The ceremony was actually able to happen. I have plenty of critiques. It was too long, the order of the last three awards was mind-boggling, especially when there was no guarantee of who was going to win Best Actor. It made for a crash and burn, or maybe just an anti-climatic finish. But I liked the Union Station concept, I liked the fact that we finally got to have an in-person awards show after the lackluster Globes, SAG, and BAFTA. So while not every decision made by the producers landed, at least they were able to make it work. I missed the big crowds, and the astonishing production design, and the thunderous standing ovations as much as everyone did, and I cannot wait to have that return. But in the meantime, I will take a slimmed down ceremony versus another Zoom awards show any day of the week.
Until the last gut-punch, the awards went mostly as planned. BAFTA, despite its juried system for nominations, ended up being spot on in terms of winners, with the exception of Cinematography (where the guild split). Most of the winners we either knew were going to happen or were possibilities. Frances McDormand was my third place for Best Actress, but we knew that the category was a toss-up, and if anyone is going to win three Best Actress trophies, it better be someone with the acting caliber of Frances McDormand. Then the gut-punch. I know that Anthony Hopkins is a legend. I know he was brilliant in The Father. I know that there is reasonable merit that says in a normal year that he deserved the award for his performance. Despite all of that, I really don't care. Chadwick Boseman is gone. This was the only chance for voters to reward someone not only for a fantastic role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, but for a career that was extraordinary, even in a short time. The producers clearly thought that it was going to happen, moving the award to the end so that Boseman's widow could have the final moment. Up until that point, the Oscars felt like after years of struggle, that they were moving in a more inclusive direction. A female solo screenwriter won the Oscar for the first time since 2007. The first black female makeup artists and hairstylists won an Oscar. The first woman of color won Best Director. A female-led film won Best Picture for the first time since 2004. A variety of films from Nomadland to Mank to Minari to Promising Young Woman, to Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, to Judas and the Black Messiah, and yes to The Father showed a voting body willing to spread the love to a variety of films that represent a variety of viewpoints and come from a diverse group of artists in terms of age, race, gender, etc. The last two awards, while going to two of my favorite actors of all time, and two that are considered the best, felt like a relic from a previous era. A reminder that certain categories have taller glass ceilings than others. Again, gut-punch is the perfect description for how I am feeling. I hate that is how it ended, because up until that point, I was pretty satisfied with the winners. Yuh-jung Youn was marevlous, and wins from Daniel Kaluuya, Chloe Zhao, Eric Messerschmidt, Ann Roth, Emerald Fennell, and Soul were all fantastically deserved. We have to remember that it is a contest, sometimes the right people win, sometimes someone else's right person wins instead.
The Oscars are never going to be perfect. This year, in particular, we know the ratings are going to be bad because none of the films were massive blockbusters. There were not massive blockbusters this year, the decks were stacked against them before they even had a chance. The ceremony is always going to have faults, there are winners that you are not going to like, and yes, some of the artists are going to be political. Yes some of them might say things you don't agree with, some of them may celebrate something you don't like. All of this is to say, that people will always find reasons to hate on the Oscars. Some of its deserved, most of it is not. You know there was a moment during the pre-ceremony where there was a clip using the hashtag #thebigscreenisback. It celebrated the return of theaters, it celebrated the economic impact that theaters have on local communities, and it celebrated the magic of being a dark room with collective strangers sharing a unifying and unique experience. There is nothing to replace going to the movies, and that's why we have to keep fighting for the theatrical experience. This was the message of this clip, which lasted only a couple of minutes, but is still lingering with me today. It highlights two things I think people don't get about the Oscars. First, it is not just about the films, it is about an industry that produces billions of dollars in economic output every year. It also creates jobs. The same people complaining about politics are also the same ones that probably like when there is ample employment to stimulate the economy. The second thing I think they miss is that whether your favorite film or performance gets nominated or wins, at the end of the day the Oscars celebrate film. They celebrate that shared community experience, they celebrate that magic of exploring a different world in the dark house of cinema complexes. COVID-19 has reminded us that there is no substitute for human companionship, for community, for human connection, for those shared experiences. The Oscars reminded us, good or bad, love them or hate them, of the power of film, and the power that it has to bind us together and help us find that common humanity that we have so missed during this turbulent year.
Thank you all, again, for tuning into The Awards Psychic. You, the readers, make it worth while.
Year 12 begins soon, and I cannot wait to take this journey again with all of you. To quote Bob from Best Picture winner Nomadland, "One of the things I love most about this life is that there's no final goodbye. You know, I've met hundreds of people out here and I don't ever say a final goodbye. I always just say, I'll see you down the road."
See you guys soon.
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