Oscar 2010 Recap

2010 marked a year in which publicity and mass marketing momentum alone could have given away the results of the Oscars, and we saw the honors placed in the hands of, well - those we came to expect. The night generated quite a bit of discomfort - first from its humdrum delivery of atypically lame comedic material from co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin - and later from its injudicious exaltation of a certain "Best Original Screenplay". Winner of the honor and former Playboy writer Mark Boal's association with Best Picture winner "The Hurt Locker" must have been the only credentials needed to garner him an award in a category in which he was sufficient, yes, but top contender? I digress. The aforementioned, along with the passing over of "Up In The Air" for Geoffrey Fletcher's adaptation of "Precious" were the two more startling upsets of the night. In retrospect, perhaps I should have chosen that very well-done, intrinsically good script over what seemed would be a case of Academy favoritism on behalf of Jason Reitman. In this regard, I'm glad the Academy's verdict did not reflect my projection. At least this much I will admit.

On a relative scale, the results of my predictions proved to fare considerably solid, with the exception of my calling of the few ravaged works that provided the more ignoble and dare I say inglourious upsets. With all due respect - and remember I'm saying it with all due respect - Mr. Boal's screenplay award was based solely on the hype of this film, not the core qualifications of a true recipient. The award is "Best ORIGINAL Screenplay", not "Best Screenplay For A Film That Will Win Best Picture". My final results: 16/24.



*All categories marked with an asterisk are the ones I predicted correctly:

Best Picture

Winner: "The Hurt Locker" - Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro

*Best Director

Winner: Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker"

*Best Actress

Winner: Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side"

*Best Actor

Winner: Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart"

Best Foreign Film

Winner: "El secreto de sus ojos" (Argentina)

*Best Film Editing

Winner: "The Hurt Locker" - Bob Murawski, Chris Innis

*Best Documentary

Winner: "The Cove" - Louie Psihoyos, Fisher Stevens

*Best Visual Effects

Winner: "Avatar" - Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andy Jones

*Best Original Score

Winner: Up - Michael Giacchino

*Best Cinematography

Winner: "Avatar" - Mauro Fiore

Best Sound Mixing

Winner: "The Hurt Locker" - Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett

*Best Sound Editing

Winner: "The Hurt Locker" - Paul N.J. Ottosson

*Best Costume Design

Winner: "The Young Victoria" - Sandy Powell

*Best Art Direction

Winner: "Avatar" - Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair

*Best Supporting Actress

Winner: Mo'Nique for "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"

Best Adapted Screenplay

Winner: "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push by Sapphire" - Geoffrey Fletcher

*Best Makeup

Winner: "Star Trek" - Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Joel Harlow

Best Live Action Short Film

Winner: "The New Tenants" - Joachim Back, Tivi Mangusson

Best Documentary Short

Winner: "Music by Prudence" - Roger Ross Williams, Elinor Burkett

Best Animated Short Film

Winner: "Logorama" - Nicolas Schmerkin

Best Original Screenplay:

Winner: "The Hurt Locker" - Mark Boal

*Best Original Song

Winner: "The Weary Kind" from "Crazy Heart" - T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham

*Best Animated Feature

Winner: "Up" - Pete Docter

*Best Supporting Actor

Winner: Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds"