Well, this year’s Oscars are officially over, and my annual manic quest to see as many nominees as possible with it. But it was the BEST ceremony ever! Part of the reason I enjoyed it so much is that for the first time in my entire life, I watched the entire thing!!! Read on…
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First, kudos to the ABC network for starting the 2024 ceremony at 7:00 p.m. EST this year instead of the usual 8:00. The 7:00 p.m. show was scheduled to go until 10:30, and it actually ended a few minutes early!
Jimmy Kimmel was a terrific host. A few shots at actors and politicians, but he is a four-year veteran host now, and his expertise is comforting.
As predicted, Oppenheimer won the most awards: Best Picture and Director… also Cillian Murphy won Best Actor for portraying Robert Oppenheimer in the film. Robert Downey, Jr., won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer’s nemesis. And was he!
I will digress here for a moment, but if you have Peacock and haven’t watched Oppenheimer yet, make room for this 3 hour adventure one evening and watch it. It’s free with their subscription. The battle between Strauss and Oppenheimer, as well as the tremendous acting of Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon tells an incredible tale of the American making of the atomic bomb! There is a reason that the film won almost all the categories in which it was nominated.
But back to those winners… I’ll admit, I was hoping for an upset in the Best Actor category with Colman Domingo, but all the awards went pretty much as expected! The only upset of the night was for Best Actress, where Emma Stone got the honors over Lily Gladstone. It had been said on most media channels that the category was a race between the two, and darn it, if Emma Stone didn’t make Oscars history by being one of the few winners who won two Oscars before they were 35 years old! WOW! Congratulations, Emma Stone.
It was said that a lot of viewers just couldn’t relate to Killers of the Flower Moon, for which Lily Gladstone was nominated. She portrayed the character Mollie flawlessly as a spokesperson for the Osage nation’s plight at the turn of the 20th century. She had a quiet strength and resilience in that portrayal that is said to contrast with the wild ride Emma Stone’s character had in Poor Things (disclaimer: I have not seen Poor Things) More of an emotional range, perhaps.
Nevertheless, it was an upset. Emma Stone herself was truly shocked when her name was called.
I have mixed feelings about her win. At first glance, the recent media hype over the fact that Lily Gladstone would’ve been the first Native American to win an Oscar and that it seemed a sure thing that we were going to witness such an event Sunday night made it disappointing for me.
I watched Gladtsone’s acceptance at the SAG awards recently (in which she did win Best Actress), which are often a predictor for Oscar winners, and it was so unique in the fact that focused on her gratitude for storytellers and for human compassion and connection. NO specific mentions of family or friends. Simply spiritual principles and the importance of kindness and time with one another.
Hmm.
But let’s end with some fun! After all, the Oscars aren’t all so serious! Enjoy the link below of Ryan Gosling performing his famous song from his mojo-dojo casa (from the existential Barbie) and don’t be afraid to sing along! Until next year…
susan strasser 