A Coen Brothers Sweep and a Cotillard Upset
2008 Academy Awards
Maybe the writers were a little rusty from being on strike, but this year's Academy Awards ceremony, despite the best efforts of host Jon Stewart, wasn't as entertaining as usual. Still, some people — most notably Joel and Ethan Coens — had good nights, and Stewart did a much better job hosting than his first time around. Here's my take on Oscar's 80th:
Biggest winners: The Coen Brothers and their Western drama, No Country for Old Men. The adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay awards for the Coens, and a Best Supporting Actor award for Javier Bardem.
Biggest losers: Michael Clayton and Atonement. Both were nominated for seven awards, and both won just one — Best Score for the former, Best Supporting Actress for the former.
Biggest upset: Marion Cotillard's Best Actress win for La Vie en Rose. Many critics, myself included, had thought Julie Christie's role in Away from Her was sure to bring her a second Oscar.
Best acceptance speech: Tilda Swinton, for Michael Clayton. It was funny from start to finish, but ended with the best bit: "And Sydney Pollack, and George Clooney, you know, the seriousness and the dedication to your art, seeing you climb into that rubber bat suit from Batman & Robin, the one with the nipples, every morning under your costume, on the set, off the set, hanging upside-down at lunch, you rock, man."
Best presenter speech: Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, purely because of Carell's sure-footed fumbling. I'd like to see him host the Oscars sometime.
Best host joke: Jon Stewart's quip about watching Lawrence of Arabia on his iPhone. Even if it was product placement, it was still funny ("Oh, those are camels.").
Best outfits: Anne Hathaway wore a classy red number, and Jennifer Garnett and Hilary Swank both looked spectacular in black.
Worst outfits: Nothing was as bad as Björk's swan dress, but Helen Mirren's sleeves didn't match her dress, Tilda Swinton's dress was too dark for her complexion, and Alexandra Byrne's dress and glasses were just wrong. Byrne who, you say? Oh, she won an Oscar for Elizabeth: The Golden Age ... in costume design.
Number of winners I guessed correctly: 10 out of 24, with the Coen Brothers and No Country for Old Men being responsible for most of my incorrect picks. My loss, their gain.
