Jacob Borislow takes you through the highlights - and low-lights - of the 92nd Academy Awards.

Article by Jacob Borislow, AKSM News

LOS ANGELES - The 2020 Oscars were last night and the general consensus seems to be it was a (mostly) great and heartwarming time. There were some surprises…and there were some “surprises” we could have done without (was having “Mom’s Spaghetti” really the best song from a film they could have featured live, especially with how much of the song they had to bleep out for TV)? The other live performances were all thankfully much better and the fact that Elton John only has a limited number of live performances left before he’s “retired” AND that he ended up winning Best Original Song for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” made it all the more sweeter.

The annual In Memoriam section seemed to be a bit rushed this year with barely any time to read the two names that appeared on most slides and no clips that usually play for the more famous of the actors. There are always people who should have been included but are missed for this section and this year was unfortunately no different with a trinity of people who definitely deserved to be recognized. The fact that a horror icon like Sid Haig was not shown is a huge shame but being a “horror” icon means that it’s not as surprising as the other two men who had even less of a reason to not be included by the Academy. Luke Perry’s loss had a huge impact on both the television and film worlds and to not even be mentioned, after even featuring in the Oscar-winning Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, is a real flub on the Academy’s part. Finally, Cameron Boyce who was taken from us far too early, was also snubbed from having his name be recognized for his contributions to the worlds of film and television. Hopefully next year the Academy if and when it does miss some people that have passed away doesn’t neglect such A-list talent as these men were.

As for the actual awards, which took as much time being presented as it took to announce the people that will be announcing the people who told us who won, audiences at home could breathe a sigh of relief that many favorites were chosen to win. Joaquin Phoenix winning the best actor for Joker did not appear to surprise many people but it still felt good that this man who clearly gave it his all and arguably made the movie as good as it was got the recognition he deserved even as the reception to his acceptance speech is firmly divided. Joker also won for best original score and seeing Hildur Guðnadóttir’s tear-filled face as she accepted the award for composing a score that echoed the title character’s descent into madness brought a warm feeling into my heart that may have also just been a result of all the soda I had consumed by this point. Brad Pitt was my personal pick for winning best supporting actor as he was for me (and it seems for the Academy as well) to be a highlight of the film with his comedic moments, one of which was shown to the audience and even out of context still got a laugh. Renée Zellweger winning for Judy was a touching moment especially with her speech pointing out that her winning this award for her portrayal of Judy Garland demonstrated the cross-generational love and appreciation for the actress that was taken from us far too soon. From the moment I saw how Bombshell transformed its actors into looking uncannily like the real people they played, I knew it was going to win the Best Hair and Makeup Oscar which was of course proven right as Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker picked up the win even as only Hiro was allowed to speak for a short time before they were all played off for reasons unknown.

American Factory won for best documentary feature as some predicted due to the Obama’s having a role producing the film although that component doesn’t take away from the quality of the documentary itself which does, unsurprisingly, also warrant it winning. Best documentary short went to Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) which beyond its amazing and eye-catching title also offers an emotional and impactful look at girls in Kabul every so slowly earning their liberation and rights and how skateboarding has surprisingly prepared them for the huge challenges that face them. Laura Dern won for Marriage Story this year in best supporting actress, a category that may have been even more hotly contended than the male version which also featured only the most A-list of A-list performances. Toy Story 4 won the best animated feature against a sequel that properly and emotionally ended a trilogy, a beautiful and surreal French film, a unique spin on the classic Santa Clause story, and a stop-motion film with plenty of time and heart put into it but let’s give it to the Toy Story movie which was as good as it was unnecessary following the beautiful final act of the previous movie.

Roger Deakins picked up his extremely deserved Oscar for cinematography in 1917 with a long shot that with one or two notable exceptions never felt like it was broken up. Jacqueline Durran’s costume design in Little Women was awarded as predicted since the Academy loves its colonial costumes (not to say it was undeserved as Durran more than deserved the Oscar, it was just not unexpected). While I personally had sadly not watched the live-action and animated short film winners, the reception of the crowd after the (respective) winners The Neighbors’ Window and Hair Love was enough to tell me the “right” films had won. Ford v Ferrari picked up a win for its sound editing that was well deserved while after witnessing in theaters the sound mixing and visual effects winner 1917, I can easily see how it could win and I would recommend to everyone to see 1917 in theaters while you still can in order to experience the sound mixing and realistic visuals in all its glory. Jojo Rabbit won best-adapted screenplay which made me feel a mix of sensations including me realizing the fact that it was adapted from something, that Joker being adapted from something is a loose tie as only some of the characters themselves in name only previously existed, and that it was good that Jojo Rabbit won at least one Oscar since the movie was in my experience not talked about enough.

Parasite, my personal favorite film of 2019, won a number of awards from the not surprising Best Foreign Language Film to the surprising but very well deserved Best Motion Picture Oscar. Parasite’s director Boon Joon Ho not only won himself a Best Director award but also cemented himself as an internet sweetheart with his speech calling all his cast members to stand up so they could be applauded, telling everyone that he was going to drink until the morning, and a picture surfacing of him flipping the bird while at the Oscars with a giant smile on his face.