2009 Oscar Awards Review

This year’s presentation is quite sentimental as the Academy paid tribute to colleagues who passed away last year, including actors Heath Ledger and Paul Newman and the much love directors Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, collaborators of critically-acclaimed and Best Picture nominee “The Reader”. Kate Winslet, who took the Best Actress trophy for this movie, dedicated her victory to Minghella and Pollack who were both big losses to the Hollywood film industry. Anthony Minghella who was only 54 when he died last March 2008, was best remembered for his projects in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain, and The English Patient where he won the Best Director trophy in 1997. Sydney Pollack won Best Director in 1985 for the movie “Out of Africa”, he died in May 2008 at the age of 73.

Fast rising British actor, Robert Pattinson, known for his role as Edward Cullen in the smash hit 2008 teen movie Twilight, was a little bit nervous as he presented the Romantic films feature for 2008, backstage it was reported that he was approached by another presenter Natalie Portman, flirting with her smoky eyes, she went straight to Pattinson and told him to just “relax”. He was picked to present the Romance category because of his highly successful outing in Twilight.

The dark horse “Slumdog Millionaire” took home most of the awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle, garnering 8 out of 9 nominations, they almost swept the 9 areas had it not for Best in Sound Editing category which was awarded to “The Dark Knight”. Slumdog Millinaire is the only film in the Best Picture category with no acting nominations. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won 3 out of 13 nominations. The Reader, a post World War II inspired film which earned 5 nominations, took only 1 award-a Best Actress nod for Kate Winslet, who, at 33 is the youngest actress to be nominated 6 times in the Academy.

Other major awardees this year include Penelope Cruz as Best Supporting Actress for ”Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, Sean Penn as Best Actor for his great portrayal as a gay politician in the movie “Milk”. The late Heath Ledger was named Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight, a second time that the Academy gave a posthumous award since 1977; Ledger was represented by his family, offering his Oscar to his only child Mathilda.

The glamorous 3-hour ceremony culminated with the announcing of Best Picture winner by Hollywood film making genius Steven Spielberg. At the post Oscar celebration, winners traditionally posed for souvenirs with World photographers, but this year, one slot in the photo session is vacant, the position that supposed to be occupied by the Best Supporting Actor winner, Heath Ledger, so Sean Penn, hugged tightly his fellow winners Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz. More than 30 years ago the same emotion was felt when Peter Finch won the Best Actor award as a lunatic news anchor in “Network”, he died a month before the actual ceremony.

May the next year Oscar ceremony will be as lively and entertaining as this year, hopefully Hugh Jackman, who made an impressive hosting job, will be chosen again for the 82nd Academy Awards.