And the awards go to show that variety really is the spice of life

AND the winner is ... variety. After a year in which cinema offered audiences a bazaar of choices, from history (Lincoln, Argo) to fantasy (Life of Pi, Brave) it was only fair the Oscars spread the love around.

There were still some major losers – chief among them Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.

Pre-release, predictions had them heading for a two-way fight for the spoils. But Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance apart, the reality of Lincoln failed to live up to expectations. President Barack Obama’s favourite film turned out to be a bit of an Obama.

Bigelow’s film, meanwhile, showed there is such a thing as being talked about too much.

After its controversial depiction of torture, the film that told the tale of the hunt for Bin Laden turned into too hot a political property. Having trumped Lincoln at every award ceremony, Ben Affleck’s Argo strolled inevitably to the best picture Oscar.

He might have made best director, too, but the Academy had failed to nominate the helmer of one of 2012’s biggest audience pleasers – a move that is known in the business as doing a Homer. D’oh!

Ang Lee was a deserved winner, though, for Life of Pi. While the industry has huffed and puffed for so long on 3D and failed to deliver, Lee showed what wonders can happen when artistry meets technology.

Of all last year’s movies, Pi is the one that has moved viewers most – younger ones especially. And still on the fantasy front, Brave showed there is money to be made yet from birling tartan and swirling mists.

Last word of the night went to Ang Lee, who thanked the movie god. The celestial beings did indeed have a great 2012 – here’s wishing they can live up to it in 2013.