The 2009 Academy Award winners
Congrats to all the winners!!!
Below, highlighted in RED are the winners to this years Academy Awards, otherwise known as the Oscars.
I have a couple of quick comments about the winners:
For the most part, I expected a lot of the winners to win, like Slumdog Millionaire. Winning best picture for Slumdog was pretty much a given.
I'm absolutely thrilled that Kate Winslet won for Best Actress because I love her in The Reader and if I could go back to my 2008 favorite films, The Reader would have probably been either my favorite of the year or my second.
I'm am completely floored and upset that Sean Penn won for best actor. Don't get me wrong, he's a great actor and he is great in Milk, but in my opinion, he's not even close to Mickey Rourke's fantastic performance in The Wrestler. Rourke got robbed!!! Big time!!
On another note, this show was really excellent and very entertaining. I wasn't going to write much more than that, but after thinking about it, I'm going to write a quick review on the Oscars for either Tuesday or Wednesday. Again, excellent show and fantastic performance by Hugh Jackman!
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor" (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon" (Universal)
Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in "Milk" (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling" (Universal)
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)
Best animated feature film of the year
"Bolt" (Walt Disney) Chris Williams and Byron Howard
"Kung Fu Panda" (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Andrew Stanton
Achievement in art direction
"Changeling" (Universal) Art Direction: James J. Murakami
Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt
Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Nathan Crowley
Set Decoration: Peter Lando
"The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Art Direction: Michael Carlin
Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
"Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Art Direction: Kristi Zea
Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
Achievement in cinematography
"Changeling" (Universal) Tom Stern
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Claudio Miranda
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Wally Pfister
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Anthony Dod Mantle
Achievement in costume design
"Australia" (20th Century Fox) Catherine Martin
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Jacqueline West
"The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Michael O'Connor
"Milk" (Focus Features) Danny Glicker
"Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Albert Wolsky
Achievement in directing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Fincher
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Ron Howard
"Milk" (Focus Features) Gus Van Sant
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Stephen Daldry
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Danny Boyle
Best documentary feature
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)" (Cinema Guild)
A Pandinlao Films Production Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World" (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment)
A Creative Differences Production Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
"The Garden"
A Black Valley Films Production Scott Hamilton Kennedy
"Man on Wire" (Magnolia Pictures)
A Wall to Wall Production James Marsh and Simon Chinn
"Trouble the Water" (Zeitgeist Films)
An Elsewhere Films Production Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Best documentary short subject
"The Conscience of Nhem En"
A Farallon Films Production Steven Okazaki
"The Final Inch"
A Vermilion Films Production Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
"Smile Pinki"
A Principe Production Megan Mylan
"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"
A Rock Paper Scissors Production Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
Achievement in film editing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Lee Smith
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
"Milk" (Focus Features) Elliot Graham
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Chris Dickens
Best foreign language film of the year
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" A Constantin Film Production - Germany
"The Class" (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haut et Court Production - France
"Departures" (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners Production - Japan
"Revanche" (Janus Films) A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production - Austria
"Waltz with Bashir" (Sony Pictures Classics) A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production - Israel
Achievement in makeup
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Greg Cannom
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (Universal) Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Alexandre Desplat
"Defiance" (Paramount Vantage) James Newton Howard
"Milk" (Focus Features) Danny Elfman
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) A.R. Rahman
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Thomas Newman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Lyric by Peter Gabriel
"Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Music by A.R. Rahman
Lyric by Gulzar
"O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
Best motion picture of the year
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
A Kennedy/Marshall Production Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal)
A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
"Milk" (Focus Features)
A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)
A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production Nominees to be determined
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)
A Celador Films Production Christian Colson, Producer
Best animated short film
"La Maison en Petits Cubes"
A Robot Communications Production Kunio Kato
"Lavatory - Lovestory"
A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production Konstantin Bronzit
"Oktapodi" (Talantis Films)
A Gobelins, L'école de l'image Production Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
"Presto" (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Animation Studios Production Doug Sweetland
"This Way Up"
A Nexus Production Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
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
Achievement in sound editing
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Richard King
"Iron Man" (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment) Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Tom Sayers
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
"Wanted" (Universal) Wylie Stateman
Achievement in sound mixing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
"Wanted" (Universal) Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt
Achievement in visual effects
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.) Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
"Iron Man" (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment) John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
Adapted screenplay
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Screenplay by Eric Roth
Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
"Doubt" (Miramax) Written by John Patrick Shanley
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Screenplay by Peter Morgan
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Screenplay by David Hare
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Original screenplay
"Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Courtney Hunt
"Happy-Go-Lucky" (Miramax) Written by Mike Leigh
"In Bruges" (Focus Features) Written by Martin McDonagh
"Milk" (Focus Features) Written by Dustin Lance Black
"WALL-E" (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon
Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
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Absolutely the WORST Oscar event in history, symbolizing the death of America on every level.
