88th Academy Awards: Winners + Recap Post

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: EX MACHINA

BEST EDITING, COSTUME DESIGN, MAKEUP/HAIRSTYLING, PRODUCTION DESIGN, SOUND EDITING, AND SOUND MIXING: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: THE REVENANT

BEST SONG: WRITING’S ON THE WALL- SPECTRE

BEST SCORE: THE HATEFUL EIGHT

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM: BEAR STORY

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT: STUTTERER

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: A GIRL IN THE RIVER: THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: AMY

BEST FOREIGN FILM: SON OF SAUL

BEST ANIMATED FILM: INSIDE OUT

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: THE BIG SHORT

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: SPOTLIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: ALICIA VIKANDER- THE DANISH GIRL

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: MARK RYLANCE- BRIDGE OF SPIES

BEST ACTRESS: BRIE LARSON- ROOM

BEST ACTOR: LEONARDO DICAPRIO- THE REVENANT

BEST DIRECTOR: ALEJANDRO G. INARRITU- THE REVENANT

BEST PICTURE: SPOTLIGHT

THOUGHTS ON THE SHOW

I’m just going to cut right to the chase: This has been the best Academy Awards ceremony that I’ve seen since I’ve started this blog back in 2012. That’s saying a lot considering the obvious elephant in the room that was the non-diverse list of acting nominees for the second straight year in a row. It was already a controversy last year but this year it became a full-blown scandal with numerous celebrities from Jada Pinkett Smith to Spike Lee boycotting the event. And like I said last week in my ‘Predictions’ post, while I do completely recognize the issue at hand, I do think the boycotting was rather ridiculous and, to quote Whoopi Goldberg, ‘a pain in the butt’. At the end of the day, while the Academy definitely could’ve done a better job at recognizing minority performances, and they have made it clear that they’re going to work to do better next time, it is not all their fault. At the end of the day, they’re just the ones who are picking nominees. This whole diversity issue is not just an Academy thing; it’s also an industry and society thing as well. And that really is a perfect analogy to what this year’s show was about. It was a call for all of us, not just the Academy and the film industry, to do better and not just in regards to combating racial issues. Whether it was Leo’s speech about combating climate change or the Vice President encouraging a call to action against sexual assault, this whole Oscars was a complete takedown of the growing cynicism of our society and if you ask me, that was very much appreciated.

Right from the get go and throughout the entire show, Chris Rock did not hold back when it came to addressing the whole diversity issue and he did it with class. He wasn’t overly harsh or anything; he just pointed out the truth in regards to how minority actors are just looking to get better roles in film and the same opportunities as white actors. At the same time, he also poked fun at some of the more ridiculous elements of the controversy, like the plain old fact that there are quite frankly bigger issues at hand than the nominations that come from a simple awards show. And of course, his entire gig was full of hilarious moments, like when he said “Ah We’re Black” after a commercial break or when he joked that Rocky is like a sci-fi film given how it, and its most recent entry Creed (aka the ‘Black Rocky’ as he puts it), take place “in a world where white athletes are as good as black athletes… There are things in Star Wars that are more believable than things that happen in Rocky”. Obviously Rock’s unfiltered nature of humor is not going to fly well with everyone and I completely understand. I did see some people online say they thought he was “annoying” and there were some articles online that posed the question of whether or not Rock could potentially drive some audiences away with his commentary on the whole diversity issue. But at the end of the day, he did a fantastic job and it helped make an Oscars ceremony that was completely mired in controversy one of the best in recent memory. Because at the end of the day, the Oscars isn’t meant to be all about who wins and who doesn’t. All it is meant to be is a celebration of film and this past year gave us some really excellent films… and let’s just say I was very satisfied to see my #1 favorite film of the Best Picture nominees, Spotlight, take home the top prize this year. So instead of complaining about snubs and upsets, I was just enjoying the excitement and pageantry of it all.

And now, here are my best/worst moments from this year’s event. And to be perfectly frank, this year’s event saw a lot more ‘best’ moments than ‘worse’ ones.

BEST- CHRIS ROCK’S MONOLOGUE

In regards to the opening ‘2015 in film’ montage: “Hey I counted at least 15 black people in that montage.”

