by Nathaniel R
You know how we do at The Film Experience. We'll have a few days of post-mortem on the 92nd Academy Awards, honoring the films of 2019. So it's not quite over yet but the rest is the after-party if you will. And we think you will feel like partying. We sure do. Parasite won 55% of your votes in our readers poll for who SHOULD win (with Hollywood and 1917 fighting for a distant second place on the Best Picture chart) and it also took the top prize at both the Team Experience Awards and my own prizes right here. And then it actually went and won Hollywood's top honor, too, defying all odds (again) to become the first Foreign Language picture ever to triumph at the Oscars. It will go down as history as one of the best choices the Academy ever made in the top category along with films like Moonlight, Silence of the Lambs, Amadeus, All About Eve, and other classics...
Roma may have come close to making history last year but it took a more successful, tirelessly promoted, and long-legged theatrical hit to finally break that "1 inch tall barrier" (as Bong Joon Ho describes subtitles). The crowd inside the Dolby appeared to be ecstatic about Parasite's multiple wins. Spike Lee was noticeably enthusiastic reading out the big Best Director upset "BONG JOON HO!" when he opened the envelope. What's more the crowd even forced the show runners to bring the lights back up (front-row cheerleader Charlize, we see you!) in order to hear the second part of Team Parasite's final speech when they tried to wrap the show too quickly.
We won't make the same mistake and, again, we'll have more to say about the big night and its prizes very soon in our own after-party. But for now...
Six quick takeways before sleepy time
• Opening with Janelle Monae and Billy Porter, both unapologetically black and queer, was a nice touch and definitely a rousing performance. Janelle's hooded shimmery 40s but 2020 glam kept startling us in a very good way from the crowd shots all throughout the show.
• Give an Emmy to Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig for Best Performance on a Variety Special. They absolutely slayed their extended bit of A-C-T-I-N-G. Better yet, let them host the Oscars next year. This no host thing isn't bad but let's mix it up on occasion!
• Brad Pitt continued his run of shockingly perfect run of awards speeches, always utterly him but also charming and polished and funny and humble -- a whole rang of feeling! -- to the point that people are wondering if they're ghost-written. (Renée's speech definitely should've been, poor thing!) Our favourite random bit was thanking Geena Davis and Ridley Scott for his breakout opportunity. He didn't name-check Thelma & Louise (1991) but he didn't need to as he stole the world's hearts that year and the world has loved him ever since.
• Tom Hanks's joke about plastering the walls of the new Academy Museum while Scarlett Johansson lugged around her orbital sander and Brad Pitt tiled the roof shirtless was pretty damn great.
• Shout out to Cynthia Erivo for delivering a perfect version of "Stand Up" from Harriet and side-eyeing the camera as it spun around her at the finale. In her sleek gold down, she was like 'I'm the Oscar here!' After the performance my best friend and I were raving all over again about her Tony-winning Broadway run in The Color Purple and how lucky we were to have seen it.
• Most endearing speech: Bong Joon Ho's director win was very generous and classy with heartfelt love for his fellow nominees and the perfect silly capper "Thank you I will drink until morning" at the close. More on the acceptance speeches soon.
AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...
Picture Parasite
Director Bong Joon Ho, Parasite
Actress Zellweger, Judy
Actor Phoenix, Joker
Supporting Actress Dern, Marriage Story
Supporting Actor Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Original Screenplay Parasite
Adapted Screenplay Jojo Rabbit
Cinematography 1917
Costume Design Little Women
Production Design Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Editing Ford V Ferrari
Visual Effects 1917
Makeup and Hair Bombshell
Original Score Joker
Original Song "I'm Gonna Love Me Again" Rocketman
Sound Mixing 1917
Sound Editing Ford V Ferrari
International Feature Parasite, South Korea
Documentary Feature American Factory
Doc Short Learning to Skate in a War Zone (If You're a Girl)
Animated Feature Toy Story 4
Animated Short Hair Love
Live Action Short The Neighbor's Window
How'd we do on our predictions? A not at all bad with a 19/24 though we missed two of the biggest ones (Picture/Director) and couldn't have been happier to be wrong.
more 92nd Academy Awards coverage
musical performances, ranked
top five presenters or duos
embroidered fashion statements (literally)
new Oscar trivia
the winner and immediate afterthoughts