(MCT)It was a big night for little movies. The 80th Annual Oscar Awards commenced on Sunday night, ready to hand out those little gold statuettes.
It opened with host Jon Stewart spouting jokes about the writers’ strike, the primary race between Obama and Clinton, and of course, the lucky nominees of the night. In regards to the writer’s strike, he opened by recapping the strike and talking about the relationship between the writers and the producers, adding, “Tonight, welcome to the make-up sex.”
There was a fresh infusion of new actors and actresses vying for the awards, battling several Oscar veterans who have monopolized the acting nominations in the past. The major nominations that people are usually more interested in were filled with a combination of familiar faces such as Cate Blanchett (“I’m Not Here,” “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”) and Johnny Depp (“Sweeney Todd”), and some unfamiliar faces, namely Amy Ryan (“Gone Baby Gone”) and Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”).
There were few surprises throughout the night, and many popular predictions were played out. Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the sociopathic killer Anton Chigurh. He ended his acceptance speech passionately, saying, “Esto es para Espana. Y esto es para todos vosotros.” (“This is for Spain. And this is for all you.”)
As the merciless oil prospector Daniel Plainview, Daniel-Day Lewis (“There Will Be Blood”) won Best Actor. This was his second career win, as he picked up his first Best Actor Oscar for his role in “My Left Foot.” Bardem and Lewis were the big favorites for their sinister portrayals.
Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) won Best Actress, beating out Julie Christie (“Away From Her”). Cotillard gave a truly transformative performance as French singer Edith Piaf.
Tilda Swinton (“Michael Clayton”) was the big surprise winner of the night, winning Best Supporting Actress for the role of the uncompromising attorney Karen Crowder. Most bets were placed on Cate Blanchett or Amy Ryan. Cotillard and Swinton were both first-time Oscar nominees.
“No Country for Old Men” took Best Adapted Screenplay while “Juno” took Best Original Screenplay.
“Juno” writer Diablo Cody, who worked as an exotic dancer before becoming a screenwriter, accepted the Oscar in tears, saying, “I want to thank my family for loving me exactly the way I am.”
This was her first screenplay and first Oscar.
Joel and Ethan Cohen took home Best Director for their dark yet masterful direction of “No Country for Old Men.” The Cohen brothers had previously won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Fargo.” As everyone predicted, the film was also the night’s grand-prize winner, picking up Best Picture. The film dominated the night with a total of four Oscars.
The Pixar-Disney film, “Ratatouille” won Best Animated Film. It was a tale about a rat named Remy whose only dream was to cook good food. He finds himself doing just that in a famed Parisian restaurant. Brad Bird has previously won two Oscars for Pixar’s “The Incredibles.”
The Oscars added a few changes here and there, as they do every year. Each category of the night was introduced with a montage of the past category’s winner. Unfortunately, the only interesting montages were the back-ups meant to be used in the event the writer’s strike was still on.
Stewart was eager to unveil the “Salute to Binoculars and Periscopes,” as well as “Bad Dreams – An Oscar Salute.”
Jon Stewart also felt compelled to throw in a new category this year – Best Baby. With pregnant actresses Jessica Alba, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman nominated, the award undoubtedly went to Angelina Jolie.
Christina Fong can be reached at [email protected].
