This Sunday we all indulged in what is now known as the most controversial of the past 88 years of the Academy Awards. The Oscars, or as my best friend calls it “The Movie Super Bowl,” stirred the pot this year in numerous different ways from the very beginning. With the total let down of Amy Adam’s role in Arrival not receiving best actress nods, to the now infamous mistaken envelope that gave La La Land an award for Moonlight in Best Picture, here’s a quick summary of what who won, who we slept on, and what movies you now must see.
Nominations
You might not know it, but there were a lot of upsets on purely the nominations. Notably, missing from the Best Actress category included Amy Adams for her lead role in Arrival, as well as Jessica Chastain for her lead role in Miss Sloane. While these two women put on what could arguably be their best performances to date, they received dust in consolation for their fantastic performances. Additionally Tom Hanks and Pharrell Williams can add a tally to their snub column, as Hanks did not receive recognition for Best Actor in his role as Sully by the movie of the same name, and Pharrell was overlooked for his song in Hidden Figures, for which he received Golden Globe wins in for the same categories.
Movies that join the list of the disrespected include Finding Dory, Deadpool, and Elle. While I could go on an entire separate Odyssey article explaining why the Marvel movies are often very much so overrated, I find that Deadpool did at least deserve some credit, if not for special effects and makeup in Ryan Reynolds’s transformation into character. Finding Dory, the wildly anticipated sequel to the well-known children’s animated film, Finding Nemo, surprisingly received no nominations as well. Elle, a movie that provided Isabelle Huppert with an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Lead Role and even won the Golden Globes for Best Foreign Film, did not receive a nomination in the same category for the Oscars. All in all, nominations for the Oscar’s this year were both controversial and highly competitive.
Winners
While we’ve all undoubtedly heard the some of the highlights of the night, some stars had their successes and achievements under appreciated in the moment. And of course, it did not go without upsets. Most arguably, the biggest upset of the night included the win for Best Makeup design which went to Suicide Squad, over Star Trek. With a primary cast of over 30 aliens of numerous different races, no individual looked the same in Star Trek. Hours and layers of body paint and prosthetics created horns, curved skulls, scales, and extra limbs. Suicide Squad did have makeup and designs, of course, yet the characters did not have similar quality or require nearly as much effort. With one character as the exception, Killer Croc, Suicide Squad showcased messy and disheveled humans that paled in comparison to the dozens of intricate individuals in Star Trek.
On the brighter side, we got to see a long list of people who worked very hard for their awards and truly deserved the appreciation for their effort. Starting off the night was Mahershala Ali, who took home the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Mahershala also happened to be the first Muslim ever to win the Best Actor in a Supporting Role, which holds itself as a huge distinction for both Mahershala and the academy.
Viola Davis continued her successful year by accepting the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role with her film Fences. This role happens to be a role she reprises from in the debut adaptation from her Broadway performance years earlier which won her a Tony award at the time.
Casey Affleck took home Best Actor in a Leading Role, but Brie Larson was who the audience really had their eyes on. Brie announced the award and presumably upset by the personal action of Affleck, chose not to applaud his win as she stood behind him in view of the camera. Casey Affleck was recently accused of sexual assault and while supporting someone who would commit such crude actions is disheartening, the role Casey played in his film Manchester By The Sea was unmatched by any of the other actors in his category.
Emma Stone walked away with Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in La La Land, which ultimately threw a wrench in the final award of the night. Best Picture, which was announced as La La Land, actually went to the film Moonlight. With a surprise twist at the end of that conclusion, the producers of La La Land ultimately gave the awards over to the producers of Moonlight in a touching display of respect and decency. This stunning moment reminded us all that even in a sticky situation, we can rely on human decency and kindness to triumph.
Movies
If you can only say you've seen one movie from this awards season, I would suggest that you choose Moonlight. My top suggests would be, in order: Moonlight, Arrival, Fences, Hidden Figures, and La La Land. While I will be the first to admit that any Oscar nominated movie is worthy of being watched and praised, I will also be the first to admit that there is not enough time in the day. I recommend them all, but my personal favorite and the film I found most impactful was Moonlight by a considerable amount.
