The 97th Academy Awards have come and gone, and with it comes the top of awards season for now. After what could be probably the most controversial construct as much as awards season, courtesy of Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón’s unsavory previous tweets, The Brutalist being caught up in a complicated press storm on using A.I. within the modifying course of, and notable snubs of movies like Challengers, Nosferatu, and Sing Sing. On the finish of the night, the credit began to roll on the Oscars, and it appeared like probably the most enjoyable telecast in fairly a while. Hollywood’s greatest night time ended with a 3.9 earthquake that may effectively have been the aftermath of the optimistic response to Anora profitable Greatest Image and host Conan O’Brien.
Whereas the Oscars actually had its hiccups, together with the awkward second the place the Emilia Pérez songwriting group sang on the finish of their acceptance speech or Adrien Brody’s speech feeling longer than The Brutalist itself, it was among the finest Oscar telecasts in a very long time. From Kieran Culkin’s wonderful acceptance speech to a potent political name to motion by the filmmakers behind No Different Land and an amazing shoutout to the firefighters who stopped the tragic LA wildfires, this was an evening of celebration. It did what the Academy Awards are speculated to do: have a good time and honor the artwork of films.
Conan O’Brien Was One of many Greatest Hosts in Years
Conan O’Brien confirmed the significance that an amazing host can have on the Academy Awards. It was nice to have a bunch who seemingly beloved motion pictures, and even the usual “this film was so lengthy” joke this yr geared toward The Brutalist got here from a spot of celebration. For years, the Oscars had been hosted by legendary comedians, with Bob Hope holding the report with 19 internet hosting gigs, adopted by Billy Crystal with 9.
But for years, the Academy has tried to spice issues as much as blended outcomes, together with the legendary terrible internet hosting gig by James Franco, who introduced down co-host Anne Hathaway, some years after they did no host, or usually counting on protected ABC go-to Jimmy Kimmel. Whereas Kimmel is a comic, his Oscar-hosting gigs felt just like the years after the notorious Janet Jackson Tremendous Bowl halftime present, the place the next musical acts had been protected and non-offensive in order to not court docket controversy. Whereas on the floor, Conan O’Brien would possibly appear to be the protected selection, the legendary comic introduced a little bit of edge to the ceremony.
O’Brien’s comedy had a little bit of chew to it, however not like in previous years when comedians took purpose on the motion pictures, O’Brien punched up at greater powers throughout the business, specifically tech corporations like Netflix and Amazon. “Netflix leads all different studios with a powerful 18; rely them 18… value will increase! And I feel they’ll beat that subsequent yr!” O’Brien joked. Or the humorous bit about Jeff Bezos being delivered to the Oscars in an Amazon field that was thrown outdoors, solely to be stolen. He additionally had a enjoyable snort on the Catholic Church, which was the unfavorable topic of 2015’s Greatest Image winner Highlight, when O’Brien quipped, “If you have not seen Conclave, its logline is a film concerning the Catholic Church… however DON’T fear.”
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But Conan O’Brien additionally addressed a number of the elephants within the room, together with the controversial Karla Sofía Gascón tweet scandal. There isn’t a denying his joke, “We’re about midway by way of our present, which implies that is the purpose of the night time the place Kendrick Lamar comes out on stage and calls Drake a pedophile,” was one of many greatest laughs of the night that introduced down the home. Coupled with a enjoyable bit about Amazon not being in control of James Bond, Conan O’Brein’s jokes had their finger on the heart beat of what was contemporary in folks’s minds.
O’Brien was additionally nice at making self-deprecating jokes. “A Full Unknown. A Actual Ache. Nosferatu. These are just some of the names I used to be known as on the crimson carpet. I feel two are truthful.” O’Brien was not shy to make jokes about himself to assist prop up others, together with Antonio Banderas, who wasn’t even there or nominated for something, saying, “In Babygirl, Antonio Banderas performs a person who would not know give his spouse an orgasm. Banderas described it as probably the most difficult function of his profession… ought to have come to me, man.” He even knew so as to add a small joke throughout his somewhat heartfelt speech concerning the Oscars, which means to interrupt up a number of the rigidity; the joke was geared toward himself. O’Brien knew make himself, or the bigger bosses in Hollywood, the goal of the jokes and have a good time the artwork of the films.
