Last night in Los Angeles the greatest people of the cinematography gathered together to celebrate the 86th Academy Awards and reward those of them, whose work has influenced the cinema in the past year the most. As every year there's been a few surprises amid the Academy's choices and some expected ones. Let's have a closer look...
First of all, the supporting actor and actress rewards, which went respectively to Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong. Both amazing performances, very courageous and passionate. Two very positive surprises. They competition in both categories was tough and honestly I can't imagine having to make such a choice. But frankly the surprise there was rather hoped for, although if it comes to the best supporting actor I was counting on Jonah Hill - for his great dedication to the role.
It cannot come by unnoticed what an amazing amount of Oscars went to the crew of movie 'Gravity'. Amazing technical work that was done to complete this stunning production was highly appreciated and rewarded with most of the statues in those categories. At some point you could feel like 'perhaps there should be just a segment dedicated to 'Gravity''. However, it can't be denied that the movie deserved the rewards as it seems to be the next stage of technological development in cinematography - just like 'Avatar' a few years ago.
Now, let's focus for a moment on the music, the original song category. The winner was 'Let go' from 'Frozen', which did not come to me as a surprise. Not because it's a really amazing track but because it just sounds Oscar-like. However, personally, I was counting on 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams. It's a fabulous song, catchy, cute, pleasant and different than the other nominated ones. Perhaps it was just too different. However, there is one song that, in my opinion, was neglected - 'I see fire' by Ed Sheeran. Amazing music, powerful lyrics and perfectly adjusted to its movie. Was that just not good enough, a mistake or the song is not Oscar-quality as it's completely different?
It's time to comment on the BIG three - the most prestigious categories. The best leading actress and actor brought us no surprises at all. Cate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey were the favorites among their opponents. Two stunning performances, highly deserved rewards. The emotions and devotion to the role so vividly visible on the screen. Amazing. However, as much as I am happy for Matthew he wasn't, who I hoped to win. Leonardo DiCaprio showed a true craft and talent in 'The Wolf of Wall Street'. I honestly wished for him to receive an Oscar as he truly deserved it. But here comes the question, because the movie itself was nominated just a few times and was definitely overshadowed with other nominees. So, was the reason that the movie simply wasn't that good or perhaps it was too realistic, so genuine that a bit scary? Maybe it wasn't that Leo didn't win for his acting but for the movie that's truthfulness about business world is so piercing? Finally, the best picture - '12 years a slave'. Again, a tough competition but the result didn't come as a surprise to me. I did count on Steve McQueen's movie as it was a masterpiece. Artistic, realistic and beautiful.
But this years Oscars would be not the same without the marvelous host - Ellen DeGeneres. Funny, kind, warm, loving and spontaneous. She kept the ceremony cool and entertaining. It was the second time she was hosting this gala and she outdone herself. Starting with taking 'possibly the best selfie ever' that was completely random and posted online immediately, crushing Twitter for a short moment and becoming the most re-twitted photo ever! But let's be honest, who wouldn't repost it? Imagine, you're sitting on a sofa in front of your TV watching the Oscars and here's Ellen on the screen taking a selfie with Meryl Streep, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt and others?!
First of all, the supporting actor and actress rewards, which went respectively to Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong. Both amazing performances, very courageous and passionate. Two very positive surprises. They competition in both categories was tough and honestly I can't imagine having to make such a choice. But frankly the surprise there was rather hoped for, although if it comes to the best supporting actor I was counting on Jonah Hill - for his great dedication to the role.
It cannot come by unnoticed what an amazing amount of Oscars went to the crew of movie 'Gravity'. Amazing technical work that was done to complete this stunning production was highly appreciated and rewarded with most of the statues in those categories. At some point you could feel like 'perhaps there should be just a segment dedicated to 'Gravity''. However, it can't be denied that the movie deserved the rewards as it seems to be the next stage of technological development in cinematography - just like 'Avatar' a few years ago.
Now, let's focus for a moment on the music, the original song category. The winner was 'Let go' from 'Frozen', which did not come to me as a surprise. Not because it's a really amazing track but because it just sounds Oscar-like. However, personally, I was counting on 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams. It's a fabulous song, catchy, cute, pleasant and different than the other nominated ones. Perhaps it was just too different. However, there is one song that, in my opinion, was neglected - 'I see fire' by Ed Sheeran. Amazing music, powerful lyrics and perfectly adjusted to its movie. Was that just not good enough, a mistake or the song is not Oscar-quality as it's completely different?
It's time to comment on the BIG three - the most prestigious categories. The best leading actress and actor brought us no surprises at all. Cate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey were the favorites among their opponents. Two stunning performances, highly deserved rewards. The emotions and devotion to the role so vividly visible on the screen. Amazing. However, as much as I am happy for Matthew he wasn't, who I hoped to win. Leonardo DiCaprio showed a true craft and talent in 'The Wolf of Wall Street'. I honestly wished for him to receive an Oscar as he truly deserved it. But here comes the question, because the movie itself was nominated just a few times and was definitely overshadowed with other nominees. So, was the reason that the movie simply wasn't that good or perhaps it was too realistic, so genuine that a bit scary? Maybe it wasn't that Leo didn't win for his acting but for the movie that's truthfulness about business world is so piercing? Finally, the best picture - '12 years a slave'. Again, a tough competition but the result didn't come as a surprise to me. I did count on Steve McQueen's movie as it was a masterpiece. Artistic, realistic and beautiful.
But this years Oscars would be not the same without the marvelous host - Ellen DeGeneres. Funny, kind, warm, loving and spontaneous. She kept the ceremony cool and entertaining. It was the second time she was hosting this gala and she outdone herself. Starting with taking 'possibly the best selfie ever' that was completely random and posted online immediately, crushing Twitter for a short moment and becoming the most re-twitted photo ever! But let's be honest, who wouldn't repost it? Imagine, you're sitting on a sofa in front of your TV watching the Oscars and here's Ellen on the screen taking a selfie with Meryl Streep, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt and others?!
You would think that it was awesome and definitely the most hilarious moment of the gala but then on the stage comes Ellen with... a pizza guy! She walks through the audience distributing plates, napkins and...PIZZA! She thought people were hungry so she ordered some snacks. And the best part is that it was so honest and funny at the same time that people just went along and the food disappeared incredibly fast. Obviously the whole thing was followed by Ellen collecting money for the pizza in Pharrell's hat, coming over to the greatest people of the cinematography and casually asking for change to pay for the food. She made the show amazing and unforgettable.