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2014 Oscar Winners Recap

Last night's Oscars was a Hollywood spectacle that drew in many.
Last night’s Oscars was a Hollywood spectacle filled with emotions.

The Oscars took place last night in Hollywood, and boy was it filled with gorgeous dresses, Twitter selfies and heartfelt acceptance speeches. Ellen DeGeneres seemed to be an audience favorite as she hosted The Academy Awards ceremony for the second time, her first time being in 2007. Hollywood’s biggest event brought in millions of viewers, 43 million to be exact, up from last year’s telecast. There was a lot going on during the live ceremony, so here is listed some of the notable winners.

First, Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, took home the most Oscars for the night, with 7 in total.

Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Achievement in Directing: Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron
Original Screenplay: Her, Spike Jonze
Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave, John Ridley
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Best Animated Feature: Frozen

See full list of winners at The Hollywood Reporter.

Categories
Hollywood News Movies/Television

AFI names 10 best movies, TV shows of 2013

'The Good Wife' is one of ten television shows picked for the AFI Award.
‘The Good Wife’ is one of ten television shows picked this year for an AFI Award.

With December quickly coming to an end, The American Film Institute has announced its pick of top 10 films and 10 television shows of 2013. AFI reveals its nominees each year of movies and shows that “best advance the art of the moving image, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form, inspire audiences and artists alike and/or make a mark on American society.” The American Film Institute presents the AFI Awards each year, which are carefully selected by a jury of AFI members, scholars, film and television artists, critics and AFI Trustees.

Below are this year’s top picks (in alphabetical order):

Film
1. American Hustle
2. Captain Phillips
3. Fruitvale Station
4. Gravity
5. Her
6. Inside Llewyn Davis
7. Nebraska
8. Saving Mr. Banks
9. 12 Years a Slave
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

Television
1. The Americans
2. Breaking Bad
3. Game of Thrones
4. The Good Wife
5. House of Cards
6. Mad Men
7. Masters of Sex
8. Orange is the New Black
9. Scandal
10. Veep

AFI aims to appreciate the community of talented storytellers by awarding them this honor. Last year, eight of the overall nine best picture Oscar nominees made AFI’s list.

View full story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Categories
Movies/Television

Two Sides to Every Story at the Toronto Film Festival

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby received renowned acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival.
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby received renowned acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival.

Ned Benson created a film that many have not experienced before. Benson’s The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on Monday, but it captivated audiences not only because of the story line. Benson’s 3-hour-long film plays out two side of the same story, but the interesting part is that it is two entirely different movies. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is composed into two parts, Him and Her. The story is based on a young couple as they fall in love, and one movie is the man’s experience as their relationship falls apart, and the other film is the woman’s personal experience of it all. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby addresses the concept that there are two sides to every story, and this film allows the film-goer to realize how different the story becomes when there are conflicting perceptions and memories.

While the idea is innovative and the attendees of the Toronto Film Festival gave high reviews of the film, the interesting point will be whether distributors will take a risk with such a different film. They are now gambling whether a film-goer will take the time to watch a three hour film, one right after the other based on the same story. It is an intriguing concept that would be a huge risk, which might be worth it because the differences in perceptions of each characters’ memories makes for an enthralling storyline. Only time will tell if the The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her will make it out a winner at the Toronto Film Festival.

James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain play the couple in love in the movie.