First, the thing was hosted by an Australian, who although apparently a nice fellow, happens to be the most BORING host ever selected in the history of Oscar. The show REQUIRES a comedian host, it is impossible to suffer the lengthy show without interspersing it with levity. Moreover, a comedian host ensures that this narcissistic, self-important, self-obsessed Cult of Celebrity crap will not be taken as seriously as the self-proclaimed Hollywood “gods” would want it to be perceived. Only a lot of sarcasm aimed at these so-called Hollywood “deities” can make any Oscar event a sufferable experience. At a time when America is in full-blown crisis on every level (economy, infrastructure, environment, ethics, etc)., the fact is that Hollywood figures receive far too much attention and veneration (too many award events); receive far more remuneration than they deserve; and that is the primary reason why Joe Public is “tuning out.” There is nothing particularly special about the Oscars any longer, since it has become just another tiresome award event in a long litany of these annual self-congratulatory love-fests, in which Hollywood kisses its own ass over and over again, ad nauseam.
Second, we were treated to an event that handed awards to a Spanish supporting actress; a British leading actress; an Irish director; and an Indian film. Is this the Academy Awards or has it de-evolved into the United Nations awards? Has Hollywood simply de-evolved into an entertainment medium controlled by foreign interests? Has it become a sad metaphor of what America itself has become, namely a third-rate, heavily indebted nation that is now nothing more than an unofficial subsidiary of various foreign creditor nations?
Every aspect of the show seemed to be botched, the worst example being the portion to honor dead members of the Hollywood Club. First, they selected a horrible mediocre song, performed by an equally grating singer, then failed to show CLOSE shots of the dead artists. It was near impossible to see who was being honored, let alone read their names. The director who approved that terrible camera-work should be fired and NEVER allowed to work in Hollywood again.
The concept of bringing a bunch of actors together to present awards (Best Actress, Best Actor) is ridiculous. The whole thing felt like a group of PR agents brought together to promote their clients. It felt like a long commercial for a group of actors….and frankly, by that point, had we not suffered MORE than enough commercials promoting the usual bunch of non-essential consumer items? There are valid reasons why, for many years, the Oscars provided film clips of the nominated actors’ performances. LET THE PERFORMANCES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, otherwise it feels like some tedious community forum of narcissistic actors engaged in some kind of self-congratulatory circle-jerk.
A special mention must go out to Bill Maher for a “God, You Really Suck!” award. Yet another self-important Hollywood narcissist, trotting out a promotion for his trite “documentary,” aka an airhead polemic for atheism, and it just made you want to scream….”WHEN DO THE COMMERCIALS EVER END???”
Only two segments in the entire show had any appeal: the one when Ben Stiller did a very accurate amusing impression of the oddball, Joaquin Phoenix….and the segment honoring Jerry Lewis,*** because in honoring Jerry, for one moment, I actually remembered a time when Hollywood still had a certain magic…a time when Hollywood once celebrated the original, epic, and divine, as opposed to “B-Movie” junk (like Slumdog) or cookie- cutter clone crap, that sadly have become the norm….and a time when one could remember that Hollywood once belonged to America, and had not transmogrified into a sad pathetic subsidiary of some international consortium.
