2021 Academy Awards Wrap-Up

Steven Soderbergh, acclaimed director and producer of last night’s show, tweeted with 10 minutes until 10 PM CST that they were running a little long for what he had planned for the show. They then sped through the In Memoriam montage, did what was essentially bar trivia where Glenn Close read a wikipedia page first paragraph and said “DA BUTT”, did Best Picture before the lead acting awards, and were planning on ending the night with an emotional tribute to Chadwich Boseman winning Best Actor. NOT HOW IT WENT DOWN.

Chadwick Boseman was expected to win the Oscar for Best Actor because 1. He is good, and 2. he passed away, sadly much too soon. The narrative about this the entire time since he was nominated was that he would win. I think that is the problem here. Assuming he won means everyone voting assumed he would too. So more people voted for who they thought should win instead of who they thought would win. I want to take nothing away from Boseman and his incredible achievements while on this earth. He was a great actor who did a lot of good and inspired uncounted amounts of children and adults. But, in my opinion, he was not the best actor in that category. Even though it felt like a strange, chaotic, and anticlimactic ending to what was a pretty solid awards ceremony overall. I think it ended in a way we can look back on and say a deserving person won. Hopkins was incredible in The Father, and he did not expect to win, partly because of the narrative of giving it to one specific person. I wish it hadn’t happened that way, and he would’ve been there so it didn’t feel like a dud of a show ending. But, I liked it. I thought it was a pretty good show considering all they had to do. There were problems, poor judgment (and i’m not even talking about what happened inside Union Station, but more of outside by blocking the accessibility entrances to the trains), and odd choices. But, I loved the opening sequence with Regina King walking in like it’s Ocean’s 14, Questlove’s actual DJ’ing the whole night, and that it was over in almost exactly 3 hours.

One complaint I saw is how they didn’t show clips to the movies with each category. Wanting to get people who didn’t see the movies excited about the movies being nominated is a natural desire. People who love movies want others to love them too. Instead, they decided to go with how each nominated artist got started or what they liked. I didn’t mind it and I think they could do both next year. Ultimately, I’m hoping they learned something valuable from this show. Not just that Best Picture should probably be last just in case the thing you assume will happen doesn’t then you got an ass and u and me or something like that. But that you can make things feel different and try new ideas and people will respond and be open to them. Also, that an established filmmaker with an interest in it and a musician with great taste could help it.

the 93rd Academy Awards will be mostly remembered as the night Chadwick Boseman didn’t win best actor and they just said BYE! and ended. I think it should be remembered for the first Asian woman winning Best Director, 2nd woman ever in general. who directed, wrote, and edited a small movie about grief and navigating a world you don’t fit in anymore. The first black woman to win a Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar. Frances McDormand won her 3rd Oscar, now tied for most won all time. Daniel Kaluuya won! One of the best actors of a generation actually was rewarded for his greatness. The first Korean actor won, Yuh-Jung Youn, for best supporting actress. A lot of nice things happened. It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t the best, and it never will be because it’s the Oscars. But, it was fun for a movie obsessed person like me. I hope it doesn’t have to happen that way again, but if they come back with a ceremony that feels smaller and tries new things while still having the Dolby Theater full next year I’ll be happy. But, even if they don’t, I’ll still be happy. It’s just a silly award show. It is just a platform for movies. And I love movies. Movies are good.

Now some talk about the actual winners.

Short winners

Live Action - Two Distant Strangers

This was bad. I love the intention and bringing light to police killing African Americans, but having someone killing them dozens of times over and over like Groundhog Day but in graphic fashion, recreating the death of George Floyd down to his last words, and having one of the deaths lay in a blood puddle shaped like Africa, I felt like a white guy made it. I was only half right. But, things like this typically win. Good for them, but I hope more thoughtful things win in the future.

Documentary - Colette

Not much to say, it was a good doc short. This was one of the most even groups. Bless, Colette.

Animated - If Anything Happens I Love You

A netflix short with manipulation on the brain and does work. School shootings are a problem we just aren’t facing as a country because we value an old ass amendment and the right wing fear mongering more than children’s lives. Really well done, but can’t help but feel some ickyness about this one.

