Mar.8 2010

Full Oscar Recap: Hurt Locker Wins Big, Avatar and Those Lovable Basterds Get Snubbed

Where in the hell did this from? After getting no love from The Golden Globes or the SAG Awards, The Hurt Locker came out of left field to win six Academy Awards including Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow) and Best Picture. I thought it was a solid film, but NO WAY did it deserve Best Picture. Avatar and Inglourious Basterds were the only worthy nominees for the biggest award of the night in my opinion. I guess the Academy is still too conservative and/or short-sighted to give props to any film that wins big at the box-office.

Say what you will about Avatar and it’s simplistic and recycled storyline, but it should have at least ran away with every technical category. I mean, IT IS the most ground-breaking film of all time in that regard. Yet it still lost to The Hurt Locker in the Sound Mixing/Editing, Film Editing and Art Direction categories. What is your deal Academy?! And Quentin Tarantino’s script for Inglourious Basterds is without a doubt superior to The Hurt Locker, yet the Academy thought The Hurt Locker’s was more compelling…or something. Even District 9 would have been acceptable. I didn’t mind that Kathryn Bigelow won for Best Director, making her the first woman ever to win that award, as her direction in that film was very good, but still.

Then we come to the acting categories. Of course, Mo’nique was a shoe-in, having won every award on Earth previously for Best Supporting Actress in Precious. I was rooting for Anna Kendrick for her performance in Up in the Air, as I found that performance to be much more memorable, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it. Thank god that Inglourious Basterds got some love with Christoph Waltz winning Best Supporting Actor for his brilliant role as “The Jew Hunter.”

I never saw Crazy Heart, but Jeff Bridges seemed destined to win Best Actor for his performance. Like Mo’nique, he had won pretty much every award imaginable for his role, as Mr. Deery applauded in his review of the film. But Sandra Bullock winning for Best Actress? Are you kidding me?! I thought The Blind Side was a decent film at best, and thought Bullock’s performance was okay, but in NO WAY Oscar-worthy. Every other nominee in that category, I thought, gave a much more powerful and compelling performance than Bullock. I mean, it’s not like it was a “we owe you” award, such as last year when Kate Winslet won for The Reader. This was her FIRST NOMINATION!!! I mean come on! Uggghh.

The show itself was mind-numbingly boring. I was expecting so much more from hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, but they were reading off their cue cards like they were hosting SNL. They jokes were flat, for the most part, and it just felt so scripted and forced, not entertaining whatsoever. Bring back Hugh Jackman next year will ya? At least he’s talented and versatile enough to sing, dance and do things other than, uh, read!

And man they need to work on their timing for this thing. This year’s Oscars ran over 30 minutes late, clocking in at just under four hours. FOUR HOURS! And when the acting categories arrived and they had all these actors who had previously worked with the nominees give 10-minute speeches on their buddy’s grace and character. It made me want to gouge out my eyeballs and stuff my ears with dynamite. They’ve got to do a lot more next year to make up for this poop-filled gala event. Anyway, check out the full list of winners from last night’s 82nd Academy Awards below. Thanks to FirstShowing for the list compilation.

PICTURE:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Pixar’s Up
Up in the Air

DIRECTOR:
James Cameron – Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels – Precious
Jason Reitman – Up in the Air

ACTOR:
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
George Clooney – Up in the Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker

ACTRESS:
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Penélope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air
Mo’Nique – Precious

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Mark Boal – The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman – The Messenger
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – A Serious Man
Bob Peterson & Pete Docter – Pixar’s Up

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell – District 9
Nick Hornby – An Education
Armando Iannucci & Simon Blackwell – In the Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner – Up in the Air

ANIMATED FEATURE:
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Pixar’s Up

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Ajami (Israel)
El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
Un Prophète (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

ART DIRECTION:
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

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

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America
Which Way Home

DOCUMENTARY SHORT:
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

ANIMATED SHORT:
French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

LIVE-ACTION SHORT:
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

VISUAL EFFECTS:
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

COSTUME DESIGN:
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

MAKEUP:
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

FILM EDITING:
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

SOUND MIXING:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

SOUND EDITING:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Pixar’s Up

ORIGINAL SCORE:
James Horner – Avatar
Alexandre Desplat – Fantastic Mr. Fox
Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders – The Hurt Locker
Hans Zimmer – Sherlock Holmes
Michael Giacchino – Pixar’s Up

ORIGINAL SONG:
“Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog
“Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog
“Loin de Paname” from Paris 36
“Take It All” from Nine
“The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart

What Do You Think? Discuss.

