2008 Oscars Wrap-Up

So what’d you think of this year’s Oscars? I watched up until Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won best song and I flipped my lid and immediately drove somewhere and got drunk in celebration. Alright, maybe I was already going to a birthday party, but seriously, how awesome was that when they won? This was probably the most satisfying Oscar year I can remember. That may be because I rarely pay attention to them, but pretty much every movie or performance I was rooting for won. Juno didn’t get near the wins it was supposed to, which made me happy because, while I loved the movie, I think everyone got way too caught up in the hype proclaiming it the best indie flick to come out in years. Even though it really wasn’t much of an indie flick being distributed by a mid-major studio, so it’s not like there wasn’t a decent size studio backing them. You want to talk indie flicks and word of mouth success, well, that’s Once for you.
Highlights for me were Glen and Marketa winning best song obviously, No Country for Old Men winning best picture (I would’ve been satisfied with that or There Will Be Blood). Daniel Day-Lewis winning best actor. Was there any doubt there? And finally, Javier Bardem being duly rewarded by the Academy for his brilliant role in No Country and bearing through that terrible haircut the whole movie.
Let me know what you thought in the comments and here’s to another great year in movies in 2008.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Winner: Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Winner: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Winner:Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Winner: No Country for Old Men - Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
…the rest after the jump.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Winner: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men
BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN
Winner: Juno - Diablo Cody
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Ratatouille
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Winner: Taxi to the Dark Side
BEST DOCUMENTARY, SHORT SUBJECTS
Winner: Freeheld
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC
Winner: Atonement
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: There Will Be Blood
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES, ORIGINAL SONG
Winner: Once

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Fälscher, Die
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND
Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum
BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY BASED ON MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED OR PUBLISHED
Winner: No Country for Old Men
BEST SHORT FILM, ANIMATED
Winner: Peter & the Wolf (2006) - Suzie Templeton, Hugh Welchman
BEST SHORT FILM, LIVE ACTION
Winner: Mozart des pickpockets, Le
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
Winner: Sweeney Todd: The Demon
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Winner: The Golden Compass
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Winner: Môme, La - Didier Lavergne, Jan Archibald
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Winner: Elizabeth: The Golden Age



it was a nice moment for those two but they have received tons of accolades and opportunities through the film (which I too loved), so for musical moments of the indie variety I’d have to say Elliott Smith’s performance from years ago tops this.