Recapping The 97th Academy Awards
I should be in my bunker writing my book, but I’ve briefly emerged to keep my fingers working.
I always keep an eye on the Oscars, despite the awards show not having a history of choosing the best or most impactful films from a given year. However, Oscar season is always a nice opportunity to catch up on the relevant films of the previous year.
Surprisingly, there was little drama, no slaps or wrong announcements, the only interest was in the films themselves.
Heading into the 97th Academy Awards, I was uncharacteristically well-prepared. Here are a couple of thoughts about the three most important awards.
Best Picture
WINNER: Anora
Verdict: Reasonable
For all its sexy bells and whistles, Anora was a romantic comedy about a worldly woman trying to have a relationship with a billionaire man-child. It had great comic set pieces (the never-ending car journey) and emotional depth (Igor!), so this is a defensible winner.
My pick: Conclave or The Brutalist
I’m shocked the Academy missed the chance to give the award to the three-and-a-half-hour epic, The Brutalist. Rewarding a film about a stripper with abundant nudity seems out of character.
I would argue that Conclave had the tightest and most gripping plot of any of these, a gripping thriller set around the election of a new Pope.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
WINNER: Mikey Madison – Anora
Verdict: Unfair
We don’t necessarily want the awards to be solely based on past performance, but coming into the ceremony it was expected that Demi Moore would win for The Substance. She deserved to win for putting her career on the line to appear in such a risky film with an important message.
Starring as an aging actress who tries to reverse society’s focus on women’s appearance, she takes drastic measures, and the entire film is carried by Moore. I can’t see another actress carrying such a film; whereas Mikey Madison was good, I never felt that the performance was unique.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Verdict: Fair
The narrative in the run-up to the awards was that this year’s Best Actor would be a titanic battle between veteran Adrien Brody and young upstart Timothée Chalamet for his role as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
In the end, the experienced actor took his second Oscar and gave the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history. He is two for two in terms of Oscar nominations and wins and made his girlfriend catch his disgusting chewing gum.
