The 87th Annual Academy Awards

Well, it's that time of year again. You know, when the Hollywood community comes out to back themselves on the back for three plus hours. This year, the coveted host of the ceremony went to Neil Patrick Harris. His first year doing this seemed effortless, but since he has hosted both the Emmy Awards and the Tony Awards, this was certainly an easy risk for the producers. He's a song and dance man with an incredible dry sense of humor which is something every host needs to be truly effective. His opening tribute to movies was staged well and again, seemed effortless. Hey, if they can't woo Billy Crystal to host next year, they can bring Harris back anytime.
In any rate, here is the complete list of those who received the Oscar. The list is exhaustive
so all have a chance to see who won whether it be Best Film or Best Visual Effects and all
in between.


Best Film:
"Birdman"

Best Leading Actor:
Eddie Redmayne ("The Theory of Everything")

Best Leading Actress:
Julianne Moore ("Still Alice")

Best Supporting Actor:
J.K. Simmons ("Whiplash")

Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette ("Boyhood")

Best Director:
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Birdman")

Best Original Screenplay:
"Birdman" (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
"The Imitation Game" (Graham Moore)

Best Animated Film:
"Big Hero 6"

Best Foreign Language Film:
"Ida" (Poland)

Best Cinematography:
"Birdman" (Emmanuel Lubezki)

Best Editing:
"Whiplash" (Tom Cross)

Best Production Design:
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock)

Best Costume Design:
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Milena Canonero)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier)

Best Original Score:
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Alexander Desplat)

Best Original Song:
"Selma" (Common, John Legend) "Glory"

Best Sound Mixing:
"Whiplash" (Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, Thomas Curley)

Best Sound Editing:
"American Sniper" (Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman)

Best Visual Effects:
"Interstellar" (Paul J. Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, Scott R. Fisher)

Best Documentary Featurte:
"Citizenfour"

Best Documentary, Short Subject:
"Crisis Hotline: Veterans Pass 1"

Best Short Film, Animated:
"Feast"

Best Short Film, Live Action:
"The Phone Call"

There weren't too many surprises within the ceremony--most of the winners either were favored or expected by many to win. The one surprise was the tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music" sung by Lady Gaga which has a beautiful voice. Then the next presenter was introduced being Julie Andrews to present the Best Original Score award. She received an instant standing ovation, and she looked like she hasn't aged very much within the last ten years. She was as graceful now as she was then.
Even though the telecast was more than three and a half hours, it didn't really seem that long, what with Harris' entertaining presence and the different numbers that were presented. All in all, this was an Oscar presentation that was worthy of the time spent. It may not have been Billy Crystal, but with Harris' ability to entertain and make us laugh, we will all be the better for it.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                            Rated: NR                            3hrs.43mins.