The 82nd Academy Awards

I was mostly pleased with the Oscars this year. Although I did watch hours of the Red Carpet specials leading up to the show, I'll save my fashion comments for a different venue. However, I will say I pleasantly enjoyed watching Woody Harrelson deny Ryan Seacrest an interview. Woody just went up one more notch in my book. And even though I hate SJP, her dress was pretty awesome.

The Ceremony

I liked the fresh new format they used for some of the categories. I like how each film nominated for Best Picture was individually featured throughout the course of the show. I'm not sure about having 10 nominees, but it didn't seem to be a negative. I also thought it was nice how each nominee for Best Actor/Actress in a Leading Role was personally introduced by a fellow actor close to them. Being nominated for having the best performance of the year is a big deal, and this mode of introduction made it a little more special for the nominees, and helped the audience connect.

I wasn't impressed with the Neal Patrick Harris introduction song and dance, and thought it lacked class. Maybe at the Globes or MTV awards, but this is the Oscars - a higher class ceremony. And although the dancing was cool during the introductions for Best Original Score, I didn't really think it fit with the nature of the ceremony either.

Overall I thought the Awards Ceremony was well done and enjoyable, even though it ran a little long. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were splendid hosts.

Awards Highlights

Best Picture - The Hurt Locker
This award really made my night. It's no secret that I have a deep appreciation for real film-making. I saw this film many times before the Oscars, and loved it. It was through-and-through a 'real' film. It may not have been as visually stunning as another movie (ahem, Avatar), but the plot, the directing, the acting - indeed all aspects of the film - put me right into the streets of Iraq, almost a member of the team myself. The thing I loved the most about this film was the depth of characters - incredible. This is the type of film-making that deserves to be awarded Best Picture. It also deserves all of the other awards it won (Directing, Film Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Original Screenplay).

Actress in a Leading Role - Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Although Sandra Bullock was stunning in her role, and certainly deserved the Oscar, a few of the other women were very close. Except Meryl Streep. I don't much care for her, and her role in Julie and Julia wasn't very groundbreaking.

Actor in a Leading Role - Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
I respect the other actors nominated in this category, but it seems as though Jeff Bridges ran away with this one, and deservedly so. I smiled at his acceptance speech, on the verge of being braggy, but still classy and graceful. I liked Jeremy Renner for this award as well - his character was very deep and complicated and he played the part beautifully. However, Bridges was superb.

Actor in a Supporting Role - Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Bastards)
I cheered out loud when Christoph won! His role as Col. Hans Landa of the Nazi SS was phenomenally entertaining. He was brilliant in the movie. The other actors in the category gave worthy performances, but nothing came close to the performance of Christoph as Col. Landa. Kudos to Tarantino for casting him in the role (he originally wanted Leonardo DiCaprio for the role, but decided to go with the German actor). A well deserved award.

Visual Effects, Art Direction, Cinematography - Avatar
Although I'm not a huge fan of effects-driven films, or the fantasy genre in general, Avatar deserved these awards. However, I thought Inglourious Bastards could have won the Cinematography award as well.


After all was said and done, I agreed with most of the awards. The Academy continues to honor those who deserve it. An enjoyable evening.