Categories : News, Rants

http://www.myspace.com/zetusdeamos TheMovieMike

I completely agree. The Hurt Locker was a great movie, but i really don't think it should have won best director or best film over Avatar and Inglourious basterds. Especially best director. As much as I did like the hurt locker, the director was nothing out of the ordinary compared to what James Cameron did with Avatar. I think the reason she won is because she is the first woman to have a chance in that category but still, that is not fair to what James Cameron did with re-creating the ways of directing. No one has directed a movie like he did with Avatar. Now, i don't want anyone to think i am mad that she won because that is great for her and she did an amazing job, i just think James Cameron was better.
Rosie87

I am fed up with the Oscars, i grew up with the aurora that it was THE MOST IMPORTANT thing in film. That couldn't be further from the truth…Screw you Academy!…All interested in other Oscar fuck ups… Check this Article…

http://www.cracked.com/article_18460_5-reasons-…

I would like to see a vote from fellow Movie Mashers for top categories…Best Picture, Actress, Actor,etc…
matthewdeery

I disagree with you Mike. I think Bigelow did an excellent job with her direction and was more than deserving as the first woman to win the golden statue. Cameron was revolutionary, and it seems like the academy has a hard time acknowledging success. His direction in his setting was different, never been done before, and breathtaking. But Bigelow deserved a statue.

As far as Best Original Screenplay and Sound/Mixing etc. goes, I will have to agree with BG. The screenplay especially. I thought the screenplay was better than marginal, but BEST. No. I'll go with Inglorious Basterds on that one. But the AA is all about politics it seems, and The Hurt Locker pulled the right strings. I think the biggest surprise was the Best Screenplay, because unlike director where both Cameron and Bigelow were good candidates, the screenplay was so far from BEST I cannot wrap my head around it.
http://www.myspace.com/zetusdeamos TheMovieMike

well, i never said i didnt think she did a good job or that she wasnt deserving at all. In fact, as i said, i loved the movie and she did a great job…i just think james cameron was better. She is very deserving but i just dont think, compared to cameron, it was above and beyond like James Cameron was with Avatar. I understand they are completely different movies but still, when it comes down to strictly directing, James Cameron's direction on Avatar beats Kathryn Bigelow's direction on The Hurt Locker.
matthewdeery

Well Mike, I in fact never said that that you thought she didn't do a good job or that she wasn't deserving. You must have implied that from my post. You did say that you thought The Hurt Locker was a good movie, but you didn't think it should win Best Director. That is where I disagreed with you. You said it, I disagreed. I think Bigelow was rightfully Best Director.

You did say she did a good job, but you clearly stated with your first post that you thought she gained ground on the fact she was a woman being nominated in the category, and not because she really deserved it. Once again, I disagreed. I see where you said that you believed Cameron did a better job, but you also stated she won because of her sex and not just her work. By the end she did an amazing job but Cameron was better… but initially you implied that she was boosted based on the fact she is a woman.

Either way… Her portrayal of that life was spot on. I think either could have won and I would have been satisfied. They both deserved it, but there can only be one victor. Best Picture, now that is a story I could argue about all day. The Hurt Locker is no where near Best of the Year.
http://www.myspace.com/zetusdeamos TheMovieMike

Sorry, what i meant by that comment was that it was one reason why she won over cameron in this category. I just don't see how that fact didn't affect their decision because, as i said i think, along with many many others, that james cameron as a director on avatar was one of a kind. I did not mean that she only won because she is a woman but it had something to do with it. Which is not right because she should be treated equal. And i'm not sexist because i am actually asking for equality here. I am strictly basing my arguement on who had the best direction.
http://www.ideataxi.com/ seo london

I was rooting for Anna Kendrick for her performance in Up in the Air, as I found that performance to be much more memorable, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it. Thank god that Inglourious Basterds got some love with Christoph Waltz winning Best Supporting Actor for his brilliant role as “The Jew Hunter.”
http://www.ideataxi.com/ seo london

I was rooting for Anna Kendrick for her performance in Up in the Air, as I found that performance to be much more memorable, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it. Thank god that Inglourious Basterds got some love with Christoph Waltz winning Best Supporting Actor for his brilliant role as “The Jew Hunter.”