Awards Season 2019: The 91st Academy Awards

It's always nice when an Oscars ceremony keeps you on your toes. Tonight's broadcast came with a couple of surprises which kept my interest. 

Let's address this point first, because it's usually the first thing that is scrutinised post-mortem. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the show worked without a host. In fact, it proved that the event doesn't really need one (although Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler would be good choices based on their bit this year). I didn't miss the opening monologue, but then I don't think many people did with Queen and Adam Lambert kicking the show off in spectacular style. 

The links were the usual mix of pretty funny and utterly dire- I thoroughly enjoyed Melissa McCarthy's and Brian Tyree Henry's outlandish get-up to announce Best Costume Design (a mad mix of all five nominees), and Michael B. Jordan's and Tessa Thompson's little bit before announcing Best Original Score was also good. I liked the little shake-up with the presenters of each section- tradition usually has the previous year's Supporting winners giving this year's ones. I did think the way the In Memoriam section was handled was very good this year too, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra playing a piece by John Williams as the film rolled. 

I was also pleased that the Academy dropped the frankly stupid idea of presenting four awards during the commercial breaks; I know BAFTA have a truncated two-hour window but the show isn't broadcast live and they can pick and choose which awards to put in their 'also awarded' section. In fact, the show ran to around 3hrs 20mins, which isn't bad going.

Onto the awards themselves.

So what surprised me? Well, the screenplay categories for a start. Whilst I don't try and predict them, I had a sneaking thought you'd be looking at The Favourite and If Beale Street Could Talk as winners (although I'd have given Adapted Screenplay to Can You Ever Forgive Me? to be honest). I was pleasantly surprised that Olivia Colman won- as indeed was she, by the looks of things- as, like most people, I was expecting Glenn Close to finally take home an Oscar. I was also surprised at Green Book winning Best Picture, although I did enjoy it as a film (and I enjoyed it more than Roma, which I admired more than liked). A brief vandalisation of Wikipedia renamed Green Book 'Wack Ass Oscar Bait' which seems a bit harsh. I also thought the Visual Effects Oscar might have gone to Avengers: Infinity War. 

I got four out of six in my predictions. I'll take that, although I should have had the courage of my convictions and gone with Green Book for Best Picture. Mind you, I don't mind at all being wrong about Best Actress because it was worth it to see Olivia Colman's utterly endearing and very British acceptance speech. Humble, a bit scatty, and incredibly self-effacing, she will have won a lot more fans by the end of this evening. Rami Malek's acceptance speech was similarly touching, especially his heartfelt shoutout to girlfriend Lucy Boynton towards the end. 

Spike Lee won his first competitive Oscar tonight and made the most of it, even dropping in a quick MF-bomb before it could get beeped! I also loved Richard E. Grant's wonderful reaction to seeing Barbra Streisand. I'm also chuffed that Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse picked by Best Animated Feature and I thought Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's storming performance of 'Shallow' from A Star Is Born was superb. 

You can chalk this up as another surprise: Bohemian Rhapsody is the biggest winner of the night with four Oscars! Tied for second place is Green Book, Roma, and Black Panther with three Oscars each. 

Despite multiple nominations, there was nothing for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Mary Poppins Returns, Isle Of Dogs, Cold War, and The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs. 


Below is the full list of winners at the 91st Academy Awards:

Best Motion Picture of the Year: Green Book

Best Actor: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Best Actress: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Best Original Screenplay: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, and Peter Farrelly (Green Book)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: Roma

Best Cinematography: Roma

Best Editing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Production Design: Black Panther

Best Costume Design: Black Panther

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Vice

Best Original Score: Black Panther

Best Original Song: 'Shallow' (A Star Is Born)

Best Sound Mixing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Sound Editing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Visual Effects: First Man

Best Documentary (Feature): Free Solo

Best Documentary (Short Subject): Period. End Of Sentence. 

Best Animated Short Film: Bao

Best Live Action Short Film: Skin

Congratulations to all winners!


So that brings awards season 2019 to a close. Thank you all for your patience and indulgence and I hope you've enjoyed our coverage. And now it's time for bed, as it's nearly 5:30am! 

Tez