Perhaps no one was more excited to have won on Oscar night than retired college professor Mel Masuda of Makiki.
Masuda alone correctly picked the winners in the top six Academy Award categories, earning first prize in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Oscarama contest.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
List of winners at Sunday’s 88th annual Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
» Best Picture: “Spotlight”
» Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”
» Actress: Brie Larson, “Room”
» Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”
» Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl”
» Directing: Alejandro G. Inarritu, “The Revenant”
» Foreign Language Film: “Son of Saul”
» Adapted Screenplay: “The Big Short”
» Original Screenplay: “Spotlight”
» Animated Feature Film: “Inside Out”
» Production Design: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
» Cinematography: “The Revenant”
» Sound Mixing: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
» Sound Editing: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
» Original Score: “The Hateful Eight”
» Original Song: “Writing’s on the Wall” from “Spectre”
» Costume Design: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
» Documentary Feature: “Amy”
» Documentary (short subject): “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness”
» Film Editing: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
» Makeup and Hairstyling: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
» Animated Short Film: “Bear Story”
» Live Action Short Film: “Stutterer”
» Visual Effects: “Ex Machina”
“I’m so surprised; I’m at a loss for words,” he said gleefully when notified Sunday night. “I’d like to thank the (newspaper) for having the contest. It’s a real challenge. I’ve been trying every year since it began, for more than 20 years, and I very much appreciate having finally made it through.”
A total of 626 ballots were submitted, but surprise Oscar winners Mark Rylance (best supporting actor for “Bridge of Spies”) and “Spotlight” (best picture) knocked all but Masuda out of the race. His prize is $200 cash, four Consolidated Theatres movie passes and a $40 gift certificate from Wahoo’s Fish Taco.
Masuda said he is “a bit of a crazy movie aficionado” who saw seven of the eight best-picture nominees; he did not see “Room.” Although he correctly picked the newspaper drama “Spotlight” for the top trophy, Masuda said another best-picture nominee, “Brooklyn,” was his favorite movie of 2015.
“I have to admit I’m just a marshmallow at heart, and ‘Brooklyn’ was a wonderfully sweet romance. I thought it was terrific.
“Every year I got one or two wrong, sometimes three. A lot of times I go with my emotions. I do keep track of the prior awards, though,” he said.
Masuda broke down his strategy for Oscarama 2016: Because “Spotlight” won the ensemble award from the Screen Actors Guild, “I decided to take a chance on the movie” to win at the Academy Awards. Masuda said that although Sylvester Stallone might have been the sentimental favorite to win for supporting actor, the “Rocky” actor did not get a SAG nomination. “He won at the Golden Globes, but that’s only 95 voters,” Masuda said.
Only Rylance and Christian Bale (“The Big Short”) got both SAG and Oscar nominations, he pointed out.
Although he apparently put a lot of thought into his Oscarama choices, like any gracious winner he tried to deflect the glory.
“It was sheer luck,” he said.
Masuda also vowed to retire from the Oscarama contest, saying he wanted to go out on top.
