83rd Academy Awards

I wasn't sure what to expect of Academy Award hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway, but they did okay with the opening montage. Using "Inception" as the concept for the montage made it really easy for the two to seamlessly mention every movie in the best picture category. Alec Baldwin and Morgan Freeman's cameos were very amusing. The best spoof was that of "The Fighter," in which Anne Hathaway channeled here inner Massachusetts rough girl and then socked James Franco.

Anne Hathaway's play on "On My Own," seemed only to be a way to lead into a joke with James Franco in a dress with a Marilyn Monroe wig on. It might have been worth it for his jab at Charlie Sheen who has lately been off his rocker more than normal.

Overall, the skits with Anne Hathaway and James Franco weren't all that funny. About 7:30 p.m., I was really ready for it to be over, but I stuck it out to see the top awards.

Now a bit about the winners in some categories:

Art direction
Alice in Wonderland takes home for the best art direction. Though I didn't like the movie all that much, it did look pretty cool.

Cinematography
"Inception" won and it is deserving for the crazy, upside down dream world the cinematographer caught on camera.


Supporting Actress
So it seems that the Academy does like to honor women who make themselves look awful on screen for the sake of their art. Melissa Leo wins for her turn in "The Fighter," as mother/manager of boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg). For the movie she looks 20 years older with frosted blond hair and a trashy '80s wardrobe. She did a good job since there wasn't much likeable about her character.

Animated feature
The other films in this category never really had a chance. "Toy Story 3" has a history with it as the final chapter in a franchise that many film goers grew up with. It has a feeling of nostalgia that appeals to adults while the Buzz Lightyear and Woody characters certainly appeal to kids. Any movie - especially if its animated - that can make grown men cry deserves an award.


Adapted screenplay
No surprise that Aaron Sorkin won for best adapted screenplay for "The Social Network." The screenplay is based on a book about Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook. I'll give him credit for turning a movie that is essentially about lawsuits into a tense movie that was interesting to watch. Who knew computer geeks could have such intense lives?

Best original screenplay
I would have guessed "Inception" would take the win with its crazy dreamscape, but "The King's Speech," actually won. It is great to see David Seidler win for his screenplay since he waited so long to make the movie. He joked that he might be the oldest person to win the award. He had the idea for a film about Kind George, and his struggled with stammering, decades ago. But he held off until the King's wife passed away because she said it was too painful to relive the memories in her life time. The movie is a great watch, and my favorite of the year.


Supporting Actor
I said a couple months ago that if Christian Bale is nominated for an Oscar, the other actors should just bow out. Bale deserves the win for his turn as Dickie Ecklund, a former boxer who became a drug addict before getting clean. While the movie is focused on Micky Ward, Dickie's half brother, Bale really made it. It was great to see Bale get joked up as he accepted his award since he is such a great actor - it was a just to see him as himself. A testament to what a great actor he is - when he started speaking in his natural British accent, my mom said, "He's English? I didn't know that."

Visual effects
"Inception" takes home the prize over such movies as "Alice in Wonderland," "Harry Potter," and "Iron Man 2." It's not a surprise since the movie includes plenty of effects, what with the multiple layers of dreams in it. They deserve the award for the slow-motion fighting scene in the hotel hallway.

Directing
Tom Hopper takes home the award for "The King's Speech." He drew out some great performances from all of the actors with whom he worked. During his speech he talked about how his mother was actually the one to discover the movie and recommended it as his next film.

Best actress
I only saw two of the five performances in the best actress category, but Natalie Portman got my vote. Even though I didn't really enjoy Darren Aronofsky's take on Swan Lake, I though Portman did a great job in "Black Swan." She stretched herself for the role, losing tons of weight and practicing ballet moves for months. She balanced the vulnerable role of Nina with a dark decent into madness.

Best actor
First off, Sandra Bullock was the best presenter of the night as she introduces the nominees for best actor. She had a natural way with the usually canned banter that the presenters read off the teleprompter. Her jokes her funnier than anything else on the show and better delivered than anything the hosts had to say all night.

Now for the winner, Colin Firth won for "The King's Speech." He was nominated last year for "A Single Man," and while his performance was good in that movie, he was even better as the king with the stutter. He showed the restraint that is required of a royal, but had enough depth to play through the occasional outbursts. He made a movie about a man with a stutter exciting to watch.

Best motion picture
Of the 10 movies nominated, I saw eight of them. I had my own personal favorites, which I have blogged about before. "The King's Speech" was at the top of my list. I wasn't sure what to expect of it since I knew it was a movie about a king with a stuttering problem. But the movie is really about much more than that. Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth portray two men who become unlikely friends, forming a bond that last the rest of their lifetimes. The movie was my favorite of the year and I've been recommending it to everyone who asks about it. I was glad to see a movie I personally enjoyed win for best picture.