Oscars 2018 are history. Jimmy Kimmel hosted, the five Best Song nominees performed and pulses were raised with pride as #MeToo and #TimesUp were featured front and center. Oscar Watch 2018 looks back at the night that was in our final column of this award season while expressing our true feelings for how Hollywood did with its biggest night.
Jimmy Kimmel: The host with the most built on last year’s success (where he handled the recent shocking election of Donald Trump with humor and panache) and delivered a tightly kept-together show (yes, even though it was still 3-plus hours) that worked like a finely tuned machine. He said so much with so little. By comparing the actual Oscar statue to the perfect man for Hollywood, circa 2018, we knew in the show’s early moments that Kimmel would handle the flood of sexual harassment and abuse headlines with just the right touch of humor and seriousness that would permeate the entire show.
His taking a handful of nominees and presenters across the street to the TCL Chinese Theater to “thank” moviegoers for allowing all these stars to do what they love was a stroke of genius. Sometimes a bit like that can be a risk. But, it worked and it’s hard to find a soul who didn’t smile profusely at witnessing Kimmel literally take the Oscar show to the people.
Oh, and lest we forget how well he managed to address the controversy of the final moments of last year’s show. You remember? La La Land was called Best Picture, when in fact it was Moonlight. Kimmel peppered his presence throughout the 90th Academy Awards with comedic and timely reminders of last year’s fiasco and how things would be different this year. That came to a hilarious head when he introduced the presenters for 2018’s Best Picture, who in fact were last year’s presenters for the same category — Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Good for them for returning to the virtual scene of the crime to right a wrong and close out the night with pure class.
The Shape of Water Wins Best Picture: Leading up to last night’s final award, the consensus was that the race was between The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri. Some (including The Movie Mensch) believed that the two films could split the vote and find Jordan Peele’s Get Out shocking the world and taking the top prize — much as Moonlight did in 2017.
Was The Shape of Water deserving? Absolutely. Is it a “safe” choice? Absolutely. Could Oscar have done better? Absolutely!
When it comes to looking forward, the Academy has truly failed here. Fifty years from now, it might have made much more of an impact to have the Oscars hail Get Out as their top prize. We’re not exactly sure that anyone will remember too much about The Shape of Water compared to Peele’s tale of race relations in America and how it used a myriad of genres to make an indelible statement about where we are in this country. It is a comedy. It is a horror movie. It is a thriller. It was a mistake not to make it the badge of honor for the Oscars, merely two years removed from the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
Three Billboards was divisive for its portrayal of racist cops getting a conscience and many felt that characters like that didn’t deserve such attention. One can see why the Academy might have stayed away from that title, but one thing is for certain. Adoration for Get Out is universal and it’s hard to believe that it didn’t find its way to the podium to accept Hollywood’s top honor. It would have been historic, timely and one that Oscar voters could have looked back upon years from now with supreme pride. The Shape of Water is a fine film, don’t get us wrong. It was one of our favorites of 2017… it’s just no Get Out.
Acting Awards: Yet again, the thespian awards failed to deliver any surprises. It’s getting to the point where as soon as the nominations are revealed, we can bet the house on who will win and have no fear of losing our abode. Can it be fixed? Perhaps… check out our previous Oscar Watch column for more.
Prime-Time Presenters: With the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement the top headline of the entire awards season, it was hardly a surprise that the Academy chose to have a majority of women serve as presenters over the course of the evening. Now, maybe, they can have equality when it comes to casting, directing, editing… the list is long!
The first highlight was seeing 90-year-old legend Eva Marie Saint come out to present Best Costume and share anecdotes about her experiences with the category, including referring to “Fred” Hitchcock and how she and North by Northwest’s costume designer achieved greatness. I’m sorry, but subject of story aside, that was amazing! I mean, who calls Alfred Hitchcock “Fred!” Dying over here!
But the most emotionally charged moment had to be when Harvey Weinstein accusers Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd and Annabella Sciorra proudly hit the stage and firmly let it be known that voices like theirs can change the world. To call it powerful would be too tame of a descriptor.
Jordan Peele Makes History, Inspires: When the Get Out writer (and director) Peele sauntered up to the Dolby Theatre stage to accept his Best Original Screenplay Oscar, he blazed a trail that was a long time coming. The comic-turned-Oscar winner was the first African American to win in this category and his speech didn’t disappoint.
“I want to dedicate this to all the people who raised my voice and let me make this movie,” Peele stated in his speech. “I thought it was impossible. I thought it wasn’t going to work. I thought no one would ever make this movie. But I kept coming back to it because I knew that if someone let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it.”
