2023 Academy Awards Wrap-Up

At the end of the 95th annual Academy Awards, there was a funny concluding sight gag. Host Jimmy Kimmel, having just wrapped the three and a half hour ceremony, calmly walked off-stage and as he passed by a woman with a donkey and someone in a bear costume, he made a slight change to a sign. It’s now been one year since an “incident” happened at the Oscars.

Judging by how dull the show was this year, that wasn’t a good thing. Maybe Will Smith and Chris Rock should’ve opened with a Falls Count Anywhere match. (The booking possibilities would be endless.) Although Kimmel, who was typically hit-and-miss as MC, did manage to squeeze some good zingers in, some of which were at the expense of Smith himself, perhaps it’s a sign of serious institutional decline when the funniest moment involves Hugh Grant comparing himself to a ball sack.

As for the awards themselves, as expected, it was a big night for Everything Everywhere All At Once. Released exactly a year ago this month, the sci-fi ensemble snagged seven golden gongs including the big one, Best Picture. With Harrison Ford booked to present that final award, I’m sure some were thinking, uh oh, are we gonna see an upset like Shakespeare In Love? But that did not materialize.

The two Daniels were collectively named Best Director and also won for collaborating on the film’s original screenplay. The movie also won for Best Film Editing.

Even more impressive were the three acting victories it claimed. In the best speech of the night, Ke Huy Quan was named Best Supporting Actor. Abandoning the profession to focus on work behind the camera, the ever boyish middle-aged man was grateful for having a second chance at following his dream which became a major theme of his promo. “Keep your dream alive,” he joyously exclaimed at one point. His excited reactions to seeing and reuniting with his Temple Of Doom co-star Ford were delightfully amusing, all but assuring his cheerful face will forever be an Internet meme.

Michelle Yeoh was named Best Actress and in a major surprise for me, Jamie Lee Curtis won for Best Supporting Actress. I liked how she thanked her first and most loyal fanbase, the horror community, for putting her over during her early years. Acknowledging her late Oscar-nominated parents in a tearful conclusion was the closest she came to admitting she’s a Nepo Baby.

Brendan Fraser was his usual blubbering mess as he accepted his Oscar for Best Actor. The Whale also won for its make-up and hairstyling. Not bad for a film that wasn’t a critical fave.

Speaking of unloved films, how in the hell did All Quiet On The Western Front win four Oscars? The German production snatched trophies for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Original Score and for Best International Film.

Those hoping for some viral moments this year, like The Slap or the streaker, probably tuned out long before the broadcast ended, unless they decided to endure that weird David Byrne performance. With ratings in serious decline during the COVID era, I’ll be surprised if the number is 15 million.

With the news media and politicians long over keeping us continually informed about the ongoing spread of a terrible death virus, there was Oscar winner Jessica Chastain, the only one in the audience wearing a goddamn mask. Pandemic denial will doom us all. At least Robert Blake wasn’t forgotten. But as Entertainment Weekly pointed out, why no love for Anne Heche or Tom Sizemore?

The complete list of winners:

BEST PICTURE – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

BEST DIRECTOR – Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

BEST ACTRESS – Michelle Yeoh (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Jamie Lee Curtis (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Ke Huy Quan (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

BEST ACTOR – Brendan Fraser (THE WHALE)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – WOMEN TALKING

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – NAVALNY

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

BEST FILM EDITING – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

BEST COSTUME DESIGN – BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – Naatu Naatu (RRR)

BEST SOUND – TOP GUN: MAVERICK

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

BEST MAKE-UP & HAIRSTYLING – THE WHALE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

BEST ANIMATED SHORT – THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX & THE HORSE

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT – AN IRISH GOOD-BYE

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT – THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS

Dennis Earl
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Monday, March 13, 2023
3:50 a.m.

2023 Oscar Predictions

BEST PICTURE – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

Populism vs. the art house. Major moneymakers competing with smaller scale dramas. This year’s Best Picture category is packed with enough audience pleasers and critical faves to quiet down the usual grumbles about too many unseen nominees. In the annoying age of streaming, anyone with a decent service and time can now get caught up without even leaving their house.

As someone just recovering from a terrible flu bug, who is also currently caring for two parents with cancer, movie screenings have not been a priority in quite some time. Signing up with a streamer would not change that. (Strictly DVDs and Blu-rays for me, thank you very much.) And so I haven’t seen any of the ten films singled out for recognition.

That said, I think we can pretty much eliminate 80% of the contenders. The original Avatar was defeated by The Hurt Locker 13 years ago. Its follow-up, The Way Of Water, is not going to fare much better. The second Top Gun received far stronger reviews than its entertaining predecessor but it’s not going to win, either.

The European war remake All Quiet On The Western Front is this year’s Don’t Look Up, a film too divisive to generate substantial Academy support. Character pieces like Tar, Women Talking, Triangle Of Sadness and The Banshees Of Inisherin each have the Herculean task of trying to not cancel each other out while somehow individually rising to the top of the list in a very crowded category. Strong reviews won’t be enough to pull any of them ahead. In the case of Banshees, there’s been some very public tut-tutting about its supposed lack of authentic Irishness. The Weinstein smear campaign legacy never dies, does it?

I would also cross out Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis as a potential spoiler. Despite raves from reviewers and audiences, I just don’t see it happening.

When the nominations were first announced, only one title came to mine as a potential winner. And it wasn’t The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg’s attempt to recreate the origins of his young burgeoning love for filmmaking in the midst of his parents’ disintegrating marriage, although there was a brief period where I wondered if maybe it would belatedly rise in stature.

Unfortunately, despite mostly positive notices, the film was a commercial flop which doesn’t help its prospects.

Since its release a full year ago, Everything Everywhere All At Once has been literally everywhere. Movie theatres, film festivals, streaming services, the Internet, DVD & Blu-ray, year-end Top 10 lists, award shows. Making three times as much money as The Fabelmans but a 20th of Avatar 2’s two billion take, it continues a remarkable recent trend of Asian-oriented films with widespread appeal that the Academy can’t say no to. When the envelope is opened, Everything Everywhere All At Once will be read off the card.

BEST DIRECTOR – Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

I haven’t been as consistent on this in the past. But it only takes one burn to wise up.

The year The King’s Speech beat out The Social Network for Best Director, I had forgotten Roger Ebert’s edict. If you win the Director’s Guild Of America award, nine times out of ten you go on to win the Oscar. David Fincher didn’t win the DGA so I fucked up.

You’ll note I haven’t really made that mistake since. This year’s shortlist is all-male with Spielberg being the only previous winner. It’s been almost 25 years since he last snagged the golden gong for Saving Private Ryan. His drought will continue Sunday night.

Forget about everybody else. Because the two Daniels won the DGA for helming Everything Everywhere All At Once, hearing any other name being called out would be a genuine shock. Don’t expect it to happen.

BEST ACTOR – Brendan Fraser (THE WHALE)

A mix of familiar and unknown faces make up this year’s race for Best Actor.

I don’t hear a lot of outright enthusiasm for Paul Mescal securing his first big win. The same goes for longtime character vet Bill Nighy and one of my personal faves, Colin Farrell, still a lovable rascal after all these years. They’re just happy to be invited to the party.

From the beginning, this has been strictly a two-actor competition. Austin Butler has his fans being the latest young man to portray The King Of Rock & Roll on the big screen. Even the late Lisa Marie Presley vouched for him.

But look at those tearful speeches Brendan Fraser’s been making for his lead performance in The Whale. They always bring the house down. On Sunday night expect more of the same for the Canadian star who’s come a long way from the egregious Encino Man.

BEST ACTRESS – Michelle Yeoh (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

One of the more unusual stories of this year’s Oscars is the nomination of Andrea Riseborough for Best Actress. Her film, To Leslie, went mostly unnoticed by audiences. But her fellow actors, some of the biggest stars in the business, in fact, very publicly gave her a major, collective push resulting in her surprise admission to this exclusive short list.

The academy thought something was up but a very quick investigation, if you can even call it that, didn’t reveal anything that warranted her being rescinded from the category. So she stays. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, I just can’t foresee her winning, though, certainly not when you consider her competition.

The great Cate Blanchet who deserved her gongs for The Aviator and Blue Jasmine could play a spoiler here thanks to her latest acclaimed performance as the troubled real-life conductor who isn’t too pleased with the cinematic version of her story. Blanchet’s been compensated plenty in her career so I don’t think she joins the three-timers club, at least not yet.