WORST- THE ‘THANKS’ TICKERS, TRIVIA POP-UPS, AND PLAY-OFF MUSIC

This year, as a way of ‘streamlining’ acceptance speeches, the Academy had its winners list all of the people they intended on thanking in their speeches and had them displayed on a ticker at the bottom of the screen. I do understand why they did this but ultimately I don’t think it turned out as well as they hoped. From what I hear, those attending the event didn’t see them and quite frankly it was hard for me to see them at times either because I didn’t watch the event on an HDTV. Plus, there were still numerous instances where the winners were being played off by music, in this case by “Ride of the Valkyries” (remember that time the Jaws theme was the play-off music?), right in the middle of their speeches. It wasn’t all bad, though. When ‘Inside Out’ won Best Animated Feature, the ticker let director Pete Docter’s kids know that they could get a dog. And when cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki won his third straight (!) Oscar for The Revenant, he thanked the Beatles and MEXICO! Another new thing this year was the inclusion of anecdotes about the presenters that popped up on-screen from time to time. While I do appreciate things like this, they just ended up being distracting and, as already noted, hard to see due to the limitations of my TV. In short, I don’t really have anything against these two new aspects of the ceremony but I do feel that they need improvement.

BEST- THE ‘BLACK ACTORS IN WHITE ROLES’ FILM MONTAGE

I always love the segments where a montage of scenes from films are played but they add in other celebs to make them humorous and this year’s parodies in particular were really hilarious in which black actors were put into films that have a predominantly white cast. Whoopi Goldberg video-bombed Joy Mangano’s QVC presentation in Joy, SNL’s Leslie Jones took over the role of ‘the bear’ in The Revenant, and Tracy Morgan took over Eddie Redmayne’s role in The Danish Girl while enjoying a good Danish, girl! Though ultimately the funniest of these clips was the parody of The Martian, in which Chris Rock became the stranded astronaut on Mars and yet Jeff Daniels and Kristen Wiig’s characters kept acting like they were ignoring him.     

WORST: THE JACK BLACK/ANGELA BASSETT BIT

One montage that didn’t work, though, was the one involving Angela Bassett and Jack Black. At first it seems like the segment is going to honor Will Smith, who of course didn’t attend due to boycotting after he was snubbed for his performance in Concussion, highlighting his work in films like Enemy of the State and Shark Tale and for being part of ‘an iconic musical duo’. Ultimately, though, Bassett wasn’t referring to Will Smith but his co-star in both of those films, Jack Black. Quite simply, this one just fell flat for me even though I do get the joke.

BEST: THE BEAR FROM THE REVENANT MAKES AN APPEARANCE

I’ve seen some people say this bit was stale but I loved this part of the show, during which a guy in a bear costume, clearly meant to be the bear that attacked Leo in The Revenant, made an appearance in the crowd. This moment was truly memorable once the camera cut to Leo’s reaction. It made me wonder if that bear was going to charge onstage if Leo won… thankfully it didn’t.  

WORST: STACEY DASH’S APPEARANCE

Clueless star Stacey Dash made one of the more controversial statements regarding the Oscar diversity issue back in January by criticizing the ‘Oscars So White’ hashtag, the BET channel, and the idea of a ‘Black History Month’. In other words, this whole diversity issue wasn’t made any better by her quite racist remarks. So it was rather confusing to see her come out on stage introduced by Chris Rock as “the new director of our minority outreach program” and exclaim “Happy Black History Month!” In other words, this was the most awkward moment of the night.

BEST: THE GIRL SCOUTS

A moment that arguably topped the moment during the 86^th Academy Awards when Ellen literally ordered pizza for the audience was when Chris Rock had a bunch of Girl Scouts come out and sell cookies, noting that all of this preparation for the show has basically kept him from helping his two daughters during Girl Scout Cookie season (Oh No!). I know some will argue moments like this are staged but come on, how can anyone not smile at something sweet like this? Plus, that troop of Girl Scouts ended up grossing over $63,000 in sales. Though I must say my favorite part during this bit was when Chris Rock urged Leo to contribute; “Leo you’ve made 30 million this year, come on!”

BEST: TOY STORY CELEBRATES ITS 20^TH ANNIVERARY

There was quite a big smile on my face when Woody and Buzz made a special appearance to honor the 20^th anniversary of ‘Toy Story’, complete with Buzz reminding Woody that “he tried to terminate him” and Woody remarking that if it wasn’t for him he’d still be left thinking he’s an actual Space Ranger. Also, “BUZZ LOOK AN ALIEN!” “WHERE?”

Also, Pixar characters presenting Best Animated Film to a Pixar film? Coincidence? I Think Not!

BEST: DAVE GROHL AND THE ‘IN MEMORIAM’ SEGMENT

No matter what, the ‘In Memoriam’ segment is guaranteed to make you feel sad and this year was no exception, especially considering some of the greats we lost this past year like Alan Rickman, David Bowie, and Leonard Nimoy. And let me tell you, major feels were abound when the video ended with Nimoy as Spock saying “I have been and always shall be your friend.” This tribute was made even more poignant by Dave Grohl’s excellent performance of the Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’.

