by Josh Sewell
2024 Oscars Recap
When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars a couple of years ago, it was apparently strong enough to wake the Academy from their slumber. After a long streak of boring, misguided attempts to maintain relevance with mainstream audiences, this transformation into trashy reality TV finally forced the organization to pivot toward respectability.
As such, this year’s ceremony was the second in a row to be shockingly entertaining and free of controversy. Producers have finally stopped chasing short-term trends (remember “The Flash Enters the Speed Force” winning a bogus fan favorite poll?), instead focusing on what’s actually important: celebrating excellent films and the talented folks who make them.
After a bumpy start (more on that in a moment), things improved considerably and coasted along nicely for the next three hours, which is downright fast in Oscar time. I ended up going 17-for-23 with my predictions – not too shabby, considering several of the categories I got wrong were virtual toss-ups. Here are a few of the ceremony’s most memorable moments, both good and not-so-good.
The Good
The best picture actually won Best Picture
This led to a somewhat anticlimactic evening (aside from a doddering Al Pacino forgetting how the whole “announcing the winner” thing works), but sometimes Oscar actually gets it right. In addition to taking home the big prize, Christopher Nolan’s historical thriller Oppenheimer also won statues for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Score. The night’s other big champ was Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which took home four Oscars: Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design and – most prominently – Best Actress. It was the second time in seven years Emma Stone emerged victorious in that category (following her win for 2016’s La La Land).
“I’m Just Ken”
Barbie went home almost empty-handed (its lone win was for Best Song, which went to Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”), but Ryan Gosling proved the film’s Ken-ergy still hasn’t abated. His live performance of his character’s anthem earned a well-deserved standing ovation, reminding viewers his commitment to the role was a big reason the movie became a global blockbuster.
Small moments are better than grand gestures
Some years, the Oscars are remembered for grand gestures. This year, however, some of my favorite moments were little bits of business between the presenters and willing participants in the audience. For example, former Batman villains Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr. Freeze) and Danny DeVito (The Penguin) trash-talked Michael Keaton from the stage, who responded to their comments with the Dark Knight’s famous withering glare. Later, Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera had a hilarious back-and-forth with Steven Spielberg about Jurassic Park not being a documentary. The quick exchange proved he’s got a future in comedy if that directing thing doesn’t work out for him.
Previous acting winners announcing current nominees
This decision (an idea revived from past telecasts a while back) proved divisive on social media, but I loved it. Sure, it takes a little longer than running the standard clip montage, but it’s a lovely way to connect Hollywood’s past and present.
John Cena is fearless
Say what you want about the former wrestler’s less-than-stellar filmography (look no further than the recent Argylle and Ricky Stanicky), but no one can ever accuse Cena of phoning in a performance. The guy always commits to a premise, no matter how ridiculous, which includes walking across the Oscar stage almost completely naked in front of Hollywood royalty. To do that while also proving you’ve got natural comedic timing? Brilliant.
The Not-so-good
Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue
Kimmel, hosting for a fourth time, is pretty much the perfect emcee for this kind of ceremony. He’s amiable, he can playfully tease the crowd without truly damaging their massive egos, and he has a knack for keeping things moving while also reacting to any unexpected developments. That being said, his monologue this year was particularly toothless, making the usual tired jokes about movies being too long and old actors dating younger women. However, he did a much better job once he assumed the role of traffic cop.
Still no Best Stunt category
While the “Barbenheimer” rivalry between Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling was terrific (and makes me cautiously optimistic for the duo’s upcoming remake of The Fall Guy), “honoring” stunt performers with a simple montage feels more like an insult. They’ve deserved their own category for quite some time.
Too many great nominees mean someone has to lose
This was a year with very few lackluster nominees. I may not have liked all of them as much as Academy voters did, but they were all worthy for the most part. The downside is that we had to watch some really talented people lose. That was particularly the case with Lily Gladstone, who was neck-and-neck with Stone all awards season. Although she was incredible in Killers of the Flower Moon and the person I was rooting for, I can’t exactly say she was robbed when Stone was just as outstanding in Poor Things. (I’m pretty sure Stone felt the same way, based on her nauseated expression when her name was called.)
Home Entertainment Spotlight
Anyone But You
(Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and brief graphic nudity. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital.)
In this edgy hit romcom, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) seem like they would be perfect together, but after an amazing first date, something unfortunate happens to drive them apart. Later, when they find themselves at the same destination wedding in Australia, complications ensue that make them pretend to be a couple. Bonus materials include outtakes and bloopers; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes featurettes; and a digital copy of the film.