Other winners

Makeup & Hairstyling, and Costume Design - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

I didn’t like this movie, but the effort was clearly there. It was more of a filmmaking issue I had. The performances and work by craftspeople were solid. Happy for the first black women to win Makeup, and the oldest woman to ever win an Oscar on the costume side.

Visual Effects - Tenet

No question here. They created an entire world with some fantastic, mostly practical, effects. Christopher Nolan has some problems, but he knows how to build sets and create action set pieces.

Sound & Film Editing - Sound of Metal

The obvious winner and if you haven’t seen this it is on Amazon Prime. A must see of last year. The Editing award wasn’t certain, but I’m glad it did. Riz Ahmed gives a great performance, and the movie deals with losing your hearing in a way I can’t recall ever seeing. Good movie.

Production Design & Cinematography - Mank

Mank! I didn’t like much about Mank, but they did recreate old Hollywood in a way that was impressive. The look of the movie wasn’t great to me. Too dark, and the shadows didn’t work for me. Making something look like it was made 80 years ago along with the Netflix compression tech making things look too smooth throws me off. The fact this only won Oscars for sets and filming shows you how much it bored people. If this was great they would’ve given this thing 10 awards. I don’t enjoy not liking this movie. I wanted to so bad.

Original Song - Fight for You from Judas and the Black Messiah

The real winner here is Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, but sure, this is fine too. Anything that brings more people to the story of Fred Hampton and that movie is good with me.

Original Score & Animated Feature - Soul

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are staking their claim to be maybe the greatest film composers of the 21st century. Jon Batiste, the Colbert show band leader, quoted Sam Elliott from A Star is Born accidentally and did all the talking as he should. He’s a great musician and person. Soul winning animated feature was a guarantee because Pixar in a monolith, but Wolfwalkers on AppleTV+ is a wonderful 2D animated film worth checking out if you can.

International Feature - Another Round

Thomas Vinterberg memorialized his daughter who passed away in a car accident 4 days into shooting of this film she was going to be in, with a movie about appreciating life. A lot of people would’ve understandably put it on pause and grieved. He channeled that grief into this film as a celebration of her. Watching it you wouldn’t expect that, but it comes across by the end. Watch it on Hulu if you have the chance. Wonderful movie.

Documentary - My Octopus Teacher

I understand liking the Octopus of it all. This movie is only saved by good underwater filmmaking and a good octopus. I personally found the guy at the center to be nearly insufferable and didn’t care for it. Especially when Time, Collective, and The Mole Agent are right there. Worst movie in the category won. That happens sometimes. It’s the only one with an “uplifting” end. But, not for me.

Supporting Actress - Yuh- Jung Youn in Minari

A well deserved win. Not who I would’ve chosen, but worthy nonetheless. And she was so charming and fun when she won. My favorite part of the movie was her for me. First Korean winner ever in an acting category. Hopefully first of many.

Supporting Actor - Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah

A fantastic deserving winner. I liked this movie quite a bit and he is the best part of it. Bringing light to the story of Fred Hampton and the Black Panthers will only do more good. I can see him being a multiple time winner. And I’m guessing it will be lead actor next time. He also thanked his parents for having sex and making him then it cut to his mom watching in London and she was so confused. Great time.

Lead Actor - Anthony Hopkins in The Father

Already discussed this up there, but I just saw The Father this week and was pretty struck by it. One of my favorites of 2020 now. Great movie with a great performance.

Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Picture - Nomadland

Chloe Zhao is a great director, Frances McDormand is a great actress (and incredible award winning speech deliverer if you ask me), and this movie is very good. Easily a top 10 movie of last year for me and a tiny movie overall that deals with a specific and yet universal truth. Rare to have a winner this nice.

Obviously I hope next year we get to see more movies in theaters and have the awards at a normal time in the year like it used to be. If you didn’t see as many movies this year, that makes sense. I would just recommend taking some time and turning all your lights off and closing the curtains as much as you can and put your phone across the room and just watch something in complete concentration. It can be hard to do in our current situation and time. But, it is a gift. Hope you are vaccinated and having as good of a life as you can right now. Think of others, be kind, and be patient. Thank you for reading, or at least skimming. BYE! (hard cut to local news)