*** Please Note:
I am NOT implying that the films of Jerry Lewis are notably “epic or divine.” You can certainly make an argument that they are original though.
Rather he worked during that special era in Hollywood history when the studios (under control of powerful visionaries, like Thalberg, Cohn, Warner, etc), focused upon creating movies that celebrated the “original, epic, and divine.” Moreover, he also symbolizes a generation that strongly believed in COMMUNITY SERVICE, the obligation to give back, as opposed to the more modern generations, who so strongly believe in the concept of ENTITLEMENT.
In seeing Jerry Lewis, still fairly vibrant and sending a strong terse message favoring humanitarian action, I was reminded of the old Hollywood, most of its members now dead, buried, and in many cases, forgotten. In view of this particularly dismal Oscar event, the memory of what once was is enough to make any decent person cry for what it has become.
Hi David,
Honestly, you just seem really angry and I don’t agree with almost anything you said.
The fact that your angry that Kate Winslet, Slumdog Millionaire, Penelope Cruz, and Danny Boyle won Oscars… because they’re not American, is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard on this website.
Did you even see their performances???? They all deserved their Oscars.
What about Heath Ledger… he didn’t deserve it? He’s not American, he’s Australian.
As for the show. I’m not going to knock you for not liking it, I’m sure your not the only one but your argument about foreign winners I don’t agree with in the slightest.
Thanks for the point of view.
I have to weigh in on this. The area I agree with David is that there are too many awards shows. The entertainment industry is the only business I know of that glorifies its employees in this way. Personally I would like to see an awards show that is all about people who are making good decisions that are putting a lot of people to work and making the world a better place outside of just La La Land.
That said- I had not watched the Academy Awards in years until last night. I tuned in for precisely the reasons David hated it- I loved the international flavor of the event. My close circle of friends include Irish, English and Indian born US legal residents and we have all been having a great time discussing the assortment of films up for nomination this year. The only problem I have with Kate winning for The Reader is that I am so sick of holocaust movies- Revolutionary Road was an excellent period piece. I felt Mickey Rourke got the shaft mainly for political reasons- Sean Penn was not that great in Milk. The movie was ok- but it was not epic. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 70s and early 80s and remember when Harvey was shot. It was the same month that the Jonestown Massacre occured. Dan White and his Twinkie defense were the news for years later with the achievments of both Milk and Mayor Moscone being overshadowed by how they died. That said- this business of the winners from the movie using their wins to promote the social agenda of gay marriage- it was completely predictable. I knew what I was going to hear before Sean Penn opened his mouth. Blah…..
More importantly- I liked Hugh Jackman as host very very much. He brought an energy to the stage that was not all snide wisecracks like so many of the comedian hosts have done in the past. I know a lot of people didn’t like the 5 previous winners announcing the nominees- but I did. The best of the night was Shirley MacClaine who was the only person who didn’t seem to be scripted- she spoke from the heart when announcing Anne Hathaway and complimenting her.
Hugh and Anne and the opening number was fun, I thought Beyonce proved why she should stick to making records and away from movies. Her voice was flat and tinny. Sorry- but I have to agree with Etta James on this one. Steve Martin and Tina Fey- brilliant. Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black- charming. Ben Stiller and Natalie Portman- I felt sorry for Natalie and wonder how many people around the world got the whole making fun of Joaquin Phoenix bit.
I was glad to see Slumdog win for best picture. It was nice to have a happy uplifting film win for once instead of some dark, dreary way too intellectual or depressing piece of “art” win that will never be seen again.
And can I say I am just happy as can be that Woody Allen wasn’t nominated for best anything? He makes my list of most overrated in Hollywood. Penelope Cruz- I don’t get the appeal- but hey- she seemed very happy and her Spanish shout out to her friends, family and fans was sweet.
Adios from Arizona! Back to my regular viewing- Heroes is new tonight along with Chuck and 24!
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