Thoughts on a ground-breaking Oscars ceremony (82nd Academy Awards)

It used to be that I’d have to endure a media blockout through an entire Monday so I could enjoy the Oscars telecast. As it happens live on a Sunday night in the States, it’s actually around 10AM Monday morning in Australia, and in the past the TV network screening the event wouldn’t do so until the prime time slot later that evening, usually 8 or 9 pm. This meant having to avoid all computers, internet, radio, TV — even friendly text messages from some clueless friends– lest the surprise of who won what be spoiled before I could actually sit down and watch the show.

This year, thankfully, the 82nd Academy Awards were beamed to our shores live in the morning and I was able to kick back on the couch with some hot coffee and toast for breakfast and enjoy the show.

It was tough explaining to my two year old son that he couldn’t watch his cartoons today because Daddy was watching a special show about movies winning awards. My 11 month old was clueless and used the opportunity of me being distracted to get into anything he wasn’t supposed to– drawers, kitchen cupboards, the fridge… you name it. The Oscars are a completely different experience when you’re also running around after two little ones. But there was no way I was missing this telecast!

Neil Patrick Harris opening the show with a surprise musical number did nothing for me. I don’t like that guy much– but he did do an okay job.

I have been looking forward to Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin hosting the show since it was announced last year. No doubting they would deliver some great comedy, they certainly delivered, albeit with the occasional misstep along the way. Steve Martin won the night with his perfectly timed wise-cracks, and Baldwin’s stare-down with George Clooney was a nice touch. Made me think how great it would be to have Clooney guest-appear on 30 Rock.

Speaking of 30 Rock, the best presenters by far were Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. who presented the award for Best Original Screenplay. Their comical bit about writers -vs- actors is definitely a keeper. Great pairing. If only they had read out the correct name for the winner — I feel it should have gone to Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds. But hey, it was a Hurt Locker night.

‘Basterds’ did at least pick up one award and was probably the most deserving award of all the categories. Christoph Waltz winning Best Supporting Actor for his role as The Jew Hunter was a great way to start the show, and ignited a small feeling of victory inside me… perhaps bcause deep-down I somehow knew that would be all the awards ‘Basterds’ was getting. Christoph’s speech was equally winning, but it wasn’t the best of the night. That recognition arguably went to Mo’Nique after winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Precious. “I’d like to thank the Academy for awarding the performance and not the politics.” Take that.

I normally enjoy the In Memoriam section of the show and get a little teary when I think about the great talent that has come and gone. Especially as an old-school Michael Jackson fan, it was great seeing him be represented for his small work with motion pictures. This year the section seemed hurried and under-done. Patrick Swayze was the first Actor shown on the screens while James Taylor sang live beneath the images, but there was hardly enough time to take it in and reflect before the montage hurried on. I didn’t notice the absence of Farrah Fawcett personally, I only read about it afterwards. But that is one pretty horrible oversight by the Academy (that is, unless the family opted for the recognition to be omitted.)

There was a fantastic video package that paid homage to horror movies. Unfortunately I only got several clips into it before I realised my boy was watching and I needed to get him out the room or change channel real quick.  I’ll have to find it online at a later date (or watch the delayed replay). From what I saw, it looked great. Nice to see horror as a genre getting a mention at the Oscars, and nice to see The Exorcist get a couple of nods in there, too — I sure hope An American Werewolf In London was featured.

Like last year, the stage was lined with fellow actors (in this case, co-stars) who briefly spoke personally about each nominee in the Best Actor and Actress categories before the winners were announced (Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart and Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side). I’m a fan of this format. I like that it helps the categories stand out from the rest I like how it’s more formal and often insightful. Yes, it takes longer, but it’s worth it– plus the building of tension never hurts.

I hope next year Pixar don’t win Best Animated Feature. You know, just to mix it up and keep them on their toes. UP was okay and all, but hardly top-shelf Pixar stuff.

Seeing Cameron’s face sitting behind ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow as The Hurt Locker picked up it’s six awards was priceless. Especially as it beat Avatar to the ‘big ones’– Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing. The time was right for Bigelow to be the first woman in Oscar history to win Best Director. It wasn’t a consolation prize. It wasn’t awarded ‘just because’. The Hurt Locker truly deserves the kudos it received from the Academy and Bigelow certainly deserves her Oscar. On a night where the art of motion pictures is honoured, I feel like they got it right. If Most Box Office Takings were a category, we know what would have won– and Avatar already has won in the ‘real world’, like it or not. But those cracking a sook over how the Academy could overlook a film that is the highest grossing of all time need to back away and look at the whole picture. It’s not just about which films the public likes best — it’s about which films have artistic merit and honour the craft of filmmaking accordingly. Avatar may look spectacular, but in terms of raw performance and honesty on the screen, The Hurt Locker is your winner. And now, that’s a fact.

Here’s a list of all the winners on the night:

Actor in a Leading Role
** Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
George Clooney in Up in the Air
Colin Firth in A Single Man
Morgan Freeman in Invictus
Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker

Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon in Invictus
Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
** Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

Actress in a Leading Role
** Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Helen Mirren in The Last Station
Carey Mulligan in An Education
Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia

Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz in Nine
Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
** Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Animated Feature Film
Coraline Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox Wes Anderson
The Princess and the Frog John Musker and Ron Clements
The Secret of Kells Tomm Moore
** Up Pete Docter

Art Direction
** Avatar Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
Nine Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
Sherlock Holmes Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Young Victoria Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography
** Avatar Mauro Fiore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds Robert Richardson
The White Ribbon Christian Berger

Costume Design
Bright Star Janet Patterson
Coco before Chanel Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Monique Prudhomme
Nine Colleen Atwood
** The Young Victoria Sandy Powell

Directing
Avatar James Cameron
** The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow
Inglourious Basterds Quentin Tarantino
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Lee Daniels
Up in the Air Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)
Burma VJ Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
** The Cove Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens
Food, Inc. Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
Which Way Home Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
** Music by Prudence Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
Rabbit à la Berlin Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing
Avatar Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
District 9 Julian Clarke
** The Hurt Locker Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
Inglourious Basterds Sally Menke
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film
Ajami Israel
The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) Peru
A Prophet (Un Prophète) France
** The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) Argentina
The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band) Germany

Music (Original Score)
Avatar James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Sherlock Holmes Hans Zimmer
** Up Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)
Almost There from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
Down in New Orleans from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
Loin de Paname from Paris 36 Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
Take It All from Nine Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
** The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart) from Crazy Heart Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Picture
Avatar James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
The Blind Side Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Producers
District 9 Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
An Education Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
** The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro, Producers
Inglourious Basterds Lawrence Bender, Producer
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
A Serious Man Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
Up Jonas Rivera, Producer
Up in the Air Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Short Film (Animated)
French Roast Fabrice O. Joubert
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte) Javier Recio Gracia
** Logorama Nicolas Schmerkin
A Matter of Loaf and Death Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)
The Door Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
Instead of Abracadabra Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
Kavi Gregg Helvey
Miracle Fish Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
** The New Tenants Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing
Avatar Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
** The Hurt Locker Paul N.J. Ottosson
Inglourious Basterds Wylie Stateman
Star Trek Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
Up Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing
Avatar Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
** The Hurt Locker Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
Inglourious Basterds Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
Star Trek Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects
** Avatar Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
District 9 Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
Star Trek Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
District 9 Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
An Education Screenplay by Nick Hornby
In the Loop Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
** Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)
** The Hurt Locker Written by Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds Written by Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
A Serious Man Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Up Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarth