After weeks, and
even months, of premonitions and predictions – and many, many hopes – about who
the takers will be at this year’s Oscars, the results are finally out after the
ceremony took place last night, Sunday 2 March, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los
Angeles hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. There were a few obvious winners but there
were also one or two surprises that have no doubt left many cinema-goers extremely perturbed.
Perhaps the biggest
disappointment was Leonardo DiCaprio not winning the Academy Award for Best
Actor for his role in The Wolf of Wall
Street. He had the weight of the world’s hopes on his shoulders and we all
thought that his gripping and astute performance – one of the many in his
career – would finally earn him that award. But unfortunately, it wasn’t
Leonardo’s time yet.
12 Years a Slave winning the Oscar
for Best Picture has made history. Director Steve McQueen has become the first
black director to get the top film honours in 86 years of Oscar history. This
film was a firm favourite and definitely deserves the honour. And space
thriller Gravity, starring
Sandra Bullock, from Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron, racked up
five Oscars for technical achievements like visual effects and cinematography
as well as Best Direction.
These were some of
the main highlights of the awards function:
Best Picture – 12 Years a Slave
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Matthew
McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Cate
Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Jared
Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Lupita
Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
Best Animated Feature – Frozen (Chris Buck,
Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho)
Best Cinematography – Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Best Costume Design – The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)
Best Directing – Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron)
Best Documentary Feature – 20 Feet from Stardom (Morgan
Neville, Gil Friesen, Caitrin Rogers)
Best Adapted Screenplay – 12 Years a Slave (John Ridley)
Best Original Screenplay – Her (Spike
Jonze)
It’s been a great
and significant year at the movies. And hopefully next year will be as good, or
even better. And hopefully, Leonardo gets that Oscar that the world is waiting
for to be his too.
