Oscar night is somewhat of a holiday for me. I look forward to the ceremony all year, so when the awards are not quite up to par, it is almost like not getting what you want for your birthday. But Sunday night’s 85th Academy Awards show was like the mother of all birthday presents — this year’s Oscars were the best I’ve ever seen.
There was dancing, singing, great music, many laughs and deserved winners which were smoothly presented by the show’s charming and multi-talented host, Seth MacFarlane. But before the show as a whole, I present the winners: It came as a shock when the Academy announced its nominations for Best Director and Ben Affleck was not on the list. But Affleck more than proved himself as a
Hollywood producer and director at the awards with his film, “Argo,” winning Best Picture, the biggest award of the night. The drama tells the true story of how CIA operative Tony Mendez used a fictitious movie to get US Embassy workers out of Tehran during the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979. It is the first time since 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy” that the Best Picture winner did not receive the
Best Director award. This year, that honor went to “Life of Pi’s” director, Ang Lee.
The award for Best Actress went to Jennifer Lawrence, who plays a recent widow dealing with several problems, including self-confidence issues and job-loss, in “Silver Linings Playbook.” The Best Actor award went to “Lincoln’s” Daniel Day-Lewis, an Englishman who transformed himself into American hero President Abraham Lincoln.
Best Foreign Film went to “Amour,” Christoph Waltz won for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Django Unchained,” and Anne Hathaway was awarded Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Les Misérables.”
The most memorable and well-known movie scores played going into and out of commercials and also as presenters walked to and from the microphone. When the speeches went a little too long, the menacing theme from “Jaws” chased the award-winner off stage.
There were several performances throughout the night, including Catherine Zeta-Jones’ “All That Jazz” from “Chicago” and Dame Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger” from the James Bond film of the same name. In one of the most powerful moments of the night, the entire cast of “Les Misérables” sang a medley of songs from the movie.
There were also surprise visits throughout the night. Taking a break from the White House’s Governor’s Ball, First Lady Michelle Obama presented the award for Best Picture via satellite. Ted, the inappropriate bear, was also there to make the night a bit awkward and present an award.
The show might have gone well over the time allotted, but every extra minute was a treat. There was never a dull moment, and the theme of music helped to celebrate movies even further. Here’s hoping that next year’s Oscars, and the movies nominated for them, will be just as good.