Dreamers & A Creative Force of Immigrants: Between presenters Lupita Nyong’o and Kumail Nanjiani sharing their coming to America from other countries tale and the video piece that highlighted how so many arrive in Hollywood from foreign lands — not only dreaming of success in the business, but also being able to blaze a path for others to follow — it was a mesmerizing and highly emotionally charged moment. It certainly bucked our government’s current stand about immigration and wanting to keep foreigners out. “Dreamers, we stand with you” was one explosive statement that was a direct address to the fears of hundreds of thousands of Dreamers whose fate now stands in muddled mystery.
The Elephant in the Room: Sex scandals have dominated the headlines coming out of Tinsel Town since Ronan Farrow’s scathing indictment of Harvey Weinstein shook Hollywood to its core. The issue was dealt with using compassion and a manner of forward thinking that was pitch perfect. Between presenters (see above) that have spoken to the horrors of living through abuse, to Oscar winner Frances McDormand’s using the close of her acceptance speech to salute female nominees, Hollywood should hold its collective head high. McDormand’s spotlighting the female nominees did something else too. It simultaneously saluted the female nominees in the house and also put a picture on how they still have a long way to go on the journey of equality.
There were many female nominees that stood up, and that is to be commended. But, compared to the entirety of those receiving Oscar nods, it was sadly still unbalanced. Hopefully, this is truly the beginning of the end of one era and the ground zero for another, more equal time in this town.
Maya Rudolph and Tiffany Haddish: It wasn’t all seriousness throughout the three-plus-hour show. Bringing the funny of the highest order were presenters Maya Rudolph and Tiffany Haddish. The duo slayed with a combination of improv and scripted brilliance. They had comedic chemistry in droves and that is hardly a surprise. Anyone who witnessed Haddish’s coming out party that is Girl’s Trip knew that she had the juice to slay on the biggest stage in her field. Of course, those of us who have followed Rudolph’s career from The Groundlings, then SNL and then Bridesmaids and beyond know that she too is among the best there is.
How well did those two do? If you listen to the Internet, there is a contingent who would love for Kimmel to take a year off and have these two serve as hosts in 2019. Sounds like a great plan.
Editing Dismay: Dunkirk swept all the editing categories, from Best Editing to Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. Yes, the Christopher Nolan film was the favorite to win. But, as anyone who witnessed Edgar Wright’s masterpiece Baby Driver knows, that film pushed the envelope when it comes to editing as a whole and especially its use of music as momentum pusher, time keeper, plot mover and story enhancer. It’s a crime that Baby Driver got no love from the Academy. But, that’s OK. Those of us who follow this business know that it was a game changer and I’m sure for Wright and his team, that is solid solace.
Montage Mania: Normally, film montages throughout the Oscar broadcast are item number one for needing to be cut to keep the show short(er). But, given that the Academy was celebrating its 90th birthday, it was fitting to have a bevy of highlight reels saluting the majesty of movies. Each one was as incredible as the last and had many (including this guy) repeatedly reaching for the tissues. Well done.
Roger Deakins Delivers: The cinematographer that everyone adores finally got his due by winning Best Cinematography for his work on Blade Runner 2049. Sure, it was a career salute by the Academy. But anyone who saw the Blade Runner sequel knows that it was visual mastery of the highest order. After 14 nominations and no victories, it was a long time coming for the veteran cinematographer and anyone who appreciates the art of cinema could not have been happier that he finally got to take home that golden statue.
Not Going Ape: We are starting to wonder what on earth the Planet of the Apes movies must do to be appreciated by the Academy. All three films in the trilogy scored nominations for Best Visual Effects and never won a single one.
The franchise has done so much for motion capture performance that we thought for sure that it would finally win an Oscar in that category in 2018, practically serving as a salute to the entire series for what they accomplished. Sadly, it didn’t happen. It is a crime. Is there anyone who witnessed those fantastic films that for one minute felt they weren’t watching real apes? It is a stunning piece of work that WETA achieved and one that could not have been a bigger snub.
Disney Wins (Again) & The Best Song Lost: Disney, or Disney-Pixar, has won every single Best Animated Feature award since 2012. This year was no different as the delightful and masterfully moving Coco took home the top prize in that category. There was no other film in the genre that came close to its power and artistry. Sure, it deserved it.
But, we find it hard to swallow that Disney also won for Best Song for Remember Me. Yes, it is the sonic moment in the film that ties the entire story together and is largely responsible for all those tissues being required to make it through to the end of the movie! But, was it a better and more powerful track than The Greatest Showman’s inspirational This Is Me? No, not even close. In fact, we could argue that comparing the two songs is like apples and oranges.
This Is Me is in a category all its own. In this age of rising awareness of inclusion and accepting people for who they are, an opportunity was missed by the Academy as they once again awarded a Disney song from a Disney movie. This Is Me is a cultural and socio-political anthem, whereas Remember Me is a nice bow to tie a film together.