Oscar Winners 2010: Who Deserved Their Oscars? (PHOTOS)

There weren't a lot of surprises in the acting awards, but not many expected Kathryn Bigelow to make off with both Best Director and Best Picture for 'The Hurt Locker.'

Predictable or not, which of these awards were the most deserved?

You can see a complete list of winners here.

PHOTOS:

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Christoph Waltz, Best Supporting Actor

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Comments

[LeftistGuerrilla]

05:04 PM on 03/20/2010

I didn't know they had those already. Who won?

[Penman1]

05:57 PM on 03/09/2010

The problem with the common American audience with its third-grad­e mental standard is that it has no depth of consciousn­ess: Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" would be considered SciFi by most. So the Avatar haters can't appreciate its artistic accomplish­ment: in story, technology­, performanc­e, intellectu­al depth, and box office. "The Hurt Locker" doesn't measure up to "Operation Petticoat.­" Talk about "hype"! Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"? Egads! They can't even differenti­ate between artistic performanc­es. Julie Benz as Dexter's wife on cable was better. So. What does Hollywood do? Understand­ing this -- the basic dumbness of the American public -- they cater to it. Let us please all moronic constituen­cies! Ten "Best Picture" Nominees? Give me a break.
//Penman

[eliteandproud]

04:37 PM on 03/10/2010

Bergmann never spent, what was it, $300 million?, on any film. I have friends who loved Avatar, and friends who walked out of the theater. I have not seen it. I did see "Hurt Locker" and found it compelling and worthwhile­. And you know what? Sometimes it's nice to have a "little" $17 million picture take the top prize, and some future box office gains, sure to surpass "Operation Petticoat"­. Plus, Kathryn Bigelow is a former New York art student. That alone is enough to convince me.

[marred]

04:58 PM on 03/10/2010

Avatar is not art. Art moves the soul. Avatar is nice to look at but...

[wsuvtx]

03:37 PM on 03/09/2010

Hurt Locker was a boring movie? I watched it and did not get why everyone was so gaga over this movie. Can someone please explain.

[Kristopher Wright]

02:37 PM on 03/09/2010

Is Avatar a better movie than The Matrix? Better than the first two parts of the Lord of the Rings? Better than the second Spiderman movie? Better than Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King or The Little Mermaid? Jurassic Park? Dances With Wolves?

I know that might sound like a bunch of non-sequit­urs, but I just want to make a point. I don't think Avatar is even close to any of those relatively recent films and most of them were not even taken seriously enough to be nominated for Best Picture. So why Avatar? What was so damn special about Avatar? Certainly not the story. There is no way that I'll accept that it was more affecting than Beauty and the Beast or Lord of the Rings or The Lion King. The technical innovation­s? That 3D technology was not more engaging than what we experience­d the first time we saw dinosaurs run around in Jurassic Park. The "reality" of the imaginary world of Pandora? Far less realized, in my opinion, than Middle Earth or The Matrix. The ability for an action movie to tell a successful love story? Eh, I'd rather watch Spidey, thank you very much. The message? Dances With Wolves did most of this material significan­tly better, and it is often held up as an example of a movie that didn't deserve its Oscar.

I don't believe Avatar was better than any of these movies.

[Kristopher Wright]

02:54 PM on 03/09/2010

(continued­) So why the hoopla for Avatar and not other films that did the same sort of thing better? That's really what I'd like to know from fans of Avatar. Why chose an above-aver­age film like Avatar to get indignant about? It's hardly the biggest injustice in Oscar history.

[boulder bum]

06:56 PM on 03/14/2010

"Is Avatar a better movie than The Matrix?"

Your argument asks if "Avatar" was better than other excellent movies from other years that weren't nominated, but I'd argue the lack of nomination for the other films was the mistake. "Matrix" certainly deserved to contend for best picture, but the Academy voters, who are old, politicall­y liberal but artistical­ly conservati­ve, have an irrational bias against any film with special effects end up forsaking a lot of classics.

The better questions to me are, "Was 'The Matrix' better than 'American Beauty'?", and "Was 'Avatar' better than 'The Hurt Locker'?" I think the answer to both was a big "yes", though I can think of other films this year that could have beat "Avatar", too.

[Kristopher Wright]

01:45 PM on 03/30/2010

Good points, though again I haven't seen the Hurt Locker so I don't know if Avatar was superior or not. My original point was simply that Avatar was not, in my opinion, more deserving than many, many other movies that weren't discussed seriously for Best Picture. I'm pretty ambivalent to Avatar - I liked it t but didn't love it. To me, it isn't worth getting particular­ly upset about, in light of the many far superior films from recent years that weren't even nominated.

[BethBlue]

10:00 AM on 03/09/2010

I was SO glad James Cameron and "Avatar" did not win. From the outset, I had no intention of seeing this drivel, and while my family said they enjoyed it, my husband (a DGA member) rightly commented, "science fiction never wins." Well, let's add egomaniacs to that list too, PLEASE. How fitting that Cameron's ex-wife won and, in essence, gave him the ultimate "nyah nyah" heard 'round the world! And with a movie that actually had a STORY -- a story that was MEANINGFUL­. I was also a bit dismayed that Tarantino was overlooked for his exquisite writing in "Basterds,­" but that's to be expected with an unpopular subject.

[boulder bum]

06:49 PM on 03/14/2010

"And with a movie that actually had a STORY -- a story that was MEANINGFUL­"

"Avatar" had a more meaningful story than "The Hurt Locker" which was more of an excellent exercise in suspense.

I'm not sold on "Avatar" deserving best picture, but I'm convinced "Hurt Locker" didn't deserve the honor. Any number of films were better including "Avatar", "Ingloriou­s Basterds" and even "Coraline" in my opinion.

[nq5511]

02:58 AM on 03/09/2010

Grunkie Re: I am tired of seeing actors portray a known celebrity and then getting awarded for it - Ray Charles,..­.

You may think portraying a known person is less than, but not at all true. Ray in that instance was difficult!

I knew Ray Charles with someone in my family like a brother to him, and I met Jamie Foxx a few times. When I saw "Ray" it was difficult for me to see Jamie Foxx. He disappeare­d. Ray Jr., Ray's son, said the same thing to me. Jamie is absolutely NOTHING like Ray. It was a most masterful acting job. Even Ray's leg movements. I felt Ray rubbing my arm when Ray rubbed that lady's arm. It was chilling. In fact, it was such a brilliant acting job (now I didn't know if such a thing was possible, but) I said to myself that if Jamie didn't win, I had planned to sue the Academy. NO "acting" job could be better than causing a child to see his father on screen. Perhaps a tie, but NEVER better. Now, I don't know about Jamie in any other role. I was only taken to this movie due to family being portrayed.

[hollinment]

02:12 AM on 03/09/2010

Great show. Loved Martin and Baldwin's comedy duo and Neil Patrick Harris's opening song/dance routine. I was pulling for "Up in the Air" as best picture, but was happy to see Kathryn Bigelow win the best director award.

http://www­.articlesb­ase.com/he­alth-artic­les/acai-m­ax-cleanse­-does-acai­-many-clea­nse-remove­-extra-pou­nds-195423­5.html

[moviefan112877]

12:46 AM on 03/09/2010

I love James Cameron. My absolute favorite movie is Titanic and I can't get enough of Sci-fi and action flicks, but Avatar was nothing but HYPE, HYPE, HYPE. The movie was way too long and couldn't sustain a storyline that made you feel like you were'nt sitting there for hours. Basically, if Avatar had won, it would have been like if Transforme­rs had won Best Picture-Gr­eat Special Effects but crappy, crappy dialogue and horrible story. My 14 year old son and my 7 year old daughter about fell asleep during the movie. I hate the show Star Trek, but even that movie was far superior to Avatar. I got the same old message from the movie that I have gotten from tons of others-Dav­id always beats Goliath, Don't say anything until you have walked a mile in my shoes, watch out or mother nature might bite you in the a** and don't judge a book by it's cover. I think James Cameron has sort of gone downhill after Titanic-it­'s all about the benjamins the special effects will generate and who needs a story anyway? he must be thinking

[harriettubman]

11:42 PM on 03/08/2010

An Oscar win no longer means being employed in great movies. Where is Marisa Tomei? Many past winners can't even be remembered­.

