As is becoming more and more the case, the Academy Awards this year were full of unsurprising moments, with two exceptions - namely, two of the biggest ones.
Money and safe bets could have been placed on the acting categories. Colin Firth achieved what he should have been awarded last year, Best Actor, for his role in The King's Speech, while The Fighter took home the two Supporting Categories for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, who brilliantly dropped the f-bomb in her acceptance speech. Another boundary broken, Oscar. Arguably the most satisfying awards were to the three most deserving - Toy Story 3 winning Best Animated Film, Aaron Sorkin winning Best Adapted Screenplay for his fast-paced, witty and wonderful script for The Social Network, and Natalie Portman winning Best Actress for the role of her career in Black Swan.
Considering how David Fincher won the BAFTA for Best Director it was indeed a surprise for Tom Hooper to walk away with the Oscar instead for The King's Speech; the film pulled a double whammy under this writer's feet certainly by beating The Social Network to Best Film, a feat that one didn't think the Americans would go for given the Golden Globe award the latter garnered.
As with last year and The Hurt Locker's success, it seems the Academy is turning more and more to the smaller budget, more independent feeling movies when confronted with more expensive hitters. The reward for the summer blockbusters is usually the more effects-based gongs, and so Inception deservedly walked away with those. Sadly, one feels that it would have had no real look in for the other main categories, especially considering how Christopher Nolan was snubbed with no nomination for Best Director.
Two surprises to end a rather unsurprising night; at the least this year one feels that the right films were being recognised with nominations, and that will be enough to bring them further into the public field. With the more independent fare such as Winter's Bone, this is only and always a good thing.
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