The 87th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 22 in Los Angeles, California. Neil Patrick Harris, opened the show with a phenomenal performance. Anna Kendrick and Jack Black backed up Harris as he sang on the stage about the great accomplishments in past and present cinema.

The first Oscar, “Best Supporting Actor,” was awarded to J.K. Simmons for his role as Terrence Fletcher in Whiplash. There was no surprise that Simmons won this award due to his sensational performance as a teacher to a young, inspiring musician. As expected, the award for “Best Supporting Actress” was given to Patricia Arquette for her role as the mother in Boyhood.

Out of five bright directors nominated for “Best Director,” Alejandro González Iñárritu received the Oscar for his film Birdman. While the victory might have caught some people off guard, this film direction deserved to win an Academy Award.

Eddie Redmayne won the award for “Best Actor” as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Redmayne received this award because of his inspirational acting as the lead in the heart-wrenching movie. Additionally, Julianne Moore as Dr. Alice Howland in Still Alice was awarded the “Best Actress.” Her acting perfectly portrayed the struggling women in Still Alice, and as a result she was presented the much-earned Academy Award.

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman won the Best Picture of 2014. Many avid moviegoers expected Boyhood to take this Oscar, but the award was given otherwise.

In short, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel were the movies that won the most awards at the 2015 Academy Awards with four awards each. The films this year were some of the best yet as they taught lessons and changed people’s perspectives. The Academy Awards will continue to celebrate success in movie production and entertain viewers for many years into the future.