Last night’s Oscars were actually entertaining for nearly the entire 3.5 hours! Who would have bet that would have been the case. From Deadline to Variety, the reviews have been complimentary to say the least, with host Chris Rock nailing the job of moving the show along, delivering a hilarious opening monologue, and dealing with the issues of diversity with humour and class. There’s a chance of him hosting again in the future, although perhaps not next year.
Here are a few of our favourite moments:
Hit – Spotlight wins Best Picture: Spotlight was my pick for best picture, by a mile. The film details a horrific subject, but doesn’t focus on the sordid details. Instead, director Tom McCarthy focuses more on the journalistic integrity of the Boston Globe reporters who revealed the rampant abuse in the Boston Catholic Church. It’s a must see, and deserved its win.
Miss – George Miller loses Best Director: With Mad Max: Fury Road picking up a slew of technical awards last night (three in a row at one point), it was a bit of a letdown that director George Miller didn’t take home his long-deserved Oscar. But at the very least, Miller can be proud that the long-gestating film resonated with audiences and academy members.
Hit – Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins: For many, Leo’s win for Best Actor for The Revenant was a long time coming, and it was definitely deserved. He was a class act with his acceptance speech, and I especially appreciated his shout-out to Martin Scorsese, who has certainly helped Leo raise his game over the past 20 years.
Miss – Sly Stallone misses out on Oscar glory: This one seemed a sure thing – that Sylvester Stallone would win an Oscar for his performance as Rocky Balboa, one of cinema’s greatest characters. However, it turned out to not be his night, as Mark Rylance took home the Best Supporting Actor award.
Hit – Chris Rock’s subtle shout out to George Michael: Probably my favourite joke of the night was, following the relatively newly-bearded Sam Smith’s performance of the ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ from Spectre, Rock said, “‘Father Figure’ is my favourite song”. Hilarious!
Miss – Dave Grohl needs to stay home some time: While the Foo Fighters leader did a perfectly version of The Beatles ‘Blackbird’, it really feels to me as if Grohl just shows up everywhere – award shows, talk shows, you name it. Perhaps the Oscars could have asked Paul McCartney to perform the song? Or just somebody…anybody else!
So that’s what we loved. Now let us know, what did you think of the Oscars? Did you make it through the entire show? Did you favourites win or lose?
