Kate Winslet, Slumdog Millionaire Rule: Brits Takes Top Awards at 2009 Oscars

It was a fantastic night for the Brits at the Oscars last night as Kate Winslet finally got her hands on a Best Actress Oscar and Slumdog Millionaire dominated, taking 8 Academy Awards including the Best Film gong and Best Director for Danny Boyle.

The usual glitz and glamor that has long been associated with the Academy Awards was somewhat damped down given the global economic crisis but that usual magic of the most famous night in the film calendar year was still present as the industry walked the red carpet. Marisa Tomai, Kate Winslet, Angelina Jolie and Penelope Cruz stole the show with breathtaking dresses whilst Mickey Rourke put his own personal and unique spin on glamor in a white suit!

However, when Tinseltown finally sat down in the auditorium Slumdog Millionaire dominated. The story of an Indian boy winning a famous quiz show has been incredibly popular since its release and had apparently also made an impression on the Academy. The film earned a well deserved 8 Oscars, and none was more deserved than the Best Director award that was given to Danny Boyle. With years in the film industry and several amazing films to his name, it was high time that the Brit got the recognition he deserved.

Kate Winslet was also a huge winner at the Oscars. The actress finally got the Best Actress award that she has long deserved for The Reader. With 5 previous nominations under her belt and no wins until last night, Winslet would have been forgiven for believing that she would miss out again, especially when she was against tough competition from the brilliant Meryl Streep. However, it was Winslet's night.

The one surprise of the night came in the Best Actor category because Mickey Rourke's amazing performance in The Wrestler was not apparently good enough to top Sean Penn's performance in Milk. I was surprised by this because I though Rourke really deserved the accolade.

Finally, an Oscars special mention is fully deserved in the Best Supporting Actor category. Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for his performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Ledger was undoubtedly a major talent and was taken too soon. His performance in The Dark Knight blew audiences everywhere away. It was just a shame that he could not be there to pick up the award.

All in all, the Oscars 2009 was a fantastic night. It showcased just how much talent and creativity is still within the industry today and long may it continue!

Here is the full list of Oscar 2009 winners:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Frost/Nixon; Milk; The Reader

Best Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: Stephen Daldry - The Reader; David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon; Gus Van Sant - Milk

Best Actor: Sean Penn - Milk
Nominees: Richard Jenkins - The Visitor; Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon; Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader
Nominees: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married; Angelina Jolie - Changeling; Melissa Leo - Frozen River; Meryl Streep - Doubt

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Nominees: Josh Brolin - Milk; Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder; Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt; Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Nominees: Amy Adams - Doubt; Viola Davis - Doubt; Taraji P Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Best Original Screenplay: Milk
Nominated: Happy-Go-Lucky; Wall-E; In Bruges; Frozen River

Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Doubt; Frost/Nixon; The Reader

Best Animated Feature Film: Wall-E
Nominees: Bolt; Kung Fu Panda

Best Animated Short Film: La Maison en Petits Cubes
Nominees: Lavatory - Lovestory; Oktapodi; Presto; This Way Up

Best Foreign Language Film: Departures - Japan
Nominees: Revanche - Austria; The Class - France; The Baader Meinhof Complex - Germany; Waltz With Bashir - Israel

Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire
Nominees: The Betrayal; Encounters at the End of the World; The Garden; Trouble The Water

Best Documentary Short Subject: Smile Pinki
Nominees: The Conscience of Nhem En; The Final Inch; The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominated: Changeling; The Dark Knight; The Duchess; Revolutionary Road

Costume Design: The Duchess
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Australia; Milk; Revolutionary Road

Make-up: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominees: The Dark Knight; Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Changeling; The Dark Knight; The Reader

Best Live Action Short Film: Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Nominees: Auf der Strecke (On The Line); Manon on the Asphalt; New Boy; The Pig

Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nominees: The Dark Knight; Iron Man

Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Nominees: Iron Man; Wanted; Slumdog Millionaire; Wall-E

Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; The Dark Knight; Wanted; Wall-E

Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; The Dark Knight; Frost/Nixon; Milk

Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Defiance; Milk; Slumdog Millionaire; Wall-E

Best Original Song: Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire
Nominees: Down To Earth - Wall-E; O Saya - Slumdog Millionaire

Sources:

BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/oscars/7842438.stm