Oscars results: Cucumber sandwiches and a nice cup of tea

So the results are in. And they are about as exciting as a full plate of cold triangle cucumber sandwiches. In fact The king's speech was about as exciting and competently made as a plate of cucumber sandwiches and a nice cup of tea. In a way, the Oscars are never going to make everybody happy, and given that they are voted by so many members, a consensus is always going to win over a more exciting and dividing film. Which is why I am so much more interested in the result of the Cannes Film Festival, which is voted by no more than 12 juries, and have produced some surprising but never boring results.

It does feel like a step backwards however, after last year's bold and excellent choice of The Hurt Locker, a dark and gritty low budget film that barely anybody had seen. It is hard to see a trend in the Oscars these days. The 80's were the decade of big historical dramas such as Out of Africa, the 90's were the years of Miramax, flirting with indie cinema.   

After my 100% accurate predictions at the BAFTAS, I am pleased however that I correctly predicted 5 out of the 6 major categories at the Oscars. Even with the recent media tidal wave of support for The king's speech, I could never have predicted that David Fincher would not go home with the Oscar for best director. My nan could have done a similar job as Tom Hooper. And as for the argument that direction is not all about flashy angles but also about actors direction, this is just rubbish. There was a trio of well accomplished actors at the top of their game, and I am pretty sure they needed no direction.

As for the acting categories, no one could have denied Colin Firth and Natalie Portman what was rightly theirs. The supporting acting categories were a bit more problematic, rewarding the school of big and shouty acting, as palatable as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

But if there is one good thing to come out of the Oscars this year, it's not the first winner to ever swear on stage (hey, Melissa?), it's that brilliant opening montage with James Franco and Anne Hathaway... Incredibly well done and hilarious...

So we are now done for the awards season, and yet a new cycle starts (and in fact has already started with Sundance in January!), after a few months breaks, it will be the Cannes Film Festival, then Venice and Toronto...