MADness—the Blog

The big winner of the night, with four Academy Awards including Best Picture, is The King’s Speech.  Not my pick but hardly a surprise, either.  I’m disappointed that The Social Network won only three Oscars; it deserved to win for director and picture too.  The Academy’s taste for good, respectable fare with a British royal and a suitable accent knows no bounds.  The Weinstein brothers, who once lassoed a Best Picture for Shakespeare in Love, were not a team to bet against.

A few highlights from the evening:  Aaron Sorkin, ever the writer, with the most eloquent speech of the evening; David Seidler, the self-proclaimed oldest winner in the writer category; Susanne Bier, just the third woman director to win in the foreign-language category; and the too-brief appearance of Billy Crystal, who gave me the first laugh of the show.  (The best hosts in the history of the show have been the great comedians—Crystal, Hope, Carson.  The show succeeds when it’s funny.  The Academy should find a funny, classy comedian who’s young, if that’s where the Academy is aiming, and if there isn’t one—can’t think of a name off the top of my head—they should find someone older who can provide a bit of entertainment.)

Because you probably cannot find a list of winners anywhere else on the web, I offer one below.  (The * indicates winners that I had predicted.  I finished 17 of 24, respectable—and better than Ebert, for what it’s worth—but not likely a winner in the pool.)

Summary of Oscar wins by feature film:

The King’s Speech — 4
Inception — 4
The Social Network — 3
Alice in Wonderland — 2
The Fighter — 2
Toy Story 3 — 2
Black Swan — 1
The Wolfman — 1
In a Better World — 1
Inside Job — 1

Winners by category:

Best Picture

WINNER:  The King’s Speech

Actor in a Leading Role*

WINNER:  Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Actress in Leading Role*

WINNER:  Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Actor in a Supporting Role*

WINNER:  Christian Bale, The Fighter

Actress in a Supporting Role*

WINNER:  Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Directing

WINNER:  Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

Writing (Original Screenplay)*

WINNER:  David Seidler, The King’s Speech

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)*

WINNER:  Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Animated Feature Film*

WINNER:  Toy Story 3

Documentary (Feature)*

WINNER:  Inside Job

Documentary (Short Subject)

WINNER:  Stranger No More

Foreign Language Film*

WINNER:  In a Better World

Short Film (Animated)

WINNER:  The Lost Thing

Short Film (Live Action)

WINNER:  God of Love

Art Direction*

WINNER: Alice in Wonderland

Cinematography

WINNER:  Inception

Costume Design

WINNER:  Alice in Wonderland

Film Editing*

WINNER:  The Social Network

Makeup*

WINNER:  The Wolfman

Music (Original Score)*

WINNER:  The Social Network 

Music (Original Song)*

WINNER:  “We Belong Together,” Toy Story 3

Sound Editing*

WINNER:  Inception

Sound Mixing*

WINNER:  Inception

Visual Effects*

WINNER:  Inception