Awards Outlook - The Oscars Return To Form
Photo from CNN
Awards analysis is provided by Sean from @MathTeacherMovies.
First let’s get my personal failings out of the way in terms of my god awful predictions which are the worst they have been in quite a while. Out of the 23 awards given out, I only predicted fifteen correctly. Now while this means that I would have passed in one of my classes this was one of my worst showings of recent years. This had to do with me listening to some experts when I should have stuck to my guns and ignoring others experts that made great points.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards went 4/4 with the Oscars while the BAFTA’s went 0/4 in their awards which feels like a situation that has not happened in quite some time, showing that there is quite the difference from the two awards bodies for at least this year which was far more wide open then we all thought.
Jimmy Kimmel was a fantastic host starting off with a strong opening monologue full of jokes that were both good natured and yet still biting. He honored the films while still making sure to make fun of surrounding situations. There was a great question of whether or not “the slap” from last year would be mentioned and not only did Kimmel mention it, but he rattled off some solid jokes throughout.
He did not do his usual over long bits that would take way too much time, while still being transparent about how the show was going, and yet still throwing in one too many jokes about the length of the show, which was actually not terribly accurate.
Without it seeming rushed, the show did a great job keeping the pace going from start to finish. While it ended up going a little bit over, they still made great strides in the structure to get the ceremony to work fast including presenters giving out some awards two at a time, especially when they were related to each other.
The night began with the supporting awards where Everything Everywhere All at Once gave an early lead winning both awards one of them expected with Ke Huy Quan making everyone cry with a wholesome speech and then the much more surprising Jamie Lee Curtis getting Best Supporting Actress. While most, including myself, feel like this performance does not measure up to the honor, it was still a noble career win and she also gave a grateful speech making for a lovely moment especially shouting out genre films. She also ran one hell of a campaign and while that is not what should be rewarded, she earned the Oscar from that corner.
One very important portion of the broadcast was that clips were used to highlight the performances which is a very important aspect, so you can see what was being nominated and eventually what was being rewarded. In addition, when many technical awards were introduced, the presenters went through a great deal to explain the importance and meaning of the categories especially when Michael B Jordan and Jonathan Majors presented cinematography, which helped spread an appreciation of the art of film, which is exactly the mission of the Oscars.
It was at this time where the majority of the technicals were announced and this was when All Quiet on the Western Front over performed expectedly winning Cinematography and Score while also surprising all while winning Production Design which led to Babylon and Elvis to surprisingly go home empty handed especially with Costume and Makeup being taken from Elvis.
Guillermo del Toro won for his stop motion animated film, Pinnochio, and he made a wonderful plea, advocating for the respect of the animation genre. Navalny won for Best Documentary where the central subject’s wife made a speech that showcased that there are more important things than these awards.
The musical performances ranged from raw and powerful with Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand”, to exuberant and fun with “Naatu Naatu”, to irritatingly boring with “Lift Me Up” and “This is a Life”, and it was a great moment when “Naatu Naatu” won the award.
Makeup and Hairstyling went for a solid surprise in The Whale which once again telegraphed the Best Actor award. Wakanda Forever grabbing Best Costume was another huge and well deserved surprise along with a very touching speech from Ruth E Carter. Top Gun Maverick got their Oscar for Best Sound and while many think it should have gotten more, it being an Academy Award winning movie is notable and a well deserved honor.
The playing off from some of the speeches was a bit rough in several moments where the second winner would attempt to say something and immediately get played off not giving them the chance to say a quick thank you and while it’s understood that things have to keep moving, it felt disrespectful.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse won Best Animated Short and The Elephant Whisperers won for Best Documentary Short and with them being backed by AppleTV+ and Netflix respectively it shows that there is a dominance from streaming services behind the shorts.
Women Talking winning Best Adapted Screenplay was the largest tide shift for All Quiet on the Western Front as it surprisingly and deservedly won above the technical juggernaut. As the night drew to a close, Everything Everywhere All at Once started to win many of the above the line categories which quenched the technical domination of All Quiet on the Western Front bowing to the ultimate domination of Everything Everywhere All at Once which began its momentum with the Best Film Editing win and then sweeping all the way until the top prize with a monumental seven total wins, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Actress.
It was a great idea to have Jessica Chastain presented the Lead Acting Oscars with Halle Berry to help distract from the fact Will Smith would not be there. The comeback narrative was completed for Brendan Fraser which was a well deserved performance and an impactful performance in The Whale which was a heartwarming moment. Meanwhile, Michelle Yeoh pulled off the major upset over Cate Blanchett much to the dismay of some and the joy of others. In a vacuum, Blanchett should win for a technically supreme performance, but it's difficult to ignore how amazing Yeoh’s performance was and how wonderful of a moment it was for her career and for diversity.
In general, everyone felt so grateful to receive their awards from those in the technical categories to those in the above the line categories which made for a very wholesome night. Everything Everywhere All at Once gets the top prize which is important for so many reasons including the diversity of the cast and the originality of the film making for a historic win.
This was a great night and a return to form for the Oscars ceremony with straightforward narrative with several history making moments and record breaking accolades but most importantly reverence for the movies and a tribute to the ones of this year as it catered to those who are a fan of the event instead of caring about finding new viewers.