So it turns out that Conan O'Brien is exactly what the Oscars needed. The ratings will still probably not be where ABC or The Academy wants them to be, added to the fact that Hulu having issues on the streaming side, but the reviews for his hosting gig were almost universal praise. He was funny, stayed out of too many controversies, and was not afraid to embrace ridiculous (but never too ridiculous). He says he will never come back, and I hope that is not the case. Of course there were some parts that could have been cut (did we need another Bond tribute?), and it still was too long (thank God it now starts an hour earlier, I'm getting too old). But that is the Oscars. If you are expecting perfection, if you think that every bit is going to work all the time, you are always going to be disappointed. This was one of the better ceremonies, and for that we can all be grateful.
Anora winning Best Picture might have had a lot of viewers confused (I have had so many people say the dreaded - "I've never heard of that"), but I think it was a great choice, especially in this year that felt muted in terms of award worthy projects (to be fair, it is hard to top last year's lineup of ten). It's a Cinderella story that saw a May Cannes premiere ride all the way to March, a new talented actress get her star moment, and a hardworking veteran director finally get his due on a grand stage. It also was a great moment to celebrate truly independent filmmaking on a large scale, hopefully encouraging some of the viewers to give more of these films a chance. Plus the film was fantastic, and not the most conventional winner. That is good news for the Academy that has worked hard to diversity its membership, including with younger voters. I hated that Demi did not win, as many of you know, I am a sucker for rewarding the overdue. But I loved Mikey in the role, and she earned the gold. In some of the other categories there were upsets like Flow beating The Wild Robot. This is yet another signal that the membership changes are making an impact on the outcome of the vote. In so many others, it was more predictable than we assumed it would be, and interesting dichotomy. Overall though, there were no egregious winners (the El Mal win for Emilia Perez was the really only cringe one, but that had more to do with the speech than the song), some great projects got some recognition, and other than Adrien Brody's never-ending speech, most folks were pithy and respectful.
Sixteen years ago I was a college student, who started this little blog to get my thoughts out about the Oscars. It was not the most coherent blog, small in size with a limited audience. It's still a little blog, my thoughts are still incoherent, and my audience is still pretty small. But for the now almost two decades, it has been a great place for me to post award winners and talk about who I think will win. A special thank you to those who do tune in, I appreciate each and every one of you for indulging me all these years. I don't always get it right. This year, I went 17/23. Not my worst year, and I was 17/20 if you take out those shorts, where I really missed the mark. I'm not as concerned about getting it right or wrong, what I care about this that I still enjoy it. Sometimes life gets in the way, sometimes, if you are not feeling the season, it can be a slog. But it is inevitable that by the time the music starts playing on Oscar Night, all of that melts away, and you get sucked back into the grandeur of all it. Then there is that sadness knowing that you have to wait another year to experience it again. The way some people feel about their favorite festival or sporting event, that's how I feel about The Oscars. It is my Final Four, or national championship, or Super Bowl. This past summer, I visited a friend in LA, and I got to walk into the Dolby Theater, visit the Academy Museum, and absorb so much film and Oscar history. It was wonderful, and reminded me so much of why, despite popular belief by some, the Oscars still matter. There is so much going on in our world. There is a lot of fear, economic strife, war, and political issues that feel overwhelming at times. That is why we need to continue to celebrate the things in our lives that entertain us, give us an escape and more important, give us hope. Movies, especially the theatrical experience, are a great way to escape, and they, like all great art, can have a unique way of leveling the playing field and uniting us. Right now, we could all use more of that. I think Conan, as he ended his opening monologue, said it best: "Now, for almost a century, we have paused every spring to elevate and celebrate an art form that has the power at its very best to unite us. So, yes, even in the face of terrible wildfires and divisive politics, the work, which is what this is about, the work continues. And next year and for years to come, through trauma and joy, this seemingly absurd ritual is going to be here...the magic, the madness, the grandeur, and the joy of film worldwide is going to be with us forever." Amen.
See you next time around for Year 17.
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