Oscar Winner Reactions

Well, the annual awards season has officially come to a close. After the Oscars aired last night, we now have four first-time acting winners, the first woman ever to win best director, an underdog that defeated a film that earned over thirty times as much money at the box office for the top prize, and a few surprises along the way. None of the surprises are too exciting, since “Precious” did not deserve to beat “Up in the Air” for Best Adapted Screenplay and I, like pretty much every person who isn’t an Oscar voter who voted in the Best Foreign Film category, haven’t seen “The Secret in their Eyes,” which doesn’t open in U.S. theatres until April 16, so I can’t say whether or not it deserves it. I’m happy to report that the two most deserving short films (live action and animated) did in fact win, with the amazing “Logorama” defeating the equally entertaining but not quite as creative Wallace & Gromit entry “A Matter of Loaf and Death” and the incomparable “The New Tenants” winning the other award.

Predictions-wise, I did alright but not excellently. I missed seven categories in total – both screenplays, sound, makeup, foreign language film, documentary short, and animated short. For those keeping track, 17/24 (71%) is one more category up from last year, when I predicted 16/24, and five up from two years ago, when I got 12/24. More importantly, I got the top six categories right this time around, which wasn’t necessarily an easy feat considering many didn’t have faith in “The Hurt Locker.” Anyway, it’s been a fun season.

Ceremony-wise, I don’t have much to say because there wasn’t anything too exciting about it. Neil Patrick Harris’ appearance was fun, but Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin didn’t really have a chance to do too much funny stuff. Ben Stiller’s Avatar appearance was entertaining, and the mix of presenters worked pretty well. Some at my Oscar-watching party took issue with having Barbra Streisand present Best Director and endorse two candidates before handing out the award, not unjustly. I prefer a subtler choice which honors all directors, like when Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg presented because everyone thought that Martin Scorsese was going to win and it still would have been meaningful if someone else had taken home the trophy. Streisand is also a strange choice because she is not one of the other three women who was nominated for Best Director, despite having helmed a Best Picture nominee.

What were your favorite moments from the Oscars and what did you think of the winners? Post a comment and below and share your thoughts!