The 90th Academy Awards

Hello again, my fellow movie lovers! You know how some people get the post-holiday blues? Well, I get the post-Oscar blues. Every year I look forward to awards season, specifically the Oscars, so naturally I'm sad that it has come to an end for this year! Anyway, I'm going to jump right in to my commentary on this year's Academy Awards!

Before I jump into the nitty gritty, I will say that my overall consensus is that it was a heartfelt and uplifting ceremony, yet the awards themselves were, well, boring.

Jimmy Kimmel hosted for the second year in a row. Clearly his main objective was to ensure the Best Picture-gate of last year didn't repeat itself! I think Kimmel overall did a good job hosting this year's show (personally, I think we should have Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph team up to host next year!). I really enjoyed the opening monologue, paying homage to old Hollywood. His remarks threw some shade at Trump and Weinstein, but weren't overly political. Kimmel also acknowledged last year's debacle in a comedic and tasteful way. He made it clear that new measures were placed to ensure that a mix-up would not repeat itself. I know a lot of people really enjoyed Kimmel's jokes throughout the show- I thought they were fine, nothing out of this world. I think the whole movie-theater-field-trip was slightly unnecessary (if these people were such movie fans, why weren't they watching the Oscars??- that being said I wouldn't say no to a visit from Ansel Elgort). I did enjoy his enticing jet ski prize for the shorted acceptance speech! Another component that I really liked were the montage clips of past winners shown before many of the categories. This definitely added to the length of the show, but it's so important for this show to remind us of the films we love. I really appreciate when the Academy Awards recognize the history of films.

Now onto the awards! My overall opinion is that the winners this year were for the most part exceptionally predictable. I desperately wanted a curveball! All of the acting awards seemed like shoo-ins. Frances McDormand won Best Actress for her performance in "Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri". She's taken the lead at previous award shows and most outlets predicted this win. While yes, I do think McDormand did a fantastic job in this role, I think there were other actresses more deserving of this award. I personally would have loved to see this award handed to Margot Robbie for her performance in "I, Tonya" or to Saoirse Ronan in "Lady Bird". I will say that I really respected McDormand's acceptance speech. She called for all the nominated women to stand up. She reminded us all of the importance of female representation in film. Gary Oldman won Best Actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour". I certainly think Oldman earned this award. He was entirely unrecognizable as Winston Churchill and delivered an extraordinary performance. Again, everyone knew he was going to win. I am glad he did, but I secretly was rooting for Timothee Chalamet in "Call Me By Your Name". It would have been great to see a young actor, such as Chalamet or Ronan, get this sort of recognition for their sheer talent at such young ages. Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress for her role in "I, Tonya". While this may have been predicted by the masses as well, I wouldn't want this award going to anyone else. Janney simply was incredible as the villain in "I, Tonya". She nailed the complicated role of Tonya Harding's psychologically and physically abusive mother. Janney nailed this role. She also nailed her acceptance speech. She started off jokingly claiming to have "done it all by herself". While she admitted that wasn't entirely true, it is irrefutable that Janney deserved this award this year. Finally, we saw Sam Rockwell take home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Again, no surprises here. He's won other awards for this role. I was convinced he'd win this leading up to the show. He was great in his role, but I think all the nominees were fairly equally deserving of this award.

While the acting awards this year were fairly predictable, Best Director and Best Picture were really a mystery. Guillermo del Toro certainly had a fantastic night, as he won Best Director, and his film "The Shape of Water" won Best Picture. There's been a fair amount of backlash about both of these wins. Starting with Best Director, I personally was rooting for Greta Gerwig. Her nomination for directing "Lady Bird" was revolutionary. This was her first time directing a film by herself, and she was only the fifth woman to ever be nominated in this category. I know a lot of people were hoping Jordan Peele would win for his film "Get Out". He also made incredible strides, as he was the only  person to be nominated the same year for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. While he didn't get Best Director, he was the first black man to win Best Original Screenplay. While I am sad that Gerwig didn't win Best Actor, I was happy to see del Toro win. I've always been a fan of his work. His mind functions like no other. He created this magical world in "The Shape of Water". It's hard to believe that a film about a woman who falls in love with a fish won the biggest film award of the year. But the film is so much more than that! It's a historical drama, romance, and fantasy wrapped into one in the most beautiful way. Its biggest competitors for Best Picture were "Get Out" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri". I am personally content with its victory over the competitors. It's just so original and expresses the sheer creativity possible in film. I liked that they brought Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty back to deliver the results of Best Picture. After all, the mix-up last year was not their fault! My final quick note on the actual awards- Dunkirk took home three technical awards, which made me happy! I adore Dunkirk and didn't expect it to win big, so I'm glad it didn't go unnoticed.

Anyway, it was a fairly unremarkable year at the Academy Awards. Regardless,  I had a marvelous time watching all of the nominated films this year. I am continuously amazed by the power of film. The art presented this year was diverse, imaginative, and inspiring. I am excited to see what the next year in film brings. Until next year, it's been a blast taking in the magic of the Academy Awards.