On the third of March, the 97th annual Oscars show premiered live on television, celebrating a year of film with its usual rounds of awards, tributes, and speeches from film workers from all around.
Compared to past years, this show went very well for the most part, despite a few changes. For one, Conan O’Brien was the host for the night, replacing Jimmy Kimmel after his run of hosting for the past two years. Overall, fans seemed to have a good reception to his hosting abilities, with comedic bits such as having Adam Sandler storm out of the building, a musical number joking about padding out the show’s runtime, and even making sly comments on Karla Sofia Gascón’s behavior on social media.
In terms of performances, Ariana Grande opened with a cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from Wizard of Oz, before Cynthia Erivo appeared to perform “Defying Gravity” from the movie “Wicked,” a film that one awards for costume and production design.
There was also a tribute to James Bond, with singers Lisa, Doja Cat, and RAYE performing a medley of the franchise’s different songs over the years.
However, many who watched the Oscars may have been a little baffled by the tribute to actors and actresses who we had lost last year, as the odd musical choice of “Lacrimosa” by Mozart. While trying to be a loving tribute, the song itself made it feels a little more eerie than it should have. Many also pointed out the blatant lack of inclusion of certain important celebrities on the tribute, such as David Lynch, a master director of psychological film.
The awards themselves were overall positive, though, with many heartfelt speeches taking place that night.
“No Other Land,” an international documentary, also won an award for the night. It is about the ongoing Israeli-Palestine conflict, and is an honest look towards the fear and destruction that it has caused. The co-director, Basel Adra, had a heartfelt speech that night, sharing a plea for an end to the current suffering of Palestinians, and sharing his hope that his daughter would not have to fear for any more violence.
Other positively received wins went to “Flow” for the best animated movie, and “I’m Still Here” winning for best international movie, making it the first Brazilian film to win an Oscar in history. “Dune: Part Two” was able to squeeze by with two awards for the night, those being for visual effects and for sound design, both being very deserving awards for the movie. Kieran Culkin won for best supporting actor for his role in “A Real Pain,” making softer jokes towards his wife during the speech.
Zoe Saldana won for best supporting actress for “Emilia Pérez,” taking the time to thank her mother, and to proudly call herself the first Dominican actress to win an Oscar. The film had also won another award for best original song, that being “El Mal.” While the movie itself is surrounded with controversy, the Academy had originally nominated it 14 times, being the most nominated movie of the night, over “Anora” and “The Brutalist.”
“The Brutalist” was another standout nominee that came home with three awards, one of them being for best actor with Adrien Brody, who had a record-breaking five minute long speech that many perceived to be a little more egotistical and self-centered, especially considering he demanded the orchestra to quit playing him off not one, but two times.
“Anora” came out with a pretty large sweep with five awards, including best actress, director, and even best picture, ending the night off successfully.
Overall, this year was very good for the Oscars, with a few odd choices and moments here and there.