Parasite Surprise Historic Winner At 2020 Oscars

When you’re wrong, you’re wrong.

Here I was thinking the academy was too old and too white to honour a foreign language film in the two biggest categories and they prove me wrong.

Parasite, the South Korean film, which as expected took home Best Original Screenplay and the newly named Best International Feature Oscars, was also named Best Picture over 1917 and Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, the first time a non-English speaking film has ever achieved such an honour.  There was a terrible moment, though, where the lights dimmed before the acceptances were over so the crowd starting chanting “Up!  Up!  Up!” until they were turned back on which led to big cheers and the resumption of thank yous.

Bong Joon Ho was also awarded Best Director over the DGA winner Sam Mendes.  He gave shout-outs to his fellow nominees, emphasizing his respect for Scorsese and his appreciation for Tarantino admiring Ho’s filmography.  Hope his translator got a bonus every time he won.  Now that the show is over, the man can finally get sloshed.

1917 had to settle for technical trinkets:  Best Visual Effects (in an unusually competitive category this year), Best Sound Mixing (over Ford V Ferrari) and Best Cinematography (the second gong awarded to Roger Deakins who first won for his excellent work on Blade Runner 2049).

All the acting prizes went to the frontrunners.  Brad Pitt was named Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood.  He thanked his kids saying they “colour everything I do” and correctly pointed out that stunt coordinators deserve their own Academy Award category.  “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.  Ain’t that the truth?” he said in amazement.  He’s come a long way from stealing half of that guy’s sandwich.

Marriage Story’s Laura Dern acknowledged her “heroes”, dad Bruce Dern and mom Diane Ladd, as she went on to accept her Best Supporting Actress honour.  Not a bad birthday present for the second generation performer.

Joaquin Phoenix didn’t thank anybody but he did cut a promo on a bunch of political subjects including his own “cruelty” and “selfish” dickishness (without really getting specific, unfortunately) and the meat industry as he climbed on stage to collect the golden gong for Best Actor.  He did however give a shout-out to his late brother River quoting one of his song lyrics.  Even more long winded was Best Actress winner Renee Zellweger who at least thanked a bunch of people including her family and the woman she played, Judy Garland.

Other predictable winners included Best Animated Feature Toy Story 4 and Best Documentary Feature American Factory.  Longtime collaborators Elton John and Bernie Taupin won Best Original Song for their catchy Rocketman track, (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.  “This doesn’t suck,” Taupin admitted.  This is Elton’s second gong after Can You Feel The Love Tonight? from The Lion King 25 years ago.

The World War 2 satire JoJo Rabbit won Best Adapted Screenplay, Little Women was given Best Costume Design while Ford V Ferrari picked up golden dust collectors for Best Sound Editing and Best Film Editing.  Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman was the only Best Picture nominee not to be awarded a single trophy.

As for the show, Steve Martin was really funny, more so than the hit-and-miss Chris Rock, during the unofficial monologue.  John Travolta is still getting hilariously roasted for butchering Idina Menzel’s name.  The opening medley was lame and overlong, much like many of the annoyingly drawn out presentations.  But it was great seeing Eminem finally perform his Oscar-winning song Lose Yourself after refusing to do so 17 years ago.

The complete list of winners:

BEST PICTURE – PARASITE

BEST DIRECTOR – Bong Joon Ho (PARASITE)

BEST ACTRESS – Renee Zellweger (JUDY)

BEST ACTOR – Joaquin Phoenix (JOKER)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Laura Dern (MARRIAGE STORY)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Brad Pitt (ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – AMERICAN FACTORY

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT – LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – TOY STORY 4

BEST ANIMATED SHORT – HAIR LOVE

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT -THE NEIGHBOUR’S WINDOW

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – PARASITE

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – JOJO RABBIT

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again (ROCKETMAN)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – JOKER

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE – PARASITE

BEST FILM EDITING – FORD V FERRARI

BEST SOUND EDITING – FORD V FERRARI

BEST SOUND MIXING – 1917

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – 1917

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – 1917

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD

BEST MAKE-UP & HAIRSTYLING – BOMBSHELL

BEST COSTUME DESIGN – LITTLE WOMEN

Dennis Earl
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Monday, February 10, 2020
12:45 a.m.