Perennial bridesmaid Michelle Williams, now on her fifth acting nomination, probably thought she’d be a shoo-in for playing a thinly disguised version of Steven Spielberg’s mom in The Fabelmans. Honestly, she could still pull off an upset but she’s young and talented enough to give the academy more options to reward her in the future.

The gorgeous Cuban star Ana de Armas, so great as Ryan Gosling’s loyal, paid electronic plaything in Blade Runner 2049, is hoping to do what Williams couldn’t do eleven years ago. Win a golden gong for playing Marilyn Monroe. It would be a stunner if this happens but I highly doubt it.

That leaves Michelle Yeoh who first popped up on my radar in Supercop proving she was as credible an action star as her collaborator Jackie Chan. Those athletic chops paved the way for even better films like Tomorrow Never Dies and of course Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Seemingly lost in hopeless dreck like Last Christmas, she seemed rejuvenated by taking the lead in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Her Oscar win on Sunday will feel as much a career achievement as a historic milestone.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Angela Bassett (BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER)

It’s white privilege vs. women of colour in the race for Best Supporting Actress. History’s been overly generous to the former but that won’t mean a damn this year.

2023 marks the 45th Anniversary of the original Halloween, the brilliant indie horror behemoth that sadly birthed far too many inferior sequels including the recently misguided revisionist trilogy. It’s the movie that put Nepo Baby Jamie Lee Curtis on the map and afforded her so many other jobs far less connected performers would kill for if they could get away with it.

It’s the high she’s been chasing every since and while I’ve liked her in other films over the years (including a decent cameo in the Veronica Mars movie), nothing she’s done has ever topped it. Let’s be real, she wouldn’t even be here were it not for Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.

All that said, despite being nominated in the most decorated film at this year’s Oscars, Curtis can forget about cutting a victorious promo. It ain’t happening. Fellow white lady Kerry Condon doesn’t have a prayer, either.

Curtis’s co-star Stephanie Hsu, who actually plays two roles in Everything Everywhere All At Once, will sadly see her vote split preventing a full fledged triumph. And when it comes to The Whale, who remembers Hong Chau over Brendan Fraser?

Almost 30 years after missing out for her excellent portrayal of Tina Turner in the unflinching What’s Love Got To Do With It, it’s finally Angela Bassett’s moment. After the death of Chadwick Boseman, the future of the Black Panther franchise seemed bleak. But rather than recast the role, the filmmakers came up with a sequel that still managed to mostly satisfy the insatiable Marvel audience. When Boseman was shockingly upset by Anthony Hopkins a couple years ago in a category that should not have been the last one presented, many were irate about the unexpected snub. Here’s a small way to make up for that.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Ke Huy Quan (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

It’s young vs. old in the competition for Best Supporting Actor. You’ve got longtime character legends like 67-year-old Brendan Gleeson and 87-year-old Judd Hirsch each probably thinking it’s now or never to snag a golden gong after all this time. (Hirsch was last nominated in 1981 for Ordinary People.)

Then there are the much younger first-timers: Barry Keoghan who’s 30 and 40-year-old Atlanta regular Bryan Tyree Henry.

Unfortunately, not one of them will be called to the stage. That’s because the winner will be Ke Huy Quan. I had forgotten until I started looking it up that he was the annoying Short Round in The Temple Of Doom, the least appealing Indiana Jones adventure from the original series. Of course, he was also in The Goonies, which has aged so poorly I’m wondering why I ever liked it as a kid.

Frustrated with the lack of non-stereotypical roles available in his youth, Quan switched to fight choregraphy sometime in the mid-90s. But now in his early 50s, yet still looking impossibly boyish with his trademark glasses and short hair, he’s back working a more regular acting schedule.

Sunday night is looking like a pretty strong night for former cast members of Encino Man.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE – ARGENTINA, 1985

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – TOP GUN: MAVERICK

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – Lift Me Up (BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

BEST FILM EDITING – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

BEST COSTUME DESIGN – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING – THE WHALE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – ELVIS

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – ELVIS

BEST SOUND – TOP GUN: MAVERICK

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT – LE PUPILLE

BEST ANIMATED SHORT – MY YEAR OF DICKS

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT – STRANGER AT THE GATE

Dennis Earl
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Saturday, March 11, 2023
12:46 a.m.