27/02/2012 - The Artist and Hugo tied with five Oscars apiece. No surprises in most predictable Oscars in years

That Hollywood loves nostalgia, especially when it is about the movies, is a truism and this year’s Oscars proved exactly that with The Artist [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michel Hazanavicius
film profile] and Hugo picking up five statuettes each.

The ceremony itself was an indication that the Academy needs to pull up its socks and move with the times. James Franco was universally derided for his lack of hosting skills last year and Eddie Murphy was due to redress that this year. However, Murphy had to pull out and was replaced by the reliable Billy Crystal, returning for his ninth spell as host. The result was a bloated evening filled with a plethora of tired jokes. The point being made, endlessly, was that the evening was a celebration of cinematic magic. But surely that’s a given for any Oscar ceremony and why millions of punters tune in yearly anyway. In the absence of any new direction, in retrospect Franco’s choice now seems inspired.

The awards themselves provided no surprises whatsoever with even armchair pundits, let alone cinema experts being able to predict every prize. Hugo provided some early buzz but thereafter it was The Artist all the way. Perhaps the Academy needs to rethink its positioning at the end of a crowded awards calendar because other majors like the BAFTAs and Golden Globes routinely award the same films anyway.

The Artist won most of the coveted awards including Best Film, Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius (pictured), Best Actor for Jean Dujardin, Best Score for Ludovic Bource and Costume Design for Mark Bridges.

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo won most of the top technical awards including Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects.

Meryl Streep duly won Best Actress for The Iron Lady [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile], Christopher Plummer a long overdue Supporting actor gong for Beginners and Octavia Spencer Supporting actress for The Help.

Full list of winners

Actor in a Leading Role
Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Actress in a Leading Role
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

Actress in a Supporting Role
Octavia Spencer – The Help

Animated Feature Film
Rango – Gore Verbinsk

Art Direction
Hugo - Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

Cinematography
Hugo – Robert Richardson

Costume Design
The Artist – Mark Bridges

Directing
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius

Documentary (Feature)
Undefeated - TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Rich Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)
Saving Face - Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

Film Editing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

Foreign Language Film
A Separation – Iran

Makeup
The Iron Lady - Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)
The Artist – Ludovic Bource

Music (Original Song)
Man or Muppet from The Muppets - Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie

Best Picture
The Artist - Thomas Langmann, Producer

Short Film (Animated)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg

Short Film (Live Action)
The Shore - Terry George and Oorlagh George

Sound Editing
Hugo - Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

Sound Mixing
Hugo - Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

Visual Effects
Hugo - Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann and Alex Henning

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Descendants - Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Midnight in Paris [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Woody Allen