Oscar Analysis

Can we all just agree to remember this feeling this time next year, when Green Book II: Tony Lip’s Revenge wins best picture? Because at least this one time, the Academy rose to the moment and gave their biggest prize to the right film – Parasite. Yes, I think both The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood were better films (only slightly) – but Parasite was undeniably the right choice to win their biggest prize. It was aided greatly by the undeniably fact that Bong Joon Ho is an absolute delight – a funny, charming man, who was clearly having the time of his life, and was able to give not one, not two but three absolutely great speeches – all different, but generous, funny and charming. It was the great night on that front.

 

As for my predictions, well, Parasite kind of screwed me there. I am kicking myself a little bit, because all season long I thought Bong was going to win Best Director, but I bought in to the 1917 hype and momentum. I was never going to pick it to win Best Picture – my thoughts on that is the same I have when looking at the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres making the playoffs – I’ll believe it when I see it. I’ve seen it now, and I love it. I missed a lot this year – Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Original Song and Live Action Short. Perhaps I should pay slightly more attention next year.

 

As for the non-Parasite winners, it’s hard to get too upset about any of them. No, I don’t think Taika Waititi should have won Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit over Greta Gerwig or Steven Zallian – but Waititi is an immensely talented guy, a charming and funny one, and he gave a great speech. I have no doubt that at some point in his career, he’ll make something he should win an Oscar for, and not, so you just have to suck it up. I would have preferred a different Best Actress winner – but Zellweger has pretty much been in the lead since the film debuted at the fall festivals, so I have a hard time still being mad about something we knew was happening for months (and for a performance that I do think is quite good). As for Joaquin Phoenix, I’ll just pretend he won for The Master or You Were Never Really Here. The below the line categories were mostly fine – it’s nice that Little Women won something, although perhaps it’s a little condescending to only give it a prize for it’s pretty dresses. I would have liked more love for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood other than just Production Design there – and anything for The Irishman – but we kind of saw that coming. I am constantly disappointed by what the Academy sees as great editing – not because Ford V. Ferrari doesn’t have great editing, but because something like The Irishman (or, for that matter, Little Women – where the editing is key to the structure, which is key to the whole movie, never seemingly wins. Sound going to the vroom vroom of Ford V. Ferrari and the boom boom of 1917 was expected, and fine, I suppose – although I’m disappointed that 1917 picked up the Visual Effects Oscars – some of the CGI there wasn’t quite up to snuff (and yes, I would have said the same thing about The Irishman) – and I miss the days where even bad movies with great Visual Effects could win here – which is why Alita: Battle Angel should have won, and didn’t even get nominated. I was fine with Joker’s score winning – it’s the one element of that movie I wholeheartedly adore. Elton John winning for song was fine, although Into the Unknown was better – and as the show proved, most of the songs they nominated this year were not good (after each one my wife kept saying that it wasn’t as good as the one from Wild Rose – and she’s not wrong).

 

For the non-Bong speeches, most were fine. If you showed the four acting winners speeches to someone who has been in a coma since 1985, they would immediately be able to tell you that Brad Pit is far and away the biggest star of the four – his speech was funny and charming, and showed why he’s a star. Laura Dern’s was also wonderful – and heartfelt, and it was great to see Diane Ladd crying in the audience (where was Bruce?) Phoenix and Zellweger, well, they kind of rambled didn’t they – but not in a way that felt like they were making it up on the spot, but a planned, practiced rambling – and they were both strange, and yet, both somehow fitting of their personalities (in general, I’d say Zellweger’s was slightly better – except Phoenix had the emotional moment of mentioning River in the end, that was his best moment). The speeches for two of the three shorts – the makers of Hair Love and Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone (When You’re a Girl) – were also terrific – as was Julia Reichert’s speech when American Factory won Best Documentary. As for my favorite Bong speech – no contest – his Best Director speech, where he saluted Martin Scorsese (leading to another standing ovation) and Quentin Tarantino, and kind of ended by saying that Sam Mendes and Todd Phillips were also there.

 

The show itself was, mostly, fine. I liked Janelle Monae’s opening number – a mixture of old school Oscar opening numbers, with the modern touch only Monae can bring – although I was very confused by just who they choose to highlight with the dancers (if you want to acknowledge the films that didn’t get nominated – Midsommar, Us, Queen & Slim, Dolemite is My Name – great – but then why have a bunch of dancing Jokers?). Steve Martin and Chris Rock then came out for an opening monologue of a sort – and were mostly fine, making the type of jokes you fully expect here. I did like the fact that because there was no host, that the presenters seemed to be given longer to banter – which led to a killer Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig section, and an almost as good Will Ferrell and Julia Louis Dreyfuss section as well. The introductions to introductions were, weird, and probably not necessary. The biggest WTF moment was when we all realize that Eminem was performing Lose Yourself for some reason. I know, he didn’t get to perform the song back in 2003 when it won – and wasn’t there to pick up the award either – but if you really wanted to celebrate it, when not wait until the 20^th Anniversary? It also served to highlight that yes, sometimes, they can actually nominate good songs – just not this year.

 

In the end though, I think Parasite may have saved the night. When you don’t have a host, your winners are what people will be talking about – and had we had a parade of 1917 winners up on stage, we wouldn’t have gotten as much joy (quick, try and remember what the Visual Effects or Sound Mixers who won for 1917 said – you can’t can you, although Deakins was a delight).

 

So that’s it for another Oscar year. I like the shorter season – and mostly – I liked the show, and can accept even the winners I didn’t like, because they went with Parasite where it counted.