BEST: LADY GAGA’S PERFORMANCE

Last year’s best musical performance came from John Legend and Common with their powerful song ‘Glory’ from Selma, and this year that honor went to Lady Gaga for her equally powerful melody ‘Til it Happens to You’ from the documentary The Hunting Ground. Not only was her bit introduced perfectly by Vice President Joe Biden, who encouraged us all to take the pledge to combat sexual assault on campus, but the performance was made even more emotional by the appearance of numerous survivors of sexual assault onstage with Gaga. Even though it didn’t win Best Song, there’s no denying that this was one of the best moments of Oscar night. Now on the note of it not winning…

 

WORST: THE INEVITABLE BACKLASH TOWARDS UPSETS

Yes, I’m not talking about anything that actually happened during the show. Instead, I’m referring more to the annoying backlash that came from the internet whenever a big upset happened. The first big upset was when Mark Rylance won over Sylvester Stallone for Best Supporting Actor. Clearly a lot of people wanted Stallone to win and yes, he was my #1 pick as well. But that shouldn’t take away from the fact that Mark Rylance was outstanding in ‘Bridge of Spies’ and very much earned that award. But I have the feeling that the most controversial upset of this year’s Oscars was with Best Song. Even after the aforementioned emotional powerhouse performance that was Lady Gaga’s ‘Til it Happens to You’, the award for Best Song ended up going to Sam Smith’s Bond theme for Spectre, ‘Writing’s on the Wall’. As I’ve made it clear many times already, I am an unapologetic fan of that song despite all of the criticism that it has gotten mostly due to unfair comparisons to Adele’s ‘Skyfall’. And yes, my vote for that category was for ‘Til it Happens to You’. But just because it didn’t win shouldn’t take away from either Lady Gaga’s great performance that night or its powerful message. And even though he didn’t win Best Supporting Actor, clearly Sylvester Stallone is still ‘the people’s champion’. At the end of the day, this is just a simple awards show and just because one song or one performance doesn’t win the big award doesn’t mean they didn’t deserve to get nominated. That trophy is just that… a trophy. So no, ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ winning Best Song is not ‘a travesty’. Calm down, internet!

Geez if this was how bad the internet got in regards to these upsets, imagine how furious the internet would be if Leo didn’t win Best Actor? Thank God he did!

BEST: BASICALLY ANYTHING INVOLVING JACOB TREMBLAY

The young star of ‘Room’ has quite frankly become one of the coolest kids in the industry. First off, he wore ‘Star Wars’ socks to the event… like a boss! And of course when C-3PO, R2-D2, and BB-8 came out on stage at one point, the ‘Star Wars’ fan eagerly got out of his seat to get a better look at them, plus he posted this awesome photo on Instagram of him with the droid trio. Admit it, you’d do the same thing if you were in his situation. And finally, when he and Beasts of No Nation star Abraham Attah came out to present the award for Best Live Action Short, and after Chris Rock came out again to provide them with boxes for them to stand on so that they’d be tall enough to reach the mic, Tremblay thanked him and added “I loved you in Madagascar!” Seriously can Hollywood just put this kid in everything now?

WORST: NO LOVE FOR STAR WARS?

Like I’ve been saying before, I don’t get too worked up over snubs and how certain categories are decided anymore because I feel that it’s pointless to argue over who/what wins and who/what doesn’t. Still, I wish the Academy would’ve given SOMETHING to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Like I said in my Predictions Post, I’m disappointed it didn’t get a Best Picture nomination. I know it wasn’t going to win anyway but this film was a genuine critical and commercial hit so I was hoping that it’d least win one technical award. But ultimately almost all of the main technical awards from Editing to Sound Mixing/Editing went to Mad Max: Fury Road while Ex Machina beat out Fury Road to win Best Visual Effects. For the record… I have nothing against either of those films. In fact, those two films very much deserved those awards. In the end, though, I do wish The Force Awakens could’ve been given at least one award.

BEST: GREAT SPEECHES

As always, the Oscars have been full of great acceptance speeches no matter how many times the play-off music butts in to spoil the moment. A lot of the best speeches this year were, unsurprisingly, the ones that encouraged us all to be better; Leo’s Best Actor speech, Joe Biden’s introduction of Lady Gaga, and the Spotlight crew highlighting the necessity of investigative journalism and the call to action against the sexual abuse that formed the basis of its story just to name a few.

And those are my thoughts on this year’s Academy Awards. In conclusion, it was a terrific outing this year that took the high road when it came to addressing the controversy of the need for a more diverse group of nominees. Until next year’s Oscars, Thanks for following along!

And of course be sure to sound off in the comments below with your thoughts on last night’s show