When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars a couple of years ago, it was apparently strong enough to wake the Academy from their slumber. After a long streak of boring, misguided attempts to maintain relevance with mainstream audiences, this transformation into trashy reality TV finally forced the organization to pivot toward respectability.
As such, this year’s ceremony was the second in a row to be shockingly entertaining and free of controversy. Producers have finally stopped chasing short-term trends (remember “The Flash Enters the Speed Force” winning a bogus fan favorite poll?), instead focusing on what’s actually important: celebrating excellent films and the talented folks who make them.
After a bumpy start (more on that in a moment), things improved considerably and coasted along nicely for the next three hours, which is downright fast in Oscar time. I ended up going 17-for-23 with my predictions – not too shabby, considering several of the categories I got wrong were virtual toss-ups. Here are a few of the ceremony’s most memorable moments, both good and not-so-good.
The Good
The best picture actually won Best Picture
This led to a somewhat anticlimactic evening (aside from a doddering Al Pacino forgetting how the whole “announcing the winner” thing works), but sometimes Oscar actually gets it right. In addition to taking home the big prize, Christopher Nolan’s historical thriller Oppenheimer also won statues for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Score. The night’s other big champ was Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which took home four Oscars: Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design and – most prominently – Best Actress. It was the second time in seven years Emma Stone emerged victorious in that category (following her win for 2016’s La La Land).
“I’m Just Ken”
Barbie went home almost empty-handed (its lone win was for Best Song, which went to Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”), but Ryan Gosling proved the film’s Ken-ergy still hasn’t abated. His live performance of his character’s anthem earned a well-deserved standing ovation, reminding viewers his commitment to the role was a big reason the movie became a global blockbuster.
Small moments are better than grand gestures
Some years, the Oscars are remembered for grand gestures. This year, however, some of my favorite moments were little bits of business between the presenters and willing participants in the audience. For example, former Batman villains Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr. Freeze) and Danny DeVito (The Penguin) trash-talked Michael Keaton from the stage, who responded to their comments with the Dark Knight’s famous withering glare. Later, Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera had a hilarious back-and-forth with Steven Spielberg about Jurassic Park not being a documentary. The quick exchange proved he’s got a future in comedy if that directing thing doesn’t work out for him.
Previous acting winners announcing current nominees
This decision (an idea revived from past telecasts a while back) proved divisive on social media, but I loved it. Sure, it takes a little longer than running the standard clip montage, but it’s a lovely way to connect Hollywood’s past and present.
John Cena is fearless
Say what you want about the former wrestler’s less-than-stellar filmography (look no further than the recent Argylle and Ricky Stanicky), but no one can ever accuse Cena of phoning in a performance. The guy always commits to a premise, no matter how ridiculous, which includes walking across the Oscar stage almost completely naked in front of Hollywood royalty. To do that while also proving you’ve got natural comedic timing? Brilliant.
The Not-so-good
Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue
Kimmel, hosting for a fourth time, is pretty much the perfect emcee for this kind of ceremony. He’s amiable, he can playfully tease the crowd without truly damaging their massive egos, and he has a knack for keeping things moving while also reacting to any unexpected developments. That being said, his monologue this year was particularly toothless, making the usual tired jokes about movies being too long and old actors dating younger women. However, he did a much better job once he assumed the role of traffic cop.
Still no Best Stunt category
While the “Barbenheimer” rivalry between Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling was terrific (and makes me cautiously optimistic for the duo’s upcoming remake of The Fall Guy), “honoring” stunt performers with a simple montage feels more like an insult. They’ve deserved their own category for quite some time.
Too many great nominees mean someone has to lose
This was a year with very few lackluster nominees. I may not have liked all of them as much as Academy voters did, but they were all worthy for the most part. The downside is that we had to watch some really talented people lose. That was particularly the case with Lily Gladstone, who was neck-and-neck with Stone all awards season. Although she was incredible in Killers of the Flower Moon and the person I was rooting for, I can’t exactly say she was robbed when Stone was just as outstanding in Poor Things. (I’m pretty sure Stone felt the same way, based on her nauseated expression when her name was called.)
Home Entertainment Spotlight
(Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and brief graphic nudity. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital.)
In this edgy hit romcom, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) seem like they would be perfect together, but after an amazing first date, something unfortunate happens to drive them apart. Later, when they find themselves at the same destination wedding in Australia, complications ensue that make them pretend to be a couple. Bonus materials include outtakes and bloopers; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes featurettes; and a digital copy of the film.
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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