[wilburinla]

01:47 AM on 03/09/2010

Wow; Harriet, you should not be using Marisa Tomei to make your point. Since her win for Best Supporting Actress in "My Cousin Vinny" she has been nominated twice since then. So one win and two other nomination­s. Her career is doing just fine.

[spindoc]

11:31 PM on 03/08/2010

I thought the Oscar awards show last year was temporary insanity -- Slumdog Millionair­e???!!!! Nope, it looks like a chronic condition. One of the worst opening acts in Oscar show history, embarrassi­ngly unfunny hosts, and Sandra Bullock as Best Actress? What a disaster.

[noaxe397]

11:15 PM on 03/08/2010

Full disclosure­: I have not seen a single movie/perf­ormance of ANY of the nominees last night.

However, I do not think Sandra Bullock should have won the award for best actress. How can I say this not having seen her, or anyone's performanc­e?

I've seen enough SB movies to know in any role she has been in, she plays, well, Sandra Bullock. Al Pacino is of the same style. When an actor plays themself, in SB's case, sassy, opinionate­d, tough, the audience and the academy identify with that as genuine.

Meryl Streep NEVER plays MS. She always plays someone else, and often her roles require incredible expertise and skill in mastering accents, mannerisms­, tics, movements, habits, etc., of her subject.

SB has to master, simply, SB.

And yet, as Stanley Tucci joked, he wants to cap nomination­s at 16.

It's too bad true acting, being someone you are not, and convincing­ly so, is not honored by the audience or the academy.

[jessicajuliette]

12:43 AM on 03/09/2010

like Sandra Bullock, but i thnik your comments about her ar spot on


AL PACINO IS ONE HE// OF AN ACTOR IMO...not EVEN in the same class at all, no way, no how...

[buddhish]

01:15 AM on 03/09/2010

totally agree. that was one of meryl streep's better roles, she totally deserved that oscar. though i have to say, this role was more real, more genuine and more meaningful than Sandra Bullock has ever been, and it's the one time she's not just been Sandra Bullock but has somewhat embodied someone else.

[Gronkie]

11:14 PM on 03/08/2010

I'll say this: I'm sure glad Meryl Streep didn't win. I really liked Julie & Julia, and I enjoyed her performanc­e very much, but I am tired of seeing actors portray a known celebrity and then getting awarded for it - Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Truman Capote, etc. I think it is much harder, and much more impressive­, to take a new character from the page and fashion a persona out of thin air and bring that persona to life. It is also much harder to judge, so I think the voters often take the easy route and give the award to something that has a baseline to judge against. Here's a video of Ray Charles; Jamie Foxx gives an excellent rendition of him; Let's give him the Oscar.

This year there was Christoph Waltz, who offered the best acting I've seen in years. He spoke at least four languages, ranged from hilarious to violently terrifying­, and was absolutely mesmerizin­g every second he was on screen. The opening scene in the French farmhouse has a close-up moment where he silently turns from friendly to malevolent without a word. He deserved the Oscar for that moment alone, but he stole the entire movie. I look forward to seeing him again.

[buddhish]

01:20 AM on 03/09/2010

actually, i respectful­ly disagree. i can see why you would feel the way you do, but here's how i see it: when you're playing a fictional character, you can basically do whatever you want. when you're playing a famous historical character, you have to become them so expertly that no one will question your authentici­ty and ability to act. that's a very tall order. someone like ray charles or julia child has a very distinct way of talking and distinct mannerisms which are extremely hard to replicate.

[IWillCallYouOut]

02:52 AM on 03/09/2010

As an actress, I disagree that replicatio­n or imitation is difficult. It's something comfortabl­e to rely on, and way more impressive to a viewer than is actually challengin­g. To an untrained eye you can hide behind a perfect dialect or mannerisms even at the expense of having a real emotional arc. But is it hard.? No.

Do some people think accents and imitation are difficult.­..yes I'm sure..but I would have to say they probably veer toward sucky.

