This year’s Oscars elicited much controversy beginning at the crack of dawn on January 15th when the nominations were announced. Two qualified female directors, Angelina Jolie and Ava DeVernay, were both not nominated for Best Director. David Oyelowo (say that last name five times fast) was passed over for Best Actor though his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. received much critical acclaim. Despite host Neil Patrick Harris’s quick jab at this absence of black and female nominees early on in a opening monologue, the star-studded spectacle of gowns and tuxedos went off without a hitch.
Here are some of the wins, losses, surprises and more from this year’s Academy Awards.
Red Hot- Dressed Up Stars
Though there were many well dressed celebrities at this year’s awards, two of the best dresses matched the carpet. Dakota Johnson and Rosamund Pike both stopped traffic in their high fashion red stunners; Johnson wore Saint Laurent, and Pike donned Givenchy Haute Couture. Though the starlets didn’t come home with prizes (Pike was actually nominated for Best Actress for her role of Amy Dunne in Gone Girl), they won accolades for their brilliant stylistic choices.
Double Tied- Birdman and Grand Budapest
Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and The Grand Budapest Hotel tied for the most Oscar wins at four. Birdman, however, won in more prominent categories including the prestigious honors of Best Picture and Best Director for Alejandro González Iñárritu. They were also tied for nominations coming into the day with nine each. These two movies combined raked in a third of the wins. Not a bad haul.
Biggest Snubs- Boyhood and American Sniper
Boyhood, the Richard Linklater masterpiece filmed over the course of twelve years, came into the season as a heavy favorite, with the Golden Globe win for Best Picture. As the night progressed, however, award after award passed without victory. Fortunately, the brilliant Patricia Arquette redeemed the movie with her win for Best Supporting Actress and her rousing speech on women’s equality. Meanwhile, American Sniper, the Clint Eastwood biopic about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, was controversial, critically well regarded and monetarily successful, raking in 337.1 million dollars in theaters, more than both The Hunger Games: Mockingjay– Part 1 and Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes, a Clint Eastwood movie beat a YA fiction book turned movie and a superhero blockbuster. Sadly, this triple threat did not pull through on Oscar night as the film only took in one Oscar for Sound Editing.
The One from Left Field- Lady Gaga
Towards the end of the night, as Neil Patrick Harris was slowly spiraling beyond repair, the Oscars rolled out a tribute to everyone’s favorite childhood classic, The Sound of Music. The tribute singer, however, shocked most watchers- Lady Gaga. Usually thought of for her avant-garde costume choices, her talent was on full display as she delivered a beautiful tribute, complete with a slight British accent ala Julie Andrews, who came out and gave her a large hug at the end.
Who Are They?- Selma
When it came to the category of Best Original Song, everyone was surprised when they named John Stephens & Lonnie Lynn as the winners. Those names are quite unfamiliar. After a split second, however, the camera panned to the musical artists colloquially known as John Legend and Common, who won for their incredible duet in the song, Glory. Their performance a few minutes prior had brought the audience to tears and rounded out an incredible night.