This year’s Academy Awards ceremony was full of surprises, emotions, and laughs. With so many new films and stars, no one knew what to expect. People had their ballots filled out and ready to go in hopes that their favorites would win.
Several aspects of the Oscars were confusing, even shocking, to the world. Normally, there are one or two hosts for a major awards show, but this year there was no host. Luckily, this didn’t prove to be an extreme detriment to the Oscars. The show began with a comedic introduction from Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Maya Rudolph. Later on, presenters Awkwafina and John Mulaney also brought laughter to the crowd. These sprinkles of light-hearted comedy and commentary throughout the show seemed to fill the void of not having a host.
Kaileigh Roby, University freshman, thought the Oscars “flowed much better than in the past” and that “the announcers were great, and [she’d] rather they stay with this model in the future.”
After the opening performance by Queen and Adam Lambert, the first presenters were announced and jumped right into the awards. A few highlights included “Black Panther” for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design as well as “Roma” for Best Cinematography. “Bohemian Rhapsody” won three awards almost back-to-back for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing. Additionally, lead actor Rami Malek won Best Actor for his portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
In the category for Best Documentary Short Subject, the film “Period. End of Sentence” took the award. The win was a surprise to the cast as the film broke boundaries by desensitizing talk about menstruation and starting a positive dialogue surrounding women and their natural bodies. The director, Rayka Zehtabchi, had quite the fitting start to her acceptance speech, saying “I’m not crying because I’m on my period or anything. I can’t believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar!”
About halfway through the show, the performance the world had been holding its breath for began: “Shallow,” nominated for Best Original Song. As international superstar Lady Gaga and award-winning actor Bradley Cooper walked up to the stage together, they brought characters Jackson and Ally Maine to life.
University freshman Emily Dodaro said, “This particular awards season was very interesting, with there not being a clear cut film in the lead. My personal favorite from this season was ‘A Star is Born,’ because I am a huge fan of Bradley Cooper’s work and Lady Gaga’s music and presence in the entertainment industry.” Dodaro continued,“I would have liked to see this movie get more recognition over some of the others, especially [with] Cooper’s impeccable work as director and actor.”
Soon after the captivating performance of the song, the nominees were announced. Gaga took home the win, marking the acceptance of her first Oscar.
Director Spike Lee was also given his first Oscar for “BlacKKKlansman” in the category Best Adapted Screenplay. Actress Regina King won Best Supporting Actress for “If Beale Street Could Talk,” contributing to the diverse array of winners for the night, others being Rami Malek and Mahershala Ali for Best Supporting Actor in “Green Book.”
Finally, the film “Green Book” won the Oscar for Best Picture, resulting in mixed reviews. According to Vulture, “Green Book” was a controversial film due to the misrepresentation of Ali’s character Don Shirley. Some University students think that it did not deserve the title of Best Picture. University junior Richmond Landicho said, “I just thought it was a very average movie. If anything it should have gone to ‘Black Panther’ or ‘A Star is Born.’”
Although not everyone agreed with the winner of Best Picture, many of the other winners seemed to deserve their awards in the eyes of the University students, and the 2019 Oscars can be counted as a success.
