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2009 Academy Awards Best and Worst Recap

Filed under: Awards », Fandom », Oscar Watch »



The 2009 Academy Awards are over and done with, and now it's time to talk trash about EVERYONE! Was it a good year? Did Hugh Jackman succeed as host? How did they make out on length -- did you fall asleep? What was up with those weird line-up presentations? And who got more camera time -- Angelina Jolie or Miley Cyrus? We break down the best and worst moments of this year's Oscar ceremony below -- then feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments.

Check out a complete list of this year's Oscar winners


Additional coverage over at Moviefone


The Best
  • Slumdog Millionaire was ON FIRE!
  • Danny Boyle is this year's Best Director ... and that's pretty damn awesome.
  • Shocker of the Night: Sean Penn wins Best Actor for Milk. (And who said the Academy hated him?)
  • The thirties-inspired set was fancy but intimate, and the recession-inspired opening song-and-dance number from Hugh Jackman was light, refreshing and entertaining.
  • Hugh Jackman delivering his jokes like a bad Atlantic City lounge singer, but absolutely hysterical nonetheless.
  • Penelope Cruz's ever-since-I-was-a-little-girl speech for her Best Supporting Actress win was just darling, whaddya say?
  • Steve Martin and Tina Fey partnering to introduce Best Original Screenplay proved they need to do a movie together, like, yesterday.
  • Most unique 'thank you' goes to Andrew Stanton for thanking his high school drama teacher for casting him in Hello Dolly.

The Worst
  • The 'Thank You' montage(s) ... because we didn't hear enough of those two words in the three-plus hour telecast.
  • The all-female line-ups introducing the nominees for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress went on way too long and felt a bit Vagina Monologue-ish ...
  • So it would appear that "leaked" Oscar winners list was, indeed, false. Sorry Amy Adams ...
  • Was Milk really the Best Original Screenplay?
  • Robert Pattinson didn't take his shirt off while presenting a romance montage? What gives?
  • Ben Stiller channeling Joaquin Phoenix in full beard with a touch of boredom was great if a little soooo last week.
  • Jessica Biel lost a lot of people with the sci-tech speech, and those she didn't lose were probably wondering who Jessica Biel was.
More after the jump ...

Academy Award Winners!

Filed under: Awards », Fandom », Oscar Watch »



We're updating this year's Oscar winners in real time below. Check it out -- winners in bold ...

Best Motion Picture of the Year

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
-- WINNER

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn for Milk -- WINNER
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie for Changeling
Melissa Leo for Frozen River
Meryl Streep for Doubt
Kate Winslet for The Reader -- WINNER

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role


Josh Brolin for Milk
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight -- WINNER
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role


Amy Adams for Doubt
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona - WINNER
Viola Davis for Doubt
Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler


Oscars 2009 Nominees



Best Achievement in Directing

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire - -WINNER
Stephen Daldry for The Reader
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant for Milk

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Courtney Hunt Frozen River
Mike Leigh Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black Milk -- WINNER
Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter Wall E

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Eric Roth, Robin Swicord The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley Doubt
Peter Morgan Frost/Nixon
David Hare The Reader
Simon Beaufoy Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Tom Stern Changeling
Claudio Miranda The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister The Dark Knight
Roger Deakins, Chris Menges The Reader
Anthony Dod Mantle Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER

Best Achievement in Editing

Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lee Smith The Dark Knight
Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill Frost/Nixon
Elliot Graham Milk
Chris Dickens Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER

Best Achievement in Art Direction

James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis Changeling
Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- WINNER
Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando The Dark Knight
Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway The Duchess
Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt Revolutionary Road

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Catherine Martin Australia
Jacqueline West The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Michael O'Connor The Duchess -- WINNER
Danny Glicker Milk
Albert Wolsky Revolutionary Road


Best Achievement in Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- WINNER
The Dark Knight

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Alexandre Desplat The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Newton Howard Defiance
Danny Elfman Milk
A.R. Rahman Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER
Thomas Newman WALL·E

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Slumdog Millionaire
A.R. Rahman, Gulzar ("Jai Ho") -- WINNER
Slumdog Millionaire A.R. Rahman, M.I.A ("O Saya")
WALL·E Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman ("Down to Earth")

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire -- WINNER
WALL·E
Wanted


Best Achievement in Sound Editing
The Dark Knight -- WINNER
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL·E
Wanted

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- WINNER
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL·E - WINNER

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (Germany)
Entre les murs (France)
Revanche (Austria)
Okuribito (Japan) -- WINNER
Vals Im Bashir (Israel)

Best Documentary, Features

The Betrayal - Nerakhoon
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire -- WINNER
Trouble the Water


Best Documentary, Short Subjects


The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki -- WINNER
The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306

Best Live Action Short Film


Auf der Strecke (On the Line)" (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
Manon on the Asphalt" (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
New Boy" (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
The Pig" An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
Spielzeugland (Toyland)" A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank -- WINNER

Best Short Film, Animated


Ubornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya

La Maison en Petits Cubes -- WINNER
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

Oscars Live Blog - Second Hour

Filed under: Awards », Fandom », Oscar Watch »



Cinematical
is live-blogging the Academy Awards, and next up is Scott Weinberg. Follow along down below, and don't forget to keep refreshing this page. Head over to Moviefone for additional Oscar coverage.

