Luna Reviews the 85th Academy Awards

Back when it was first announced that legendary Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane would host this year's Academy Awards, opinions were most likely set. MacFarlane's comedic works, including American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, have been up among the most controversial to date, dividing attitudes of the public into 'amused' and 'disgusted.' It seems his hosting efforts at the Oscars were received with similar sentiments. Admirers of his work appreciative of his sense of humour were tremendously entertained, myself included, but many found his sequences and song-and-dance acts 'sophomoric' and 'misogynistic.'

Indeed, MacFarlane put on one hell of a show, and regardless of your views on his material, he has to be given an A for effort. An incredibly talented performer, he took to the stage singing, dancing, and performing his own compositions, and was joined by some very surprising guests, having dedicated the night to Music in Film. Among some of the most stunning set design in Oscar history, many musical numbers took place. Some made up MacFarlane's variety show opening of 17 minutes, which featured Daniel Radcliffe tap-dancing while singing 'High Hopes' and Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum in an exquisite ballroom dance. Others were dotted throughout the show, most notably Dame Shirley Bassey's revival of the classic Bond theme 'Goldfinger,' and British favourite Adele performing 'Skyfall,' which later won Best Original Song. A stunning surprise was the ravishing Catherine Zeta-Jones once again donning the black bob and fishnet tights, and giving a rendition of 'All That Jazz' as Velma Kelly, the role that won her Best Supporting Actress in 2003 for 'Chicago.' Her beautiful looks and smouldering voice have not withered in 10 years, and the only shame of this performance was its quick change into Jennifer Hudson's, leaving no opportunity for audience appreciation. A highly-anticipated ensemble from the cast of Les Miserables completed the musical interlude, receiving a standing ovation, and seeing Anne Hathaway bag Best Supporting Actress.

Although much media attention has been drawn to MacFarlane's performance as a host, claiming he made the show more about the host than the awards, his participation on-screen was fairly minimal in the three-hour ceremony. His opening act was his lengthiest appearance, after which a colourful array of movie Gods awarded, and were awarded, Oscars. This year was a special year, with several highlights.

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis - Earning a record third Best Actor Academy Award, the previous being for 'My Left Foot' (1989) and 'There Will Be Blood' (2007), Daniel Day-Lewis was honoured for his portrayal of  the mighty Abraham Lincoln in Spielberg's biopic 'Lincoln.'

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence - Tripping over her huge gown on her way to collect her trophy, Lawrence beat out nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis, the youngest actress ever nominated in the category, for Best Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, which carried seven other nominations.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz- The charming Christoph Waltz rightfully won his second Oscar for his portrayal of Dr King Schultz, a wickedly witty and hilarious bounty hunter, in Quentin Tarantino's Academy Award Winning Original Screenplay, 'Django Unchained.'

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway- For the sensational Les Miserables, Hathaway gracefully accepted her Oscar after singing live with the cast in an earlier musical number from the show.

Ben Affleck's 'Argo' was the movie of the night, proclaimed Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing of 2013. The Best Picture was presented by the legendary Jack Nicholson and a surprise on-screen appearance by First Lady Michelle Obama, who expressed great enthusiasm for the arts, and emphasized their importance on the world, and on the younger generation.

My personal favourite of the year, Life of Pi, earned 11 nominations this year, and went on to win four: Ang Lee was named Best Director, Mychael Danna won Best Original Score, and the movies stunning visuals were reflected in the wins for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Young star Suraj Sharma was present, and was thanked by Ang Lee during his acceptance speech.

A tie in Best Sound Editing was between 'Skyfall' and 'Zero Dark Thirty,' with Best Sound Mixing going to 'Les Miserables,' which also unexpectedly beat out 'Hitchcock' in Best Makeup and Hairstyling. 

It was also a triumphant year for World Cinema, with Michael Haneke's shattering French-Austrian film Amour winning Best Foreign Language, and was the first film in 12 years to be nominated for Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film. 

George Clooney humbly presented this year's In Memorium, which gently faded into a surprisingly appropriate performance from Barbra Streisand, who sang 'The Way We Were,' in dedication to the song's composer Marvin Hamlisch.

Overall, it was a phenominal year for the film industry, and an incredible night at the Dolby Theater, star-studded and solid gold, with some already classic moments in Oscar history.