2014 Oscars Recap

The 86^th Annual Academy Awards proved to be a thrilling mix of glitz, gravitas and blockbuster.  It was an exciting show, hosted by second time emcee Ellen DeGeneres, who dished out witty jokes while pulling such memorable gags as ordering pizza for the audience, and taking an impromptu star-studded photo with Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence and Julia Roberts.

The big winners were split between the powerful slavery drama 12 Years a Slave, which won Best Picture, and with the innovative sci-fi spectacle Gravity, which won Best Director plus six other technical awards.

Although it only won three Oscars, 12 Years A Slave made the biggest impact.  By winning the top honor, it marked the first time a film made by a black director won Best Picture.  In addition, it won Best Adapted Screenplay for John Ridley’s excellent script of the 150 year old memoir by Solomon Northup.  In one of the most deserving honors, Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o won for Best Supporting Actress in her first ever movie.

12 Years A Slave writer John Ridley

Gravity’s total of seven Oscars led the night, highlighted by Mexican born Alfonso Cuarón winning Best Director – a first for a Latin American filmmaker.  Gravity also scored wins for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

Gravity Director Alfonso Cuaron

The true-life AIDS drama Dallas Buyers Club also won three key victories:  Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor, Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor, and a much deserved Makeup and Hairstyling award.

Matthew McConaughey

Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for "Blue Jasmine."  This is her second Oscar, after winning Best Supporting Actress for portraying Katherine Hepburn in 2004's "The Aviator."  This win also represents another milestone:  five straight decades an actress in a Woody Allen movie has won an Oscar.

Cate Blanchett

The evening's other multiple winners included The Great Gatsby, which won for Best Costumes and Best Production Design.  Also, the Disney movie Frozen won for Best Animated Feature, along with Best Original Song for the hit “Let It Go.”

The Best Foreign Language Film went to Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s Felini-esque comedy The Great Beauty.  This was the first Italian film to win this honor in fifteen years since Life is Beautiful.

The Best Documentary Feature went to 20 Feet from Stardom, the riveting story of the many backup singers who struggle for recognition in popular music.  Singer Darlene Love made a memorable acceptance speech when she broke into song to show that she is more than a supporting role player.

Other highlights for the evening included a touching Wizard of Oz tribute, where Pink sang “Over the Rainbow” – the Oscar winning best song from 75 years ago!

Pink sings "Over the Rainbow"

Once again, the In Memoriam tribute was especially moving.  It’s always sad to remember the recently departed legends which this year included Joan Fontaine, Esther Williams, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.  The tribute was capped off by Better Midler’s stirring rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings.”