The dust has finally settled on a tumultuous Oscars season. I’m sure that we were expecting the worst from how the Academy seemed to stick its foot in its mouth at nearly every opportunity, but honestly, it was just kind of dull. I’m torn about the lifelessness because yes, we had the shortest Academy Awards ceremony in years that wasn’t bloated or obnoxiously self-congratulatory, but it all felt so scripted and stilted. Forced humor is never enjoyable and the only time I actually enjoyed what I was watching was when the winners gave impassioned speeches filled with nothing but joy. We’ll just have to wait and see how the ratings were to gauge if the Academy will take this approach going forward.
As for the actual awards, I’m actually pretty happy that every movie that got nominated for Best Picture won in at least one category. Green Book, the very problematic look at race relationships in the 60’s, took home Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali, and Best Original Screenplay as a sign that the “old academy” is still going strong within the voting ranks. It was the safest bet to win, though I wish that something with a bit more edge like Roma or The Favourite would have won out. Speaking of, Roma also walked out with three wins for Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Cinematography.
As for which movie took home the most awards, that would be none other than our Golden Cage recipient for Most Overrated Movie, Bohemian Rhapsody. The Freddie Mercury biopic took home Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and for some reason that I will never fully understand, Best Actor for Rami Malek. His performance is just lip-synching along to Freddie Mercury’s vocals! His Oscar clip was just him moving his mouth along to “Bohemian Rhapsody” poorly! By that clip, anyone could have won Best Actor!
In much more uplifting news, Spike Lee finally, and I mean finally, got his first ever Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman. The joy on both his and Samuel L. Jackson’s face as they realized he won was enough to melt anyone’s heart. The man is a legendary filmmaker and it’s just so happy seeing him finally get the recognition he deserves.
Speaking of getting their due recognition, Olivia Colman was able to clinch Best Actress in a too close to call category. For the longest time, it was almost certain that Glenn Close would snag the win and she’d win her first Oscar after seven nominations, and there was even a time Lady Gaga was the front runner for her role in A Star Is Born, but Colman was somehow able to pull off the win. She truly did give a fantastic performance for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite.
Marvel should also be pretty happy with themselves, seeing as how Black Panther also won three Oscars for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score. Each time it won, I kept questioning whether this was actually happening. I mean, we have a superhero movie winning multiple awards at the Oscars of all things. Now Black Panther is officially the most decorated modern superhero movie in the Academy’s history. Just this once, every major nominee won in some form or another, and it honestly feels like the right ending (Except for Green Book – Ed.). The full list of nominees and winners are as follows:
BEST PICTURE
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife
Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
DIRECTOR
Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Adam McKay, Vice
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams, Vice
Marina de Tavira, Roma
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Adam Driver, BlackKKlansman
Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell, Vice
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Capernaum
Cold War
Never Look Away
Roma
Shoplifters
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at the Garden
Period. End of Sentence.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Free Solo
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
RBG
ORIGINAL SONG
“All The Stars” – Black Panther
“I’ll Fight” – RBG
“Shallow” – A Star Is Born
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” – Mary Poppins Returns
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” – The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
BlacKkKlansman
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
First Reformed
Green Book
Roma
The Favourite
Vice
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Black Panther
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
Roma
A Star Is Born
COSTUME DESIGN
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots
SOUND EDITING
A Quiet Place
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
SOUND MIXING
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Animal Behaviour
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin
ORIGINAL SCORE
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story
FILM EDITING
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
Green Book
The Favourite
Vice
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice
