Two days ago, the annual Oscars ceremony was held. In short, it was fine. However, the following are my thoughts on a broad spectrum of things pertaining to the prestigious film awards.
Host
I thought Conan O’Brien was a great host. Did all of his jokes land? Of course not. Did he get more laughs out of me than I thought he would? Yes. I will say I detested the Adam Sandler skit. I did not laugh and found it painfully unfunny. However, I will admit that I was almost won over by Sandler’s interaction with Timothee Chalamet. Also, O’Brien’s song and dance number were playful and fun.
Presenters
I think most of the announcers picked were fantastic. My personal beef with Gal Gadot aside, all were beautiful and shiny, as we love our celebrities to be. The standouts for me included Miley Cyrus for being herself, Andrew Garfield for wearing those reading glasses, Da’Vine Joy Randolph for moving me and June Squibb for genuinely making me choke on my drink with her Bill Skarsgård jokes.
Performances
I loved Conan O’Brien’s performance; it was fun and campy. It was just good enough to keep you listening and just bad enough to keep it funny. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, of course, did what they do best – which is singing. Margaret Qually’s lovely dancing as a precursor to Lisa, Doja Cat, and Raye was phenomenal. Lisa’s singing sounded like auto-tune to me, but what do I know? Doja Cat… well, at least she looked phenomenal! I don’t know; it was kinda campy, so bad it’s good? Raye carried hard, great vocals and drama as always. Queen Latifah can do no wrong in my book. And we cannot forget the incredible Academy Orchestra nor the Los Angeles Master Chorale, who were the true stars of the night.
Winners & Losers
This was a slightly disappointing night for me personally, but I’m only truly upset that “Emilia Pérez” won anything. I am of the opinion that the film deserves nothing but dust, especially as more problematic tidbits leak about the cast and crew. Zoe Saldaña did not deserve the Best Supporting Actress award, even if she did most of the heavy lifting in the film (which isn’t saying much, if you disagree just rewatch the “yes, yes, yes” bit.) Also, the Best Original Song acceptance speech was awful; they had no business ‘singing’ on that mic. It was so awkward and borderline unprofessional; it felt like a fever dream. I was uncomfortable, and my roommate’s cat yowled in its own discomfort, and countless viewers cringed.
Moving on to “Wicked,” the winner of two awards, Best Costuming and Best Production Design, which I can agree with. Truly, the costuming in Wicked was amazing, and it’s really only on a second watch that I fully took note. Madame Morrible is on my rob list.
Unfortunately, Ariana Grande was robbed of Best Supporting Actress. Fortunately, we got to see the duo perform on stage, which was lovely, as I’m sure everything involving their voices is.
“Dune II,” funnily enough, went home with two awards. Sound and Visual effects, respectively. Both were well deserved, though I think Dune II was robbed in general. Even when viewing at home, there are moments in this film that, through audio alone, make your entire body shake; the same goes for visuals.
“The Brutalist” also won big with three awards; alas, I haven’t a thing to say about it as I have not yet imbibed. However, I’d be remiss to not mention Adrien Brody’s five minutes and 40 seconds speech… wow. Is that ever necessary? No.
Perhaps the most surprising sweep was “Anora” winning a whopping five out of six awards for which the film was nominated. I enjoyed “Anora;” it made me stressed out and like I was both the Russian boy on a bender and the New Yorker wife looking for him with a group of strangers. Nevertheless, the Best Actress was a throwdown this year, and I’m not upset at Mikey Madison for winning it. The Best Director going to Sean Baker, though, I don’t know how to feel about that one.
My personal favorites of the year didn’t do too hot. “The Substance” won Hair and Makeup, which was deserved. However, and I command you to read this with a near manic fervor, Demi Moore was absolutely robbed for Best Actress. I sobbed and screamed when they didn’t announce her name. How ironic is it that Demi Moore lost best actress to a younger, slightly similar-looking in a squint-your-eyes-way actress when the point of “The Substance” is about aging out of desirability in media?
Honorable mention to “Nosferatu,” which won nothing but is still a winner in my heart.
All in all, it was a very “meh” closing to the 2025 awards season for those of us with taste. That being said, all of the movies nominated and awarded, minus “Emilia Peréz,” are wonderful works of art that I highly recommend you take some time out of your day to view. I know I’ll be sure to view the ones I missed.
Garrett McEntee is a 19-year-old English sophomore from Benton.
