award was deserved. Octavia Spencer won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of the snarky, sassy, and undeniably awesome Minne of The Help. Finally Christopher Plummer won his first Oscar, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, for his performance in Beginners. At 82, he is no beginner. He is the oldest person ever to have received an Oscar. Though in my opinion Best Picture should have had less than nine nominations, this year full of great films culminated in a graceful night.
Image courtesy of theguardian.co.uk