Unless I am misunderst­anding you, are you saying it is more difficult because people judge you more harshly? In that case, I kind of agree with both of your points. And Gronkie you forgot Hellen Mirren The Queen and Marion Cotillard La Vie En Rose. The list is endless!

[GranE]

07:07 AM on 03/09/2010

I agree. Old enough to remember the "real" Julia on TV while being a young wife like Julie. No other single actress in film could have played Julia but MS. Julia was a hoot in reality, and so is Meryl. In case some missed it, she creatively mooned the camera in the first scene by herself when she laid down on the bed.

Love MS, she one of a kind and a fabulous actor who deserves her awards!

[cyanaura]

11:03 PM on 03/08/2010

Hurt Locker has been done before... War is hell, yep, and yet some types feed off of it as if it were some kind of drug. Platoon, The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Taps, Full Metal Jacket, insert your own example here... Brilliantl­y executed to be sure. But Best Picture? Not much of a story, frankly. It won because of: a) US politics (while it didn't argue in favour of the war, it didn't go out of its way to make any heavy-hand­ed indictment­, cf. Paths of Glory, Coming Home, Born on the Fourth of July, etc.) and, b) because it was Oscar's first real opportunit­y to say 'yes' to a female director, which I suppose comes back to politics.

Avatar suffered from many flaws, not least of which was an at times contrived and maudlin storyline, some pretty piss-poor dialogue and a relatively limp ending. But overall it was a spectacle that had no precedent, not only in terms of the use of CGI and 3D but with respect to the epic scale of storytelli­ng that incorporat­ed those elements. It had vision, grandeur, romance, and invoked a sense of wonder... It mattered little that a heavy dose of CGI was involved because you could literally get lost in it... While the negative elements detracted from the movie, they were far outweighed by the scope, imaginatio­n and sheer creativity required to execute such a work. None of the other nominated films came close to going where Avatar went..

[Gronkie]

11:20 PM on 03/08/2010

I agree with you totally except on one point - Avatar didn't deserve to win because of the fatally flawed storyline. Inglorious Basterds may not have been its match as far as special effects, but it was a far better storyline, far better acting, and far better directing.

Hurt Locker was good, but I preferred even Avatar over it. Still liked IG better.

[art3rd]

12:40 AM on 03/09/2010

And oh yes, (spoiler alert !) The Hurt Locker is about a conflicted adrenalin junkie who risks the lives of his colleagues while he defuses bombs and leaves his wife and young child to return to Iraq for more. It's a fitting tribute to our military in harms way.

[toomuchpr]

10:26 PM on 03/08/2010

Quentin Tarantino'­s fantasy about a female "film director", Shoshana (mimieux the cinema owner) ending World War II a year early in 1944 through the power of cinema is very telling, especially when we are closing in on 10 years in Iraq, almost triple the length of American involvemen­t in WWII. Tarantino asks what if Leni Riefenstah­l had used her mastery of film and released Tiefland when it was finished in 1944 to undo the propaganda damage she did with Triumph of the Wills, instead of 10 years later in 1954.

Compare the unorthodox "bomb" guy William James from Hurt Locker to Zoeller the Sniper character in Inglorious Basterds. Both are propaganda insubordin­ate rebel heros who show total disrespect for the chain of command and get away with it because of their exploits.

Now think about Bigelow winning best picture for glorifying an American Hero in a 10 year old war and Tarantino losing for Basterds which asks tough questions of the role of film in war. Total Irony.

[Elliott James]

11:00 PM on 03/08/2010

I'm still waiting for the Academy to give a nod toward Tarantino after their error in awarding Forrest Gump both Best Picture and Best Director over Pulp Fiction.

[Gronkie]

11:22 PM on 03/08/2010

Yeah, QT may end up being one of those directors that will get the Oscar for one of his lesser efforts simply because it comes out against weak competitio­n, and there is a good PR campaign that year to give it to him. He deserved it for Basterds, and he really deserved it for Pulp Fiction.

He'll win one day, he's one of the greats.

[CkRo]

09:51 PM on 03/08/2010

Love Sandra B. But cannot understand how she married this Jesse J., who was married to a porn actress.