The only unpredictable things about this year’s Academy Awards were Anne Hathaway’s dress changes. Starting off the evening in a stunning white gown and ending it in a strange-colored, somewhat nude dress, Hathaway kept us on our toes even when she and co-host James Franco fell slightly flat in their roles.
The only other shocking moments of the night were Melissa Leo’s win for Best Supporting Actress in “The Fighter” and the lack of recognition that “The Social Network” received.
Leo, who dropped the F-bomb during her speech, was a favorite among some film critics, but most figured Helena Bonham Carter was a shoo-in for her role as the king’s wife in “The King’s Speech.” “The Fighter” earned strong recognition in acting with Leo’s win and Christian Bale’s win for Best Supporting Actor.
“The Social Network,” a favorite among many critics, stood in the shadows of “The King’s Speech” for most of the night. The film did win two awards, however, for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score, written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
There were a few rare laughable moments, mostly earned by the long-winded presenter Kirk Douglas, who took two full minutes just to discuss the nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
As hosts, Franco and Hathaway brought a fresh look to the normally antiquated feel of the Oscars, but their appeal and charm as hosts was limited to their young appearances. An opening skit in which Hathaway and Franco literally put themselves into scenes of Best Picture nominees was fairly amusing. Starting in the infamous Paris scene in “Inception,” Hathaway and Franco found themselves in the middle of Alec Baldwin’s dream, narrated by Morgan Freeman’s “soothing voice.”
But the skits and the jokes were few and far between. On the bright side, the Oscars ended at a scheduled three hours. On the downside, the whole show felt like a checklist of awards, and the brief moments of excitement came with the few surprise awards.
The dullness of the show wasn’t because of the films being highlighted, however. On the contrary, all 10 of the films nominated for Best Picture were amazing movies and well-deserved nominees.
The actors and actresses were also strong in each category. Natalie Portman won Best Actress for her role in “Black Swan” among a group of equally compelling performances, such as Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right” and the young actress Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone.”
Colin Firth was pretty much guaranteed a victory for his role in “The King’s Speech,” earning his first Oscar. With that said, the victory was well-deserved for such an accomplished actor.
In a bit of a surprise, Tom Hooper won Best Director for “The King’s Speech,” a disappointing steal from David Fincher, who was a predicted winner among many critics for “The Social Network.”
Both “Alice in Wonderland” and “Inception” earned notable recognition for smaller categories like Best Costume Design and Best Sound Mixing.
The musical performances were boring at best, except for a guest appearance by Florence and the Machine’s Florence Welch, who joined AR Rahman to sing “If I Rise” from the film “127 Hours” wonderfully and perfectly.
The show ended on a dull note with the expected win of “The King’s Speech” for Best Picture. It was a night of predictability at the Oscars, but at least that gave Hathaway more room to stun in her shiny, blue latex dress and ever-changing hair styles.
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Anne Hathaway, James Franco can’t break monotony of Oscars
Daily Emerald
February 27, 2011
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