Click here for a full list of Academy Award winners updated in real time

Second Hour is Done -- Continue to The Final Hour with William Goss
Read our live-blog for the show's first hour with Eric D. Snider

10:31
-- I now hand you over to Sir William of Goss, for my cat is very hungry and I need to kick back for the big awards. As always, thanks for hanging at Cinematical for all your movie geekery.

10:28 -- Mr. Smith sticks around to give out Best Sound Editing (The Dark Knight) and Best Sound Mixing (Slumdog Millionaire).

10:27 -- Will Smith to dole out the Best Visual Effects award: Benjamin Button. I guess anyone who can make Brad Pitt can look ugly deserves an Oscar.

10:25
-- Action montage woulda been a lot cooler with the movies' noises instead of a lame rock song.

10:22 -- When Tom Cruise is being serious, he's dull. When he's being funny, he's pretty great. Who's with me? (This is in reference to the Tom Cruise / Jimmy Kimmel ad.) And now ... an action montage! Where's my volume button?

10:19
-- Pre-commercial female voice promises a 2008 Action Movie Montage! But first ... commercials!

10:18
-- Maher stays close by and gives the Best Documentary Short to Smile Pinki.


Oscars Live Blog - First Hour

Filed under: Awards », Fandom », Oscar Watch »



Cinematical
is live-blogging the Academy Awards, and first up is Eric D. Snider. Follow along down below, and don't forget to keep refreshing this page. Head over to Moviefone for additional Oscar coverage.

Click here for a full list of Academy Award winners updated in real time

FIRST HOUR IS DONE - CONTINUE TO HOUR TWO


9:30 p.m.:
And that it's for me, folks. I hand you over to my good friend Scott Weinberg for Hour 2 of the Academy Awards marathon. Stay safe, and remember, no wagering.

9:28 p.m.: Remember how some movies in 2008 had romance in them? The Academy does!

9:25 p.m.:
Well, why wouldn't the guy from Twilight and the girl from Mammia Mia! be at the Oscars? Next we'll see presenters from Meet the Spartans and Witless Protection.

9:24 p.m.:
Ben Button wins for Makeup, and the designer has a contest with himself to see how many random names he can rattle off in 30 seconds. Then he says, "New Orleans." Well said!

9:21 p.m.: This is a very dapper British gentleman whose Costume Design won for The Duchess. It's nice to see someone class up the joint after Hugh Jorifice's vulgarity. (Jay-kay, Hugh! We love you!)

9:19 p.m.: That orchestra might be tucked away in the back of the theater, but they will still cut you off, boys!

9:18 p.m.: Benjamin Button
wins for Art Direction -- deservedly, as the insides of all those houses really did look like the insides of houses.

9:12 p.m.:
This is the first time I've watched the Oscars in high-definition. You can see every crag and gully in Mickey Rourke's face.

9:09 p.m.: Hey, what gives?! Le Maison en Petit Cubes wins Best Animated Short, but that guy is NOT French! Nice shout-out to Mr. Roboto, though.

9:07 p.m.: No surprise here -- Best Animated Feature goes to WALL-E. There is momentary controversy here at headquarters over whether the director or producer accepts this award, but eventually everyone takes my word for it that it's the director.

9:05 p.m.:
Nice of them to show a montage of all of last year's animated films, including the ones too crappy to be nominated. "Sucks to be you, guys! But here's two seconds of your hard work!"

9:04 p.m.: You knew that was coming -- Jennifer Aniston's on the stage, so we have to get a shot of Brad and the homewrecker.

9:01 p.m.: Simon Beaufoy begins what will presumably be a Slumdog Millionaire juggernaut with a win for Best Adapted Screenplay. How are you doing on your predictions? I'm three for three so far, thank you very much.

8:57 p.m.: Best Original Screenplay goes to Dustin Lance Black, who gives a sweet speech reassuring gay kids that God does love them. He goes on to prophecy that gay marriage will be legalized. You heard it here first, folks!

8:55 p.m.: Impressive -- they found a 5-second clip of In Bruges with no profanity.

8:53 p.m.: Steve Martin and Tina Fey together gives everyone in the room a simultaneous comedygasm.
 
.