The Highs, Lows, and Whoas of the 2025 Oscars

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Tonight’s Oscars aimed for a classic, glamorous, and fun comeback after a turbulent award season. With Conan O’Brien hosting, the show embraced the extravagance it usually shied away from during Jimmy Kimmel’s more sarcastic reign. O’Brien showed genuine excitement for the nominated films and a playful affection for silly antics, such as frequent jokes involving John Lithgow, a bow-tie-wearing sand worm, and an extended musical number about not wasting time. However, beneath the laughter, O’Brien took his role of promoting the industry seriously, highlighting the effects of Los Angeles wildfires, championing underappreciated craftspeople, and advocating for the importance of going to a movie theater. Political commentary was largely absent, with only a few exceptions – except for the scandal surrounding “Emilia Pérez,” which was mostly overlooked, with its star Karla Sofía Gascón present but silent. The ceremony was overflowing with enthusiasm, running long and chaotic, filled with unexpected wins, a dominant performance by “Anora,” and attendees eager to gloss over awkwardness and celebrate instead.

The opening of the 97th Academy Awards had a theme reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz/Wicked, using the phrase “there’s no place like home.” To establish this connection, visuals from The Wizard of Oz, such as Dorothy’s ruby slippers, and audio clips of Judy Garland saying the iconic line, were used. Ariana Grande started off by singing “Over the Rainbow” in a dress similar to Dorothy’s ruby slippers, followed by Cynthia Erivo singing “Home” from The Wiz, both performances setting the stage for their later joint performance of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. The entire segment was well-executed and left many viewers with tears and goosebumps, a feeling known as tearbumps. It was undoubtedly an impressive start to the evening’s events.

I get why those montages of LA after the wildfires at award shows are meant to tug at our heartstrings, considering we’ve grown up watching movies and TV that have instilled in us an emotional response towards Hollywood’s mythology and symbolism. The Griffith Observatory will forever be iconic! I encourage everyone to donate and support the city. However, one question lingers: Why are Michael Mann’s films like ‘Heat’, ‘Collateral’, not included in these representations of LA? With all the ‘La La Land’, it’s a mystery that there isn’t even one shot showcasing the most iconic coyote in pop culture!

At the Golden Globes early in the awards season, comedian Nikki Glaser proposed a funny notion: Adam Sandler mispronouncing Timothée Chalamet’s name. When given the chance to shout this out at the event, Sandler obliged and it was quite amusing. Fast forward to the Oscars, where Sandler appeared in casual attire to tease Conan and closed off the bit by running up to Timmy (Chalamet) and shouting “Chalamet!” This joke, seeded at one awards show in the beginning of the season, was finally realized at the end. It’s a testament to well-crafted comedic structure.

Conan O’Brien’s choices for his Oscar hosting gig were spot-on, as he delivered a flawless performance that combined natural charisma with a humble attitude. From the get-go, it was evident that he truly enjoys entertaining live audiences and has a deep passion for movies. His humor, a mix of dry wit and outright silliness, shone through brilliantly, as evidenced by his quip about Americans being excited to see someone stand up to a powerful Russian. Even the random and nonsensical skits, like the one with him holding a pipe and pointing at a map during a commercial break, perfectly encapsulated his unique comedic style. It was clear that Conan O’Brien had an amazing time hosting the Oscars, and we can only hope he feels as proud of himself tonight as we do of his performance.

Conan often utilized John Lithgow’s consistent appearance, using him as an expression of his displeasure when speakers exceeded their allotted time. This was exemplified throughout the monologue as Lithgow played along convincingly, feigning disappointment on multiple occasions.

In his acceptance speech for the Oscar in the film “A Real Pain,” Kieran Culkin cleverly referenced his previous 2023 Golden Globes speech by playfully involving his wife, Jazz, in a similar manner. He had announced at the Golden Globes that he desired more children from her, and during this Oscar acceptance speech, he humorously revisited that moment, expressing remorse for putting her on the spot before sharing a humorous anecdote about Jazz’s promise to give him two more kids if he ever won an Oscar. Since he had now achieved that milestone, Kieran playfully suggested they might consider expanding their family – a spontaneous, amusing, perhaps imprudent, yet quintessentially Kieran Culkin moment.

