On March 2nd, Hollywood celebrated another year of film-making at the 86th Academy Awards. The verdict? It was less awful than other years (James Franco in a dress comes to mind) and Ellen Degeneres always makes for pleasant company. That said, it’s The Oscars, so the program went on too long and didn’t offer any real shockers.
Ellen didn’t dance this time around, but she did order pizza for celebrities and take a bunch of selfies. She had a few good playful shots, and the best was: “Between all the nominees here tonight, you’ve done over 1400 films, and you’ve gone to a total of 6 years of college.” But the funniest parts of the evening were the unintentional ones. Like what the hell did John Travolta call Idina Menzel right before she sang “Let It Go”? It certainly wasn’t her name.
There was also a lot of randomness. Pink singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” a film clip montage without a purpose, Robert De Niro and Penelope Cruz presenting an award together. This particular show seemed way more stoned than others. Maybe that explains the pizza.
We’ve included a list of nominations below, with the winners marked in bold.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
- Christian Bale, American Hustle
- Bruce Dern, Nebraska
- Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
- Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club – Winner!
David Wooderson from “Dazed and Confused” has gone on to become a really serious actor – when he wants to be. He went way out of his comfort zone in “Dallas Buyers Club,” both physically and emotionally, and he nailed it.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
- Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
- Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
- Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
- Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club – Winner!
If Jared Leto doesn’t break your heart in this role, you don’t have one.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
- Amy Adams, American Hustle
- Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine – Winner!
- Sandra Bullock, Gravity
- Judi Dench, Philomena
- Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Even amid all the bad Woody press of late, Cate couldn’t be stopped from snagging the top prize. You can’t take your eyes off her, and that final scene of the movie is truly haunting.
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
- Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
- Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave – Winner!
- Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
- June Squibb, Nebraska
Oh, Patsy. This was a surprisingly strong category this year, but Lupita deserved it. She was so raw and devastating. And her speech was great.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
- The Croods
- Despicable Me 2
- Ernest & Celestine
- Frozen – Winner!
- The Wind Rises
Who did “The Croods” sleep with to get on this list? Anyway, “Frozen” is the best Disney film to come out in years. Great music, great message.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
- American Hustle
- Gravity
- The Great Gatsby – Winner!
- Her
- 12 Years a Slave
“The Great Gatsby” is all style and zero substance, so this award seems fitting.
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
- The Grandmaster
- Gravity – Winner!
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Nebraska
- Prisoners
Well, duh. “Gravity” is a work of art, visually speaking. That’s about all it is.
ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
- Gravity – Winner!
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Iron Man 3
- The Lone Ranger
- Star Trek Into Darkness
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
- The Great Beauty (Italy) – Winner!
- The Hunt (Denmark)
- The Missing Picture (Cambodia)
- Omar (Palestine)
My pick was “The Hunt,” a very underrated, under-seen flick.
ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
- American Hustle
- The Grandmaster
- The Great Gatsby – Winner!
- The Invisible Woman
- 12 Years a Slave
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- The Act of Killing
- Cutie and the Boxer
- Dirty Wars
- The Square
- 20 Feet From Stardom – Winner!
A must-see movie for any major music fan. Go underdogs!
ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
- American Hustle
- Captain Phillips
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Gravity – Winner!
- 12 Years a Slave
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
- The Book Thief
- Gravity – Winner!
- Her
- Philomena
- Saving Mr. Banks
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
- “Happy,” Despicable Me 2
- “Let It Go,” Frozen – Winner!
- “The Moon Song,” Her
- “Ordinary Love,” Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Not a bad lineup of songs, but “Let It Go” is the captain of this squad.
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
- All is Lost
- Captain Phillips
- Gravity – Winner!
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Lone Survivor
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- Before Midnight
- Captain Phillips
- Philomena
- 12 Years a Slave – Winner!
- The Wolf of Wall Street
It’s nice to see “Before Midnight” nominated for something, even if it didn’t win jack. Same goes for “Philomena.” But “12 Years a Slave” is adapted from a book that few people knew about, and need to know about.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- American Hustle
- Blue Jasmine
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Her – Winner!
- Nebraska
So happy to see Spike win his first Oscar. I love the quirky realism of “Her.”
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
- David O. Russell, American Hustle
- Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity – Winner!
- Alexander Payne, Nebraska
- Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
- Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
This is one of the coolest-looking films set in outer space, but I think there is stronger competition in this category. Also, I will never understand how a movie can win Best Picture and not Best Director, but alas.
BEST PICTURE
- American Hustle
- Captain Phillips
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Gravity
- Her
- Nebraska
- Philomena
- 12 Years a Slave – Winner!
- The Wolf of Wall Street
I can’t imagine ever sitting through it again, but “12 Years a Slave” will likely stand the test of time and be an important historical movie for future generations. It’s a masterwork.
Thanks for tuning into our coverage of the 86th Academy Awards. Please exit out the doors to your left. No, that’s your right, the other way. Good job.
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