The most important night of the year according to movies has occurred! Last year, I got to go to an Oscars party, and I really enjoyed being able to talk to people about all the movies that I had seen over the course of the year, and how I felt about them, because obviously, this is something I care a lot about. Sadly this year, I was invited, but I got sick a couple of days before, so I was unable to attend, and I spent most of the Oscars laying on the floor in my living room in great discomfort wanting to go to bed, but I stuck with it, and watched the whole thing, and although it is incredibly long, it was worth watching it.
So let us do this in chronological order. I will not touch on everything, but mainly the aspects that stuck out to me, so the best place to start is the red carpet. I have never really watched the red carpet before, but I really just wanted the show to start, so I put it on early and started watching. I was shocked at how awkward so many of these interactions were with the actors and the interviewees, specifically the one with Hugh Grant that just made me cringe. I feel like both sides of these interactions should be more practiced in this, and that the interactions should feel more natural, but no, it was all very stiff.
Next comes best supporting actress and actor. Ke Huy Quan won from Everything Everywhere All at Once. He initially came to fame form being a young kid in The Goonies and an Indian Jones film, but that was just about it for a long time. He had basically been pigeonholed as that kid, and he struggled to find work, so to hear his story well before the awards, it was clear that he was very happy just to have the part, let alone be nominated for the Oscar. Even on the red carpet when he was interviewed, it was clear to see that he was just so giddy to be there, that when he won his pure excitement was amazing to see. His speech literally brought tears to my eyes. He overcame so much, and he deserved a grand celebration.
Then Jamie Lee Curtis won for female in a supporting role, which I had heard was likely to happen, and when she came up and gave her speech, she talked about how she was not up there all alone, and she started to say all of the people that she felt like were standing up there receiving the award with her. She finished by saying she felt like everyone who supported her genre films, were standing up there with her, and I was like hey that is me! Halloween is one of my favorite movies, and every time there is a new Halloween Jamie Lee Curtis movie, I am all in even if other people say it is bad. As odd as it sounds, it gave me goosebumps, and these were by far the most moving speeches of the night, but the Daniels had some good speeches as well.
As much as I loved both of these people and their speeches, I still do not think that they should have won, personally, I think the supporting roles from Banshees were so much better. Others argue that Angela Basset should have won for supporting actress. Either way, it felt like Jamie Lee Curtis played a prominent role in the beginning of the film, but then she falls off, and her performance is good, but for its short appearance, it did not blow me away enough to be award worthy.
On a shorter note, Naatu Naatu winning for best original song was awesome. It came from RRR, which is a totally epic movie. The performance during the Oscars was great, but it really should be seen in the context of the movie, because the production value is so much better. The whole movie is totally insane, and set the pieces are great. They deserved this! Also Fire of Love losing best documentary was incredibly disappointing. I did not see the winning documentary, but I know what I like, so I cannot see me finding the winning the one better than Fire of Love.
Brandon Frasier won for best actor for his performance in The Whale, a movie I did not like at all, and I did not even think his performance was the best in the movie. Sadie Sink was by far the best part of The Whale. So to see Brandon Frasier win this award also made no sense to me. Again, he is a great guy, and in recent years, he has had a tough acting journey, but this just does not compute. I did not like Elvis either, but it was clear that Austin Butler was giving a stellar performance, and that he was totally committed to the bit. Personally I would have given the Oscar to Collin Farrell for his performance in Banshees, but apparently this was not in the cards. It was known to be a two man race.
Then for best actress, Michelle Yeoh won, and she continued the dominance of Everything Everywhere All at Once. She gives a good performance, and at times it is an emotional showing, and like her movie husband, she gave a nice speech, but Cate Blanchet not winning this is a crime, and Tar in general not winning any Oscars is surprising. Tar was one of the best films of the year, and it is largely due to Cate Blanchet carrying the movie on her back. Michelle Yeoh did help in carrying her movie, but not nearly to the level of Blanchet. Also, Mia Goth should have been nominated for this category for her role in Peral.
Like the show does, I will finish with best picture, which went to Everything Everywhere All at Once. This seemed like a forgone conclusion for a while now. They had won many awards at the other award shows, and they were hugely favored to win. So I was not surprised by the announcement. It is great to see such a weird and out there movie being rewarded on the highest of stages. Of the nominees for best picture, I feel like EEAAO would have fallen into the middle of the pack. There were four films that I felt were much better than it: Banshees, Fablemans, Tar, and All Quiet on the Western Front. Last night I even went back and gave EEAAO a second watch, because I heard it was one of those movies that you have to watch multiple times to really appreciate, and I do think that I enjoyed it more the second time watching than the first, but it did not change my opinion. I still appreciate how weird and how big a swing this is, but it still is not best picture great to me. The family elements in this are so strong, and when they are really trying to share the message it works, but it is so distracted by itself, that it makes it hard to fully get the impact of the message. The beginning and the end of the movie, when they are focusing in on the family elements in the normal world really works for me, but it felt like every time they were starting to pull that emotion out, they would flip to something ridiculous, and it would pull me away from the emotion.
Despite disagreeing with many of the winners, I still had a great time watching the Oscars, and they finally had an uptick in viewers. It is much like the Superbowl. The team you are rooting for might not win, or they might not even be playing in the game (like The Northman not being nominated for any Oscars), but it is still a spectacle, and it is enjoyable to watch. Two main films dominated the awards, and those were All Quiet and EEAAO, and these were both great films, but to me they were not the best, but the great thing about the movies is that everyone is going to have their own opinion, and it is all debatable.
One last note, I went and saw Scream VI over the weekend, and it was so much fun. The showtime that worked best for me was in the 4DX theater, which I have had two experiences in before and hated, but this experience was so much better. When there was a slashing, they would spray the big waterdrops, so it was like being sprayed with blood after a killing which was kind of gross, but also kind of awesome, and to have the seats slowly lean in as a character was slowly walking to a corner to peer around was a great added element. Jenna Ortega is great, and Scream continues to poke fun at horror while making good horror. Definitely recommend seeing it! It had a great opening weekend number at the box office. 3.5 Stars
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