First the winners…
Best Feature: “Beginners” and “The Tree of Life” (tie)
Best Documentary: “Better This World”
Best Ensemble Performance: “Beginners” (Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos)
Breakthrough Actor: Felicity Jones (“Like Crazy”)
Audience Award: “Girlfriend,” directed by Justin Lerner
Breakthrough Director: Dee Rees (“Pariah”)
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You: “Scenes of a Crime,” Blue Hadaegh & Grover Babcock, directors and producers
Beginners got a huge boost in winnings feature film (well, tied) and best ensemble performance. The film had an outside shot for Academy recognition considering it was released in the first half of the year. But this jolt from the board (which included Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman) may have put them right back into the discussion. The Tree of Life was always expected to be in contention this year, a beloved film from the critics and smaller boards like this one. An interesting film that came home empty-handed, however, was Alexander Payne’s The Descendants. Originally thought of as an Oscar favorite, the film has slowly lost its momentum after opening in limited cities to less-than-rave reviews. As some Academy reporters put it, “it’s a film people like and respect, but they don’t love it.”
Other things to note — Charlize Theron (Young Adult) and Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) received special recognition during the night, which only continued to put their names out their for their respective acting categories. Theron is almost a shoe-in for a Best Actress nomination and Gary Oldman is fighting for one of the remaining spots for Best Actor (Clooney, Dujardin, Pitt should all be shoe-ins now). Also, Patton Oswalt (Young Adult) was supposedly incredible in his introduction for Theron, and it’s this type of public statements that makes the Academy take notice. Expect a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Oswalt as well.
mrsubjective 