General Havoc complains about the Oscars in real time AGAIN!

[General Havoc]

Hello again everyone! It's time for me to complain in real time about the Oscars, and all of the travesties that will no doubt ensue. Let's hear it for

General Havoc's Oscar Liveblog!!!

As usual, I will be complaining about who should have won as well as badmouthing the films that do win. Let's have fun.

Best Supporting Actor:
Who should have won: Barkhad Abdi. It was a bumper year for this category, but Abdi was absolutely stellar in a movie I otherwise thought was unremarkable.
Who actually won: Jared Leto. I have no objections here whatsoever. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded basically anyone. Leto was on fire in that film.

Best Costume Design:
Who should have won: American Hustle. The clothes in that movie were among the most absurd things I've ever seen.
Who actually won: The Great Gatsby. Not a surprise I suppose. Anything made by Baz Luhrman is likely to win something like this. And this woman is Baz's wife

Best Hairstyling/Makeup:
Who should have won: Dallas Buyer's Club. This is the only non-embarrassing film on the list.
Who actually won: Dallas Buyer's Club. Apparently the academy agrees.

Best Animated Short:
Who should have won: No idea. I only saw one of these nominees.
Who actually won: Mr. Hublot. I will have more thoughts on the subject once I see the set for this round.

Best Animated Feature:
Who should have won: Frozen. One of the finest animated films in YEARS.
Who actually won: Frozen. Fitting that Disney should return to the mountaintop with this one.

Best Visual Effects:
Who should have won: Gravity. Gravity was a visual wonder, and while the other films were too, I have to give credit where it's due.
Who actually won: Gravity. So far so good. Gravity was incredible to behold.

Best Short Film:
Who should have won: No idea. I have not yet seen these. Check back later.
Who actually won: Helium. I'll keep an eye out.

Best Documentary Short Subject:
Who should have won: No idea. Once more, I have not seen these. Short subjects are something I try to get in before the awards, but they're so early this year...
Who actually won: The Lady in Number 6. I've actually heard of this one. An incredible story concerning music and the Holocaust.

Best Documentary Feature:
Who should have won: Yet again, no idea. I only saw one of these films, and thought it was decent but not amazing.
Who actually won: 20 Feet From Stardom. I'm... surprised. I would have thought a more serious film would take this one, given the options available.

Best Foreign Language Film:
Who should have won: I'm not much help here, am I? I'm afraid these films have also escaped me.
Who actually won: The Great Beauty. Looks fine, but I really have nothing for this one.

Best Sound Mixing:
Who should have won: The Hobbit. A tough call between this one and Gravity, but Peter and company deserve it.
Who actually won: Gravity. I can't complain, given the fidelity with which this film portrayed the thorny issue of sound in space.

Best Sound Editing:
Who should have won: The Hobbit. See above, though I'm sure Gravity will take it anyway.
Who actually won: Gravity. Honestly, I can't tell the difference between these last two categories.

Best Supporting Actress:
Who should have won: Lupita Nyong'o. 12 Years a Slave. Everyone else was excellent, but this first-timer was a revelation.
Who actually won: Lupita Nyong'o. And the Academy gets it right. N'yongo was stunning in this role, an amazing performance for anyone, let alone someone in her first film.

Best Cinematography:
Who should have won: Gravity. Anything involving pointing a camera at things should go straight here.
Who actually won: Gravity. It would appear that I'm not the only one who thought that. But good on Bill Murray for shouting out for Harold Ramis.

Best Editing:
Who should have won: 12 Years' a Slave. I know Gravity will clean this one up, but I thought the editting here was flawless.
Who actually won: Gravity. Yeah... I suppose I see it, but I stand by my pick.

Best Production Design:
Who should have won: The Great Gatsby. Baz Luhrman can be relied upon for this, if nothing else.
Who actually won: The Great Gatsby. Some things are predictable.

Best Original Score:
Who should have won: Gravity. Gravity's score was spectacular, atop everything else.
Who actually won: Gravity. This is beginning to look like a landslide.

Best Original Song:
Who should have won: Let it Go. The showstopper from the best Disney film since the mid-90s is more than deserving.
Who actually won: Let it Go. I approve in the highest degree. Let it Go was one of the best animated songs since the Lion King.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Who should have won: 12 Years a Slave. There is simply no question here. The original book was one of the greatest abolitionist treatises.
Who actually won: 12 Years a Slave. I'm glad to see that the Academy isn't going to let this masterwork be forgotten.

Best Original Screenplay:
Who should have won: Dallas Buyer's Club. The other great script of the year as far as I'm concerned.
Who actually won: Her. What? I thought at least it would be American Hustle. Her's major PROBLEM was its screenplay. Art over substance call here.

Best Director:
Who should have won: Steven McQueen. Cuaron will get it, but McQueen's achievement was flattening.
Who actually won: Alfonso Cuaron. I think that this is pretty much the last word on the subject of Best Picture.

Best Actress:
Who should have won: Meryl Streep. I mean how can it be anyone else? Streep was on FIRE in that film, as she always is.
Who actually won: Kate Blanchett. I didn't see Blue Jasmine, but to be honest, I don't think she could have possibly beaten Meryl.

Best Actor:
Who should have won: Matthew McConaughey. His performance was spectacular, better even than Ejiofor, which is a hell of a thing.
Who actually won: Matthew McConaughey. The Academy gets it right. The final crown of his resurrection, and for a film where he kept his shirt on!

Best Picture:
Who should have won: 12 Years a Slave. To my surprise, it had good company, as Dallas Buyers' was close to beating it. But ultimately, I have to give it to the defining film of Slavery, one which deserves it as much as Schindler's List did.
Who actually won: 12 Years a Slave! My god they got it right! I was certain, after the haul it was amassing, I assumed they were going to give it to Gravity. Well done academy. You finally got it right.

[frigidmagi]

I have to admit I have mixed feelings about the Best Animated Feature award. On one hand, it's nice to have an award for that catagory. On the other hand, it does tend to ghettoize animated features.

[Hotfoot]

Man, don't you know? Cartoons are for kids. They're not sophisticated like other types of film-making.

[General Havoc]

I admit that I have my own concerns on that note, but before that category, there were no animated films being considered for anything.

[Hotfoot]

Editing and Mixing? Fucking hell, if we're going to get that needlessly complex, why not best practical and best CGI effects? That one at least involves something people can understand.

[General Havoc]

Editing and Mixing? Fucking hell, if we're going to get that needlessly complex, why not best practical and best CGI effects? That one at least involves something people can understand.

Hell, I'd approve of that.

[LadyTevar]

FB just exploded because John Travolta just managed Idina Menzel's name.

[Lys]

Just managed? He said Adele Dazim, that's not even a mispronunciation, it's an entirely different name. Widespread mockery is to be expected.

[General Havoc]

Just managed? He said Adele Dazim, that's not even a mispronunciation, it's an entirely different name. Widespread mockery is to be expected.

Pretty sure Tev meant "mangled".

[Lys]

Oh, okay, that makes sense. Yeah the poor name got mangled like it was dropped in a cage with an angry bear.