Despite a strong performance by Clarence Maclin in “Sing Sing,” which was overlooked for Best Supporting Actor and snubbed for Best Picture nomination, the film missed out on winning Best Adapted Screenplay. It’s an additional disappointment, but don’t forget to catch “Sing Sing” when it premieres on Max on March 21st.

We really need Isabella Rossellini to perform her bold Conclave curtsey again on stage for our entertainment!

Ben Stiller’s presentation for Best Production Design at the Oscars was not just ordinary; he creatively incorporated the stage itself into his act. Unlike usual performances that utilize the stage for songs or projections, this time, there was actual stage engineering involved. It’s not common to see such practical applications during the awards show. Ben Stiller, who is in charge of the realistic production of Severance, played a bit where he got stuck on a malfunctioning lift on the stage floor, humorously emphasizing the importance of precision in design work. Unfortunately, this stunt ended up causing some complications.

Are we terrible for Production Design? We assure you, it’s not meant to sound malicious, but… it seemed like every other nominee was more deserving. It’s astonishing that “The Brutalist,” a film centered around the power of designing spaces, didn’t win this category.

This year, the selection of Oscar original songs seemed rather unremarkable compared to previous decades. It was almost logical that they weren’t performed during the ceremony since few people were familiar with them or had much interest in listening to them. The victory of one mediocre track from Emilia Pérez, titled “El Mal,” felt fitting, given its name. However, when the song’s writers, Clément Ducol and Camille, broke into an irritating rendition during their acceptance speech, neglecting to mention trans rights, it only served to reinforce the wish that the Academy had awarded this honor to Diane Warren, who was nominated for the 16th time without a win.

I’ve enjoyed the rare instances when the sandworm made an appearance in the broadcast of the Denis Villeneuve Dune films, which is unusual for me.

Despite their documentary not being distributed in America, the directors of ‘No Other Land’ – Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra – courageously used their Oscar stage to address the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the plight of Palestinians under martial law. They criticized American foreign policy for hindering equality in Israel, while urging the world to take decisive action against injustice and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people. This was a unique instance where winners used their platform to speak candidly about politics during an evening when most speakers were vague on the subject.

Men’s Pins or Brooches are gaining popularity among stars like Adrien Brody, Dave Bautista, and Joe Alwyn. It’s refreshing to see more men venturing into the world of accessories. However, there were fewer Artists4Ceasefire pins this time around, which could be related.

Instead of using “WHOA: Using the ‘Lacrimosa’ from Mozart’s requiem for the In Memoriam,” you could say: “Using the melancholic ‘Lacrimosa’ from Mozart’s Requiem, I found it a bit heavy-handed and seemed as though we were passing judgment on the eternal souls of the deceased.” This rephrasing aims to convey the same idea in more natural, easy-to-understand language.

After Mohammad Rasoulof’s heartwarming film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, didn’t win against Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here in the Best International Feature Film category, these two compassionate directors showed their camaraderie by warmly embracing each other. It’s wonderful to see such supportive relationships among those who share a passion for social storytelling!

Question: Which member of the writing team is particularly fond of The Wiz?
During the Quincy Jones tribute, both Cynthia Erivo with her rendition of “Home” and Queen Latifah with “Ease on Down the Road” provided memorable performances. However, it seemed unusual to include these numbers at this point in the show, given its approach to major awards. It leaves one wondering if there was an opportunity missed to incorporate “No Bad News” somehow.

It was an unusual moment when Emma Stone, unlike the presenters in other acting categories, did not offer glowing compliments to all the Best Actress nominees. The situation was tricky because Karla Sofía Gascón, a star of Emilia Pérez, had stirred controversy with her old offensive tweets, and asking Stone to heap praise on her would have been awkward at best. It seemed unnecessary for the presenters to shower each nominee with compliments in the first place, as it did not help to erase the memory of the Gascón controversy, particularly after O’Brien brought it up during his monologue.

It appeared as though Demi Moore had a lock on winning Best Actress. She had already garnered several prestigious awards, including the Golden Globe, SAG, and Critics’ Choice Award in this category. Each of her acceptance speeches were spot-on and seemed to be leading her towards an inevitable Oscar win. However, when Emma Stone announced the winner, it was not Demi Moore who was named, but rather Mikey Madison, a promising newcomer, leaving many in the industry taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.

It’s quite frustrating when the Hulu stream suddenly stops during the announcement of Best Actress, making it seem as if online viewing might not be the best way to collectively enjoy films.

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2025-03-03 09:56