About last night... that was interesting, wasn't it? The show was great, Jimmy Kimmel was a fantastic host, the thing with the tour bus was entertaining as hell, and the best picture mix-up was... unfortunate. The 89th Academy Awards were last night and here are a few highlights of the films that were celebrated this year I enjoyed.
Things I wasn't Happy About
Like many of you, I filled out an Oscars ballot this year to see how well I would do. Heck, I was so confident, I filled out two; one for what I wanted to win and one for what I thought would win. As of the end of the awards show, both of my ballots had the same number of things I predicted correctly. I was good for 6 of the 24 awards given out last night, on both ballots! That's the first thing I'm not happy about.
I'm not thrilled about Casey Affleck for Actor in a Leading Role. Most people I've talked to loved Manchester by the Sea. I didn't. I found it to be one of the most boring, emotionless, slow-paced movies of the year. I know that it's the point of the film, but it didn't work for me. Casey Affleck was perfect in the leading role, playing someone who seems to have not a care in the world for anything at a time when he needs to step up to the plate and do the right thing for his family. Heck, his character lives in a basement of an apartment building and he's a janitor. This is an award that should have gone to someone playing a dynamic role in a film, not a static one. This award is about the power of an actor, and Casey Affleck (while he is absolutely fantastic in Manchester by the Sea) doesn't display the power of an actor who should receive the award. It should have gone to Denzel Washington.
In addition to being one of my favorite actors, Denzel Washington displays a powerful performance in Fences that will be remembered for years to come. This is a powerful role that would challenge any actor to be their very best, and Denzel does it beautifully. He was my choice for the award.
Silence was not nominated enough. Silence was perhaps the most under-represented film at the Oscars that should have been nominated more. Although Andrew Garfield was nominated for Supporting Actor for Hacksaw Ridge, he delivers a more powerful performance in Silence. In both films, he plays a devout Christian who stands by his beliefs even when they are tested most, whether as a conscientious objector in the battle of Okinawa, or as a Jesuit priest sent on a mission to spread the faith throughout Japan. Both films showcase what a dynamic actor Garfield is, but Silence does it better.
I was somewhat surprised about the Film Editing award going to Hacksaw Ridge. Mainly because it was not Arrival that received that award. Editing in film has the power to change people's perception of the film. Editing is an element of cinema that is unique to the art. Time can be played with. And indeed time is played with in Arrival. It is a story that at first seems to be told in a linear fashion, but by the end, we realize it is not. This is the power of editing and Arrival demonstrates how a film's editing can make or break the film. In the case of Arrival, I would argue that it is one of the more powerful elements that made the film.
Things I was Pleased With
Perhaps one of my favorite things about the Academy Awards is that they champion original filmmaking (most of the time). Films like Manchester by the Sea and La La Land are original films, I would argue. Manchester by the Sea is a film about a man who is forced to confront things he'd rather not deal with. While I may not necessarily like the fact that it's an emotionless film, it's realistic in every sense of the word. It makes us question, and wonder how we would deal with things like this if we were put in the situation the main character has been placed in. And yes, La La Land is a throwback to what some would say was the golden age of Hollywood, but it takes the idea of a traditional musical, and turns it on its head. For this, I was pleased that Damien Chazelle won the Best Director award for La La Land, but any of the five directors nominated could have won because they all created remarkable films.
If La La Land were a traditional musical, made in the traditional way, the two lovers would have gotten together in the end and I would have been here slamming it for its lack of originality. But what makes it original (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)? The simple fact that the lovers do not get together in the end. The dream sequence shows what their life could have been if they had gotten together. But they didn't, and that is the realism of this film. It shows that while life can seem like a technicolor film with all the bright colors and happy things at times, it isn't always that way in the end. I was thrilled that La La Land received the award for Production Design, and would have been even more thrilled if it had in fact won Best Picture. I am sure the Academy made the right choice by giving that award to Moonlight, but I won't comment until I've actually seen it. So when I do, there will be an update to this article.
The category I cared about most however, was Best Supporting Actress. I was really hopeful that Viola Davis would win for her role in Fences. She plays a woman who is largely overshadowed by her husband. And yet, Viola Davis makes us remember who she is, and shows us that she should be in the spotlight too. She fits the role beautifully and I am thrilled that she won.
Movies make us laugh, cry, think, and feel a wide range of emotions beyond that. Movies are a way for us to get away from the world for a while and just enjoy what's in front of us. And the movies highlighted by the Academy this year did just that. This year's Oscars were truly remarkable, capping off a year that was mostly pretty average for movies, but had a spectacular finish. All the films that were recognized this year deserve that recognition and should all be seen. They are for the most part, excellent films all worthy of such high praise. It was an entertaining show and had a finish that we will all remember for years to come.
Image Source: The Player's Tribune
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