‘Anora’s Greatest Image Win Was Nicely Deserved
Regardless of a whole lot of dread going into the Oscars that Emilia Pérez could be the heavyweight title as a consequence of it getting 13 Academy Award nominations, the night time went a lot in a different way. Anora, the movie from Neon that gained the Cannes Movie Pageant Palme d’Or, took residence not solely Greatest Image but in addition gained 5 of its six Academy Award nominations, with star Mikey Madison even beating projected winner Demi Moore for Greatest Actress. We at MovieWeb ranked Anora as among the finest of the most effective in rating the ten Greatest Image nominees.
Anora‘s win, following Oppenheimer the earlier yr and The whole lot In every single place All At As soon as, continues a development the place it feels just like the Greatest Image award went to the Greatest Image nominee (although we would not have been upset if The Brutalist or Nickel Boys had walked away with the highest prize). Anora beating out Emilia Pérez actually helped the Academy Awards keep away from one other Crash or Inexperienced Guide-level catastrophe, however it additionally speaks to an fascinating development amongst Oscar voters.
Over the previous decade, there has appeared to have been a shift in what a Greatest Image nominee and winner might be. Anora and previous winners like Moonlight, The Form of Water, Parasite, and The whole lot In every single place All At As soon as present an Academy Awards voting physique extra keen to embrace movies outdoors the norm of typical Oscar-bait movies. It seems like even 10 years in the past, the thought of a film like Anora profitable Greatest Image can be absurd, however it isn’t solely the large winner of the 97th Academy Awards however among the finest motion pictures to win Greatest Image up to now 25 years.
A Celebration of Motion pictures on the Academy Awards
Because the wildfires raged by way of Los Angeles in the beginning of January, proper as Oscar voting started, a standard on-line sentiment was that the award present needs to be canceled. Some thought it might be in dangerous style to carry this fancy gala in celebration of one thing so seemingly meaningless when folks had misplaced their houses and had been struggling to rebuild. But Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue highlighted why the Oscars had been vital this yr and their general significance yearly.
He mentioned, “The folks of Los Angeles have clearly been by way of a devastating ordeal, and this must be addressed and needs to be addressed. In moments resembling this, any award present can appear self-indulgent and superfluous. However what I need to do is remind us why all of us collect right here tonight. Sure, we are going to honor many stunning and proficient A-list stars, however the Oscars additionally shine a lightweight on an unimaginable neighborhood of individuals you’ll by no means see.” He continued:
“Craftspeople, artisans, technicians, prospects. I can not title all of them. There are too many. Hardworking women and men behind the digicam who’ve devoted their lives to creating movie. Now, sure, lots of the folks we have a good time tonight aren’t well-known or rich, however they’re dedicated to a craft that may, in moments, convey us all somewhat nearer collectively. For nearly a century, now we have paused each spring to raise and have a good time an artwork type that has the facility, at its highest, to unite us. So sure, even within the face of horrible wildfires and divisive politics, the work, which is what that is about, the work continues. And subsequent yr, and for years to come back, by way of trauma and pleasure, this seemingly absurd ritual goes to be right here.”
This speech will get to the center of what made the Academy Awards value it. Sure, we won’t be mad when a beloved movie will get snubbed on the Oscars, or we would even be unhappy when somebody we root for loses. However it’s laborious to disclaim the impression and energy this award present has and the highlight it shines on each people and the craft of creating motion pictures.
People who many viewers members won’t have recognized, like Depraved costume designer Paul Tazewell being the primary Black man to win that award, or No Different Land‘s Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham acquired their second within the highlight. Audiences tuning in at residence might need been compelled to look at a movie like I am Nonetheless Right here, Circulate, Memoir of a Snail, and even Anora in the event that they hadn’t already.
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Robert Downey Jr.’s loving phrases to all 5 of the Greatest Supporting Actor nominees to the opening montage of movies set in Los Angeles with an enormous “We Love You LA” and even the grand celebration of film theaters as a spot to get pleasure from movies in a bit hyping up the streaming service “CinemaStreams”, it was an evening that confirmed why motion pictures matter. Clearly, there have been some huge flubs, like some explicit names not being talked about within the ‘In Memorium’ phase and even the absurd nature of chopping all of the Greatest Authentic tune performances in an effort to cut back the runtime however then doing huge grand musical numbers from different previous years’ movies, however that is the primary time in a very long time the place the wins of the night time had been extra talked about than the misses.
Seeing movies like Depraved, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Inside Out 2 alongside titles like The Brutalist, The Substance, and Nickel Boys confirmed the huge breadth of what the films have to supply. Regardless of what some might need mentioned about 2024 being an odd yr for motion pictures, the Academy Awards did present it was a superb yr for movie and celebrated it as one.