TheRetroCritic

Based on a novel by Yann Martel,  Life Of Pi  was directed by Ang Lee, who won the Best Director Oscar that year. It was a significant commercial and critical hit back in 2012, banking on its impressive 3D visuals and unusual scenario. The plot sees a Canadian journalist (Rafe Spall) meet a man called Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) who has a wild story to tell that might be worth writing about. He describes his childhood and how he wrestled with various faiths throughout, from Christianity to Hinduism. His father eventually decides to leave India with all the animals from his zoo so the family, including a teenaged Pi, sets off on a long boat trip. One night, a storm suddenly sinks the boat and only Pi appears to survive. He sails off on a lifeboat with a couple of animals, one of which, we eventually find out, is a tiger he calls Richard Parker who turns out to be both the biggest liability and the one thing keeping Pi alert and alive. While the first act of the film sets the main theme

So that's the Oscars over and done with and, as ever, here we have a good bunch of winners and losers. Some deserved wins, some predictable, some undeserved... It's a mixed bag. Let's start off with the big ones: BEST PICTURE ARGO Yes, that Ben Affleck movie about a fake sci-fi movie saving a bunch of people from a not very good time. Good film, I enjoyed it, but in no way was it the most memorable film I saw last year. Let alone the best! Would have preferred to see Les Miserables win mostly because of the top performances and the unique, game-changing take it had on movie musicals. Or Django Unchained because... well, it's a good Tarantino flick. Or even Skyfall ! But that's just the 007 fan in me whining. I should be happy the film won Best Song and Best Sound Editing. Also surprised Argo won over Lincoln , which was an equally worthy flick I felt. Still, not the best choice but definitely not the worst. BEST DIRECTOR ANG LEE Gott