The Biggest Movies of the Year

The night everyone was waiting for finally came! The glamorous Oscars, the most prestigious award ceremony in the movie industry, took place last night. Stars from all over the world came to Hollywood's Kodak Theater to hear their names called by the presenters or, if not, to celebrate the wins of their colleagues and to practice their gracious 'loser's smile'.

This year's edition of the Academy Awards ceremony was just as most people predicted it would be, the main reason for this being that it was hardly any different from its British counterpart, the BAFTA Awards. But that doesn't mean that it held no surprises, both in terms of wins and of snubs. Other than that, the gala was no different than in previous years: sparkling, entertaining and exhausting.

At the end of it, the big winners got to go home with the coveted statuettes held firm in their hands, among them also being some that should have gotten one for ever so long (Martin Scorsese, Helen Mirren) and some that would have never dreamed of being honored so soon for their performances onscreen (Jennifer Hudson). It was in this that the 2007 edition of the Oscars differed from last year's: it recognized artists that have been snubbed for too long.

A while ago, Leonardo DiCaprio (who didn't get an award, neither for his 'Blood Diamond' nor for his part in 'The Departed') spoke about the 'Oscar joke' in relation to Martin Scorsese's career. Despite making movies that have in time become milestones in cinema, the director was known for being nominated in more than one category each year, yet winning no award. From this point of view, 2007 is a year that the legendary director will always remember: he scooped the awards for 'Best Picture' and 'Best Director' (both for 'The Departed'), while said movie also got two awards in minor categories ('Best Editing' and 'Best Adapted Screenplay').

Another big winner of the evening was The Lady of today's cinema, as she has been dubbed by critics, the British actress Helen Mirren, who took home the 'Best Actress' award, her biggest distinction in a career that has spanned for almost 42 years. Jennifer Hudson, an 'American Idol' castoff who rose to fame with her part as headstrong Effie in 'Dreamgirls', was also recognized for her supporting role with her very own statuette. Forest Whitaker won 'Best Actor' for his role in 'Last King of Scotland', after facing a bitter competition from Leonardo DiCaprio ('Blood Diamond'), Ryan Gosling ('Half Nelson'), Peter O'Toole ('Venus') and Will Smith ('The Pursuit of Happyness').

Below is the complete list of the Academy Awards winners.

- Best Picture: 'The Departed'
- Best Director: Martin Scorsese, 'The Departed'
- Best Actor: Forest Whitaker, 'Last King of Scotland'
- Best Actress: Helen Mirren, 'The Queen'
- Best Film Editing: Thelma Schoonmaker, 'The Departed'
- Best Song: 'I Need to Wake Up', 'An Inconvenient Truth'
- Best Original Screenplay: 'Little Miss Sunshine'
- Best Original Score: 'Babel'
- Best Documentary: 'An Inconvenient Truth'
- Best Documentary Short: 'The Blood of Yingzhou District'
- Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, 'Dreamgirls'
- Best Foreign-Language Film: 'The Lives of Others'
- Best Visuals Effects: 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2'
- Best Cinematography: 'Pan's Labyrinth'
- Best Costume Design: 'Marie Antoinette'
- Best Adapted Screenplay: 'The Departed'
- Best Animated Feature: 'Happy Feet'
- Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, 'Little Miss Sunshine'
- Best Sound Mixing: 'Dreamgirls'
- Best Sound Editing: 'Letters from Iwo Jima'
- Best Live Action Short: 'West Bank Story'
- Best Animated Short: 'The Danish Poet'
- Best Makeup: 'Pan's Labyrinth'
- Best Art Direction: 'Pan's Labyrinth'