Post Oscar Analysis

So yet another year has come and gone. For this event, The Hurt Locker ended up taking six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow. Her win makes her the first female director to win this award. Coming in second with three wins was Avatar, and following with two each were Precious, Crazy Heart and Up. Outside of that, the acting awards predictably went to Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock (first person to win an Oscar and Razzie in the same year), Christoph Waltz, and Mo'Nique.

In truth, there were actually very few surprises in this race. The only major surprise was probably Geoffrey Fletcher winning Best Adapted Screenplay for Precious over Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for Up in the Air. I actually do think that Reitman and Turner deserved it, but I also loved what Fletcher did on Precious (despite the insane amount of online hate for the film now). I know many are steaming at this upset, but I am perfectly content with it being winning. The only other surprises for came came in minor categories, such as the shorts and both sound categories going to The Hurt Locker instead of at least one going to Avatar (which I find to be a bit of a crime).

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin reminded us why good old fashioned comedians can be a good choice for the Oscars. The jokes from them were very funny and it looked like they had a good chemistry. The show itself could have lost a few bits like the dancing numbers set to the scores, but I'd say that the ceremony was pretty good all in all.

Before I do a recap of the winners, I'm just going to say that this might be the last Oscars I get really excited for. One reason is because after watching them for so long, you finally realize all the self-congratulation, masturbatory excess the whole thing really is and it's sometimes disenchanting. The other is that, plainly put, I'm tired of the films I love not getting nominated. I realize that not everything can get in, but two of the films in that made my top five of the year were completely shut out. Eventually, I just grow tired of it. I'll still follow the Oscars, only with a little less enthusiasm as I once did. But for now, here's a recap of the winners:

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique - Precious

Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal - The Hurt Locker

Best Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher - Precious

Best Animated Feature: Up

Best Art Direction: Avatar

Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria

Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker

Best Cinematography: Avatar

Best Original Score: Up

Best Original Song: "The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart

Best Makeup: Star Trek

Best Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker

Best Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker

Best Visual Effects: Avatar

Best Foreign Language Film: The Secret in Their Eyes

Best Documentary Feature: The Cove

Best Live Action Short: The New Tenants

Best Animated Short: Logorama

Best Documentary Short: Music by Prudence