Hello ladies and gentleman. I was your host this evening. Your first man, your hooded guide, your blacker-than-you driver. Here to clean up the dog shit with you, into the Oscar-verse, as the awards show breaks the internet.
Olivia Colman is the Best Kind of Bonkers
My word, what an awards season. Shots were fired, there were nervous breakdowns, backstabbing, snubs, unscrupulous activity, folk going missing. Relationships were built and damaged, loyalties tested, crazy games were played. Women took the upper hand. There were tired legs, and scarred faces. And by the end of the extraordinary journey we’re left with so much to think about. And that was just The Favourite.
Bohemian Rhapsody Wins 4 Oscars, the Most of the Night
Freddie Mercury’s ghost gave a Queen biopic the green light, in spite of one film director’s antics. It seems Beelzebub had a devil put aside for us all. Though the greatest trick that this devil of an awards season ever pulled was convincing the world that Bryan Singer doesn’t exist.
As painfully predicted by many, Bohemian Rhapsody stomped off with a mini-sweep, taking both Sound awards, Film Editing, and of course, Rami Malek. I’m the end the film notched 4 from a possible 5 – Best Picture went elsewhere.
Green Book Takes Best Picture After All
In a year when Peter Farrelly was discovered to be the depositor of Cameron Diaz’s hair gel, his latest slapstick movie has rode the tide of all manner of controversy. A movie that proves it is beneficial to blurt out the “N” word and keep offensive tweets on your timeline.
But there is more to Green Book than controversy. I mean, there had to be, for it to defeat the rest in a preferential ballot system. One of the most disappointing Best Picture winners – just when we thought things might be changing for the better.
Black Panther Soars, and Spike Lee!
Black Panther and BlacKkKlansman held a great account for themselves, and have had hefty support throughout the year. The Academy still have a long way to go though. Black Panther missed out on an Adapted Screenplay nomination as many voters bad not read the comics. And BlacKkKlansman did so much for the black cinematic community that only the white actor was nominated.
Spike Lee finally won a competitive Oscar. And the euphoric reactions to just victory was heard all over the world. Much noise, too, came from the Black Panther fanbase, the film took 3 Oscars on the night.
Alfonso Cuarón Takes to the Stage 3 Times with Roma
Proof enough that it was a contrasting year for the colours of cinema. In fact, the two best black and white films in 2018 were probably Roma and Cold War. Alfonso Cuarón meanwhile knocked down walls to hurtle towards a potentially great night for Roma. Thanks to an increase in part to the broader Academy membership – including a surge of international folk and Netflix subscribers.
That said, Academy members could not bring themselves to honor Roma with the Best Picture prize. It was clearly loved across the board, but I guess those talked-to-death elements (streaming, foreign, black and white) were a step too far for American voters.
Pawel Pawlikowski’s majestic movie portrayed a turbulent relationship between two musicians. There was quite simply no movie like it.
‘Shallow’ Wins Best Song
Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born portrayed a turbulent relationship between two musicians. There was quite simply no movie like it. Well, apart from the one from 1976. And the 1954 version. Oh, and the film from 1937. Lady Gaga added an Oscar to her awards cabinet.
Politics and satire aside though, another Best Picture nominee is Vice – managing two Best Supporting Actress mentions. Christian Bale is also nominated for his acting, once again reverting to his natural weight and hair as he did with American Hustle.
Too Close to Take Anything for Granted
Glenn Close was also a strong favourite tonight, proving in The Wife that if you keep your mouth shut for decades, your big moment will come. Or will it. And then Richard E. Grant, showing us the worst kind of awards campaigning – letting the world know just how humble, grateful, and overjoyed his is during the ride of his life. Not enough it seemed.
Some Light At the End of the Tunnel
Academy Award winning filmmakers Barry Jenkins and Damien Chazelle went head-to-head once again. This time which film got the biggest shafting this awards season. I know, there are many, many more.
The show itself breezed along nicely. You could feel the fat had been chopped, and it certainly made a difference. The cultural and ethnic diversity represented in the winners was truly an inspiring thing. Something we have to cherish given some of the poor choices made by voters this year.
Here are the winners as they were called:
Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Vice)
Marina de Tavira (Roma)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)
Documentary Feature
Free Solo
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
RBG
Make Up & Hairstyling
Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice
Costume Design
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Back Panther
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots
Production Design
Black Panther
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma
Cinematography
Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
Roma
A Star Is Born
Sound Editing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
A Quiet Place
Roma
Sound Mixing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born
Foreign Language Film
Germany – Never Look Away
Japan – Shoplifters
Lebanon – Capernaum
Mexico – Roma
Poland – Cold War
Film Editing
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Vice
Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)
Animated Feature
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Animated Short
Animal Behaviour
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends
Documentary Short
Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at the Garden
Period. End of Sentence.
Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Live Action Short
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin
Original Screenplay
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Roma
Vice
Adapted Screenplay
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
BlacKkKlansman
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born
Original Score
Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson
BlacKkKlansman – Terence Blanchard
If Beale Street Could Talk – Nicholas Britell
Isle Of Dogs – Alexandre Desplat
Mary Poppins Returns – Marc Shamain, Scott Wittman
Original Song
The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs “When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings”
Black Panther “All The Stars”
Mary Poppins Returns “The Place Where Lost Things Go”
RBG “I’ll Fight”
A Star Is Born “Shallow”
Lead Actor
Christian Bale (Vice)
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)
Lead Actress
Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Directing
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Adam McKay (Vice)
Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)
Picture
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice
