Article by: Cait O’Callaghan

The Academy may have shocked audiences during the 82nd Annual Academy Awards last Sunday, when The Hurt Locker, which cost $11 million, snubbed Avatar, the fourth most expensive film of all time, of all major awards it was nominated for.
The Hurt Locker’s Kathryn Bigelow and Avatar’s James Cameron were both nominated for the Best Director category, which Cameron was expected to win for his box office record-breaking film and his imaginative vision, but Bigelow took home the golden statue and became the first woman in history to win an Oscar for Best Director, which brought Oprah to tears that rivaled the 2008 election night. Cameron and Bigelow, who are also ex-spouses, rooted each other on all throughout award season.

Viewers may have also been shocked when The Hurt Locker, a movie that follows the United States Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal during the Iraq War, took home Best Picture over Avatar and the other eight films it was up against, including Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Pixar’s Up.

Both Bigelow’s and Cameron’s films were nominated for an outstanding nine Oscars. The Hurt Locker took home the most of the night with six, and Avatar only walked away with three. Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds was nominated for eight awards, but in the end only took home one.

Sandra Bullock, Mo’nique, Christophe Waltz and Jeff Bridges all won Academy Awards, Golden Globes and SAG awards for their roles in their respective movies. Pixar’s Up won for Best Animated Film against The Princess and the Frog, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Secret of Kells. UP was also nominated for Best Picture, making it the second animated film to ever be nominated for the award, following Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 1991.

One of the biggest upsets of the night wasn’t an award, but the annual “In Memoriam” montage that paid respects to all the actors and actresses that had died in the past year. Michael Jackson, though having a very limited film career, was in the montage. Actresses Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur were not featured. Both actresses were primarily TV actresses, but both have appeared in many more feature films than Jackson.

A separate tribute also honored the late John Hughes, who created many coming of age films, such as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Pretty in Pink. Matthew Broderick, Anthony Michael Hall, Macaulay Culkin, Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy all presented his tribute, and had nothing but wonderful things to say about the director and friend who changed their lives. The tribute was also the second time a Breakfast Club reunion had failed, with a tried reunion taking place at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, but Estevez and Nelson failed to appear then. Estevez was absent from Sunday’s tribute as well.

Although hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin had some funny jokes here and there, they were about average on the scale of Oscar hosts. In the future, the Academy could also recognize Neil Patrick Harris, who made a surprise appearance at the start of the show, for his hosting abilities, including his hosting of the 2009 Tony Awards and the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards. Harris should be asked to host next year’s Oscars, because he would certainly bring new, young life to the award show.

The Academy Awards ends this year’s terrific awards season, as the red carpet gets rolled up and all the actors and actresses are allowed to relax for just a little bit before the next season starts up.