Hotly anticipated for potential drama as the White House goes to war on free speech but will it deliver?
As the stars arrived on the red carpet in their usual glitz and glamour the night began in good spirits. The only conflict came from a brief anticipation by Matt Damon that Jimmy Kimmel may well continue their long running comic feud. As the lights dimmed on the 89th Academy Award Ceremony the proceedings were kicked off by Justin Timberlake, with a rousing performing of ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’. Jimmy Kimmel eventually took his place on stage and began the evening’s introduction. While keeping it light, Kimmel passed a quick reference to Donald Trump. “I want to say thank you to President Trump, remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist?” He went on to say: “If every person took a minute to reach out to one person you disagree with and have a positive conversation we can make America great again – it starts with us.” This sentiment set the tone for an evening which was surprisingly and enjoyably free from Trumpism.
The first award of the night was for Best Supporting Actor, taken by a Mahershala Ali who plays Juan in the film Moonlight and is the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. Having just become a father he confessed that he has had a pretty good week. The film Moonlight encapsulates a setting of extreme poverty, creating a very dangerous environment for a young boy who’s struggle with his sexuality challenges his idea of self throughout his life.
Following up came the awards for best Hair and Makeup won for Suicide Squad by Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson. Suicide Squad is known more for its larger than life characters than its actual scripted narrative so perhaps this is not so much of a surprise. Oscar for Best Costumes went to Colleen Atwood from the film Dangerous Beasts and Where to find them. Suicide Squad may also have collected this if not for some legal disputes about the originality of its costumes, stemming from the South African band Die Antwoord who have a very similar style. Next up: Best Documentary went to OJ: Made in America for its five part series looking at the rise and fall of OJ Simpson. It is heralded for its look into broader issues of race relations, politics and a message for all about the desire for fame above all else.
In a more flippant moment Dwayne Johnson is welcomed to the stage sporting an exceptional blue velvet jacket that puts him amongst the best dressed of the evening. Appearing to perform his song from Moana, he quickly reveals this to be a joke and makes way for the one of the true stars of the evening, 16-year-old Auli’i Cravalho who plays Moana. She is also supported by star of the stage show Hamilton, in the form of Lin-Manuel Miranda who sings the intro. Her performance remains faultless throughout, despite appearing to be hit by a dancer’s flag at one point. The sheer joy of the experience and calmness shows a true talent from a very young age.
Best Sound Editing was given to Sylvain Bellemare for her work on Arrival. A film that captured the hearts and imagination of many as it explored the unity of language and time. Best Sound Mixing went to Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace. The film Hacksaw Ridge has been somewhat of a return to form for Mel Gibson and a final acknowledgement of Kevin O’Connell who has received 21 Oscar nominations.
Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Fences
Best Supporting Actress came with a few heavy contenders but finally rested with Viola Davies for the role of Rose in Fences. Giving one of the most emotive acceptance speeches and interviews, there were very few dry eyes in the room. She touched on the support from her family and many of her fellow actors and directors, specifically to help her realise the strength in going through life with love and forgiveness no matter the hardship. Pointing out that the film industry is one of the few professions that truly celebrates what it is to live. Viola proves to be a deeply thoughtful orator, despite clearly battling with her emotions. Her moments on stage and in the following interviews are a MUST WATCH!
The next award was no less impactful. The Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film went to The Salesman. In a statement read out in his absence the Iranian director, Asghar Farhadi, made it clear his absence was out of respect for his fellow Iranians and neighbouring states, that are currently being discriminated against by the American government.
Zootopia was one of the next big names to gather recognition for best Animated Feature Film. As a richly conceived world and collection of characters this should have been an easy choice for the judges. Full of humour that always found its mark, the messages and characters had a lot to say without getting in the way of the simply enjoyable tale. Then in an unprecedented turn of events Jimmy Kimmel broke the schedule to invite a surprised tour bus full of fans into the hall. While many seemed bewildered and dazzled an engaged couple from Chicago were less restrained. The couple exited from the experience married by the powers that be invested in Denzel Washington and richer for the wedding gift of Jennifer Aniston’s sunglasses.
Moving forward again with the awards, The Jungle Book picked up Best Visual Effects. Using incredibly lifelike animals and the correct behavioural practices for some of the animals’ communications. This version of the Jungle Book managed to strike a much more unique and potent note, mostly due to the more adult tone that came with the added realism. Another emotional high of the evening saw the standing ovation for White Helmets, which won Best Documentary Short for its coverage of the brave men and women who have saved over 82,000 civilians during the Syrian conflict. The acceptance speech from Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara asked people to stand with the Syrian people, showing unity in the wish for the conflict to end. It is also worth recognising, that the main subject of the film Khalid Farah, was stopped from attending after his passport was revoked. Introducing the award for Best Original Screenplay by Ben Affleck and ‘guest’ Matt Damon, the playful feud between Kimmel and Damon continued. Manchester by the Sea’s Kenneth Lonergan accepts the award while heaping praise on his leading actor Casey Affleck, who proceeds to receive the Oscar for Best Actor later in the evening.
Ahead of the final big four awards the audience were showed by candy from the heavens. The idea for this kind of stunt was introduced by Ellen Degeneres who had previously ordered pizza for everyone when she hosted a previous year.
Casey Affleck won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Manchester by the Sea
First of the four was the previously mentioned Casey Affleck for his part in Manchester by the Sea. Playing a brother who becomes guardian to his sixteen year old nephew in tragic circumstances. This complex movie touches on almost every emotion in the human spectrum. Affleck gave mention to Denzel Washington who was also nominated, as one of the people instructive in inspiring his work. Oscars flooded in thick and fast for La La Land, adding to their already considerable haul which included: Best Production Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Score and Best Song. Emma Stone took to the stage for Best Actress and Damien Chazelle for Best Director. The movie looked set to clean up with a Best Picture Oscar to boot before the night’s greatest upset and an Oscar ceremony first. After Warren Beatty called the cast of La La Land to the stage for a not unexpected Best Picture Award it became quickly apparent something was amiss. Before long the cast of La La Land were graciously welcoming the members of Moonlight to the stage to rightfully receive the award for themselves.
This insane turn of events brought to a close the 89th Academy Award Ceremony. The night now famous for something other than the simmering undertone of political and moral outrage. Packed with outstanding performances, humour, grace and great variety it certainly cannot be said that the Oscars are getting boring.
Author: Joe, Bath store
Full List of Oscar Winners:
Best sound editing
WINNER: Arrival
Best sound mixing
WINNER: Hacksaw Ridge
Best supporting actress
WINNER: Viola Davis (Fences)
Best foreign language film
WINNER: The Salesman
Best animated short
WINNER: Piper
Best animated feature
WINNER: Zootopia
Best production design
WINNER: La La Land
Best visual effects
WINNER: The Jungle Book
Best film editing
WINNER: Hacksaw Ridge
Best documentary short
WINNER: The White Helmets
Best live-action short
WINNER: Sing
Best cinematography
WINNER: La La Land
Best score
WINNER: La La Land
Best song
WINNER: City of Stars (La La Land)
Best original screenplay
WINNER: Manchester by the Sea
Best adapted screenplay
WINNER: Moonlight
Best director
WINNER: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Best actor
WINNER: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Best actress
WINNER: Emma Stone (La La Land)
Best picture
WINNER: Moonlight / La La land
