The 85th Annual Academy Awards

Well, it's that time again when all of Hollywood rallies and pats each other on the back for a job well done. That being said, we have the presentation of "The 85th Annual Academy Awards". Every year, the Academy goes through an arduous process of not only processing tons of films to be nominated and subsequently choosing the winners, but even tougher is the choice of who the host is going to be. If Billy Crystal would just agree to MC the awards every year, this would not be the issue it has become. Crystal doesn't make it a yearly thing, because he claims it is the toughest gig to do, and I'm sure it is. They've tried so many hosts, that with few exceptions, have fell flat on their faces, and last night's Seth MacFarlane was no exception. I watched this telecast and whinced for MacFarlane, as he must have realized that he was in way over his head. I wish comedians would not shoot for laughs at others' expense. One can make light of a situation or person, but a talented comedian can do this with tact and finesse, like Crystal, who's timing and delivery is perfect-- he's one of a kind. MacFarlane's jokes were cruel, stale, just not funny, and were horribly forced. There has got to be someone else out there that can give these award ceremonies a one, two punch which it so desperately needs. Come back Billy, we really need you!

Anyway, that all said, here is the recap of the ones given the Oscar:

Best Motion Picture-- "Argo" (Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney)

Best Actor-- Daniel Day-Lewis ("Lincoln")

Best Actress-- Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook")

Best Supporting Actor-- Christoph Waltz ("Django Unchained")

Best Supporting Actress-- Anne Hathaway ("Les Miserables")

Best Director-- Ang Lee ("Life of Pi")

Best Original Screenplay-- "Django Unchained" (Quentin Tarantino)

Best Adapted Screenplay-- "Argo" (Chris Terrio)

Best Animated Feature-- "Brave" (Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman)

Best Foreign Language Film-- "Amour" (Austria)

Best Cinematography-- "Life of Pi" (Claudio Miranda)

Best Editing-- "Argo" (William Goldenberg)

Best Production Design/Art Direction-- "Lincoln" (Rick Carter, Jim Erickson)

Best Costume Design-- "Anna Karenina" (Jacqueline Durran)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling-- "Les Miserables" (Lisa Westcott, Julie Dartnell)

Best Original Score-- "Life of Pi" (Mychael Danna)

Best Original Song-- "Skyfall" (Adele Adkins, Paul Epworth) "Skyfall"

Best Sound Mixing-- "Les Miserables" (Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Simon Hayes)

Best Sound Editing-- (Tie) "Skyfall" (Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers)
                                              "Zero Dark Thirty" (Paul N.J. Ottosson)

Best Visual Effects-- "Life of Pi" (Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik De Boer, Donald
                                    Elliott)

Best Documentary Feature-- "Searching for Sugarman" (Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn)

Best Documentary, Short Subject-- Innocente" (Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine)

Best Short Film, Animated-- "Paperman" (John Kahrs)

Best Short Film, Live Action-- "Curfew" (Shawn Christensen)

There was also a 50 year tribute to the 007 James Bond films, which was a nifty montage of film clips and different songs of the different films. And since the theme of the awards was a musical one, there, of course, had to be a tribute to the musical showcasing "Chicago", "Dreamgirls", and "Les Miserables" with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Hudson, and the cast of "Les Miserables" respectively. And the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award went to Jeffrey Katzenberg.
One of the best parts of this ceremony was as the different artists who passed away last year were being presented on screen, Marvin Hamlisch's picture was last and Barbra Streisand, being a longtime friend and collaborator of Hamlisch's, burst into their rendition of "Memories" from "The Way We Were". It was very touching and poignant considering their amazing friendship throughout the decades.
To wrap this up, I can only sum it up with one question: Where is Billy Crystal when you need him?"

Out of 4 Stars: 1.5                           Rated: NR                          3Hrs.-30Mins.