Suck on that, Matt Damon!
The big winner at the 85th Academy Awards was Argo director (and star) Ben Affleck. After being shut out in the Best Director category, Affleck was able to parlay Hollywood’s collective outrage (they had only themselves to blame) into a Best Picture win for his film. Best of all for Affleck, he was also one of the film’s producers, so he still took home a statuette. Coincidentally, Affleck accepted his second Oscar (one more than bestie Matt Damon) right in front of Seth MacFarlane, who once implied on Family Guy that Damon’s talent was the only reason Affleck ever got his first Oscar (for co-writing Good Will Hunting). While Argo wasn’t a frontrunner for Best Picture a few weeks ago, it proved the old adage that it doesn’t matter how you start, only how you finish. It works for sports, and it certainly works for the Oscars.
The night started with a bang, as Seth MacFarlane (along with special guest William Shatner and Sally Field) lived up to his reputation as a crude comedian willing to take on any crowd, even the one sitting right in front of him. He also managed to make Tommy Lee Jones crack a smile, as well as spark 700 million young boys to Google “Angelina Jolie boobs”, thus causing the first-ever complete shutdown of the Internet. He didn’t carry the same energy throughout the night, but MacFarlane did a very good job with the toughest gig in entertainment, showing restraint when needed and taking some production hiccups in stride.
The first award was a pleasant surprise, as well, as Christoph Waltz leap-frogged Tommy Lee Jones and Rober De Niro to take home his second Oscar. After that, the show became a bit of a snooze-fest, as the producers got carried away with their tribute to music from movies. The tribute came off as piecemeal, as the producers honored a few famous songs here and there, but didn’t really give any structure to the ceremony. There wasn’t enough music to consider the show a tribute to music, and there was just enough to make it seem like the producers were trying whatever they could to set the record for longest broadcast ever. Did anyone really want to see Catherine Zeta-Jones dancing around in lingerie at her age (or at any age)? It was nice, however, to see Channing Tatum perform with MacFarlane and Charlize Theron, because that’s the only way Mr. Jawbone will ever find his way onto that stage. The overhyped “50 Years of James Bond” tribute also fell flat, with a grand total of zero Bonds making an appearance.
There weren’t many big surprises, other than Waltz’s win, as one of the two frontrunners in each category managed to hoist a trophy. However, it was refreshing to see the Academy fully embrace Quentin Tarantino, a man who clearly does his best to stay on the fringe of Hollywood society. Jennifer Lawrence cemented her place as the current It-girl in Hollywood with her first Oscar and a rather tame acceptance speech. Unfortunately for her, I hear Plutarch just added stairs to the arena in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Daniel Day-Lewis set an incredible record by becoming the first man to win three Best Actor Oscars . I doubt his third will be his last. Anne Hathaway managed to make herself even more polarizing than she already was, thanks to her decision to switch from smiling all the time to never smiling, at all. Still, her career will only get more interesting and lucrative after her first Oscar win. Ang Lee’s victory in the directing category was a small surprise, considering Steven Spielberg’s status as a Hollywood deity, but considering the size and scope of Lee’s masterful Life of Pi (as evidenced by its three other Oscars), the win was well deserved.
One award that made me feel quite confident in the Academy’s ability to pick proper winners was Anna Karenina‘s win for Best Production Design. I found the movie underwhelming as a whole, but I was amazed by the intricate craftsmanship that went into making the movie seem like a live play, the same way Anna views her surroundings. The production design in that movie, along with Pi‘s stunning visual effects, were the most innovative things come out of Hollywood in 2012.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2013 Oscars, although it could have used some trimming. I have always had immense respect for the multitalented MacFarlane, and his performance only strengthened those feelings. Unfortunately, I think he’ll take his kudos and refuse to host the show again, next year. Neil Patrick Harris, anyone?
Congratulations to all of the winners! Hopefully, someday, I’ll be able to count myself amongst you.
Sundae Rating: Two scoops with whipped cream
Sunday Morning Screenings 