If you asked your old college professor what the definition of Pi is, he might say; a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, and is approximately equal to 3.14159; but fortunately that is not what we are here to discuss today. It does not take a math genius to count the number of times Life of Pi was called up to the podium to receive an Oscar. In fact the night belonged to inspiring novelist Yann Martel, as his book turned movie, with a screenplay adaptation from David Magee, was nominated for eleven Oscars and left the event with four. Director Ang Lee, best known for Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and actor in leading role Suraj Sharma stole the spotlight as Life of Pi left with Oscar's for Cinematography, Directing, Music (Original Score), and Visual Effects. The native Taiwanese director pulled off a major upset in beating Steven Spielberg. The fifty-nine year old director is currently working on a production of The Hands of Shang-Chi, a story based on the Marvel Comics hero.
Sweeping into second place, Argo walked away with seven nominations and three Oscar's. Director and producer Ben Affleck showed the nation once again that he has come a long way from the blind Marvel Comics hero in red tights. An actor in over fifty motion clips, and the writer, director, and actor of well-known 2010 flick The Town; Affleck's hard work on his recent project has put Argo among the top-15 highest grossing Best Picture winners. The movie is still pulling in cash in the box office. Along with an Oscar for Best Picture, Ben Affleck's movie walked away with two more Oscars; Film Editing and Writing (adapted screenplay).
With the entire buzz still surrounding Sunday's Oscar date, one has to wonder when the city of Pittsburgh will host the next epic Oscar winning motion picture. Questions like those are best left for Dawn Keezer, the director of the Pittsburgh Film Office. Even Pittsburgh's latest big motion picture, The Dark Knight Rises, was nominated for a whopping zero times and won absolutely nothing. Easily one of the most exciting films of 2012, Christopher Nolan's masterpiece was indeed shown no remorse on February 24, 2013. What does the city of Pittsburgh have to look back on, in referring to Oscar nominations and victories? Two major movies received Oscar nods when they were released Silence of the Lambs and The Deer Hunter. The Deer Hunter won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound; it was nominated for Best Supporting Actresses, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. Silence of the Lambs came away with Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Writing (adapted screenplay); it was nominated for Best Sound Mixing and Best Editing.
Perhaps it is time for this city, and those who hold themselves in high regards in the Pittsburgh Film Office, to egging directors, producers, and writers and continue its legacy of award movie productions.
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