The 92nd Academy Awards

Last night was the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony. This was absolutely the earliest that the awards have ever been held (those of you who are my age might remember when they fell in March or April). Having only seen one of the nominated films (Once Upon a Time..in Hollywood), I cannot speak of the winners and losers, but I have to say that the ceremony itself was a hot mess. Sadly, this has been true of the past many Oscars ceremonies.

To begin with, I think the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences really should rethink not having a host. Both last year and this year the Oscars ceremony did not have a host and as a result both seemed to me to be a bit disjointed. While the Academy Awards have had some truly great hosts and some truly bad ones, the one thing all hosts have done is insure that the ceremony flows smoothly. In my opinion both last year's Oscars and this year's Oscars just seemed to go from one thing to another without much rhyme or reason. A host could have alleviated that problem to a large degree.

As to the ceremony itself, I have to say that I really enjoyed the opening number with Janelle Monáe and Billy Porter. They are both consummate performers and they really helped bring the Oscars alive. I also liked the opening monologue by Steve Martin and Chris Rock, who were both truly funny. As to the presenters, Salma Hayek and Oscar Isaac were among those who stood out for me. The two of them simply radiated charm and an Old Hollywood vibe. I also enjoyed Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus presenting the awards for Best Cinematography and Best Editing. I found the two absolutely uproarious. Finally, I have to single out Penelope Cruz for presenting Best International Feature Film (formerly Best Foreign Language Film). Not only was she entrancing, but she also wore what I thought was the best gown of the night. Of course, there were those presenters I thought were, well, bad. Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig are both very funny ladies, but I thought their presentation of the awards for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design just fell flat. It was so unfunny that for possibly the first time in my life I was anxious for Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig to leave the stage!

As far as the acceptance speeches go, I thought the best were given by Parasite (2019) director Bong Joon-ho. Even after winning multiple Oscars, he was able to deliver a sterling acceptance speech for Best Director, in which he gave shout outs to Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. I also have to mention his interpreter, Sharon Choi, who as his interpreter throughout this awards season. While many interpreters are somewhat robotic, Miss Choi was able to quickly interpret what Bong Joon-ho was saying while at the same time retaining the emotion behind what he was saying as well. Here I must mention that she is a filmmaker in her own right and she is currently working on her own feature length script. I was also impressed by Laura Dern's acceptance speech. She acknowledged her two legendary parents, actors Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern.

This Academy Awards ceremony continued the trend of the past few years of fewer clips, although there was a notable montage of music from the movies during last night's ceremony. Sadly, this montage was poorly done and did not acknowledge some of the most iconic songs in movies. "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz (1939) was missing. "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca (1942) was missing. There were no songs from the classic musicals of the Golden Age of Hollywood. In fact, the oldest clips seemed to date no earlier than 1967. To make matters worse, following the montage viewers were subjected to Eminem. Now I know Eminem has his fans, but I am not one of them. In fact, to understand how unhappy I was that Eminem performed at the Oscars, picture being forced to listen to your least favourite artist from your least favourite genre ever. I also have to add, that if they did not have Eminem's performance during the ceremony, they could have had a longer In Memoriam reel...

As to this years In Memoriam reel, I don't think it was quite as bad as last year's reel, in which Aretha Franklin, Julie Adams, and Carol Channing were left out, as well as my beloved Vanessa Marquez despite a petition that ultimately exceeded 12,000 signatures. That having been said, last night's on-air In Memoriam left a lot to be desired. First, while it is one of my all time favourite songs, I am not sure "Yesterday" is suitable for an In Memoriam. After all, the song is about lost love, not grief due to a loved one who has died. Second, I think Billie Elish's rendition of the song may be one of the worst renditions of "Yesterday" I have ever heard (and I have heard some pretty bad ones). Third, the whole In Memoriam was shot at odd angles, making it difficult at times to see the screen (which is, after all, how we see who is being honoured during the In Memoriam).

Fourth, while it seemed to me that last night's In Memoriam was more inclusive than last year when it came to stars viewers truly love, there were some beloved artists who were left out. This year they omitted Tim Conway, Carol Lynley, René Auberjonois, Luke Perry, Herman Wouk, and Larry Cohen. In fact, those omitted from the In Memoriam reel make for a very long list. For a more complete list, please visit Sister Celluloid's excellent post. Of course, to make matters worse, while omitting such big names as Tim Conway and Carol Lynley, the Academy saw fit to honour Kobe Bryant in the In Memoriam reel. Now Mr. Bryant did win an Oscar for Best Animated Short for "Dear Basketball," but that seems to be the extent of his contribution to film history. I also realize that Kobe Bryant was a well loved NBA player and he has a legion of fans around the world. That having been said, to me honouring Kobe Bryant in the In Memoriam reel at the Oscars while leaving out people who made a lasting contribution to cinema would be a bit like honouring Doris Day in the In Memoriam reel at the ESPY Awards while leaving out Bart Starr, Jim Bouton, Don Larsen, and, well, Kobe Bryant.

Now I know the Academy is always pointing out that they have a longer, more inclusive In Memoriam on their website, but the plain truth is that most film fans want to see their favourites honoured during the broadcast. They could easily do a longer In Memoriam reel (TCM Remembers, Turner Classic Movies' end-of-the-year In Memoriam, always runs about four minutes) by simply cutting out some of the unnecessary musical performances and cutting out some of the banter. Besides which, why is the Academy so concerned about shortening the Oscars ceremony? Quite frankly, I enjoyed the ceremony much, much more when it was longer!

I am truly hoping that next year's Academy Awards ceremony will be better. I really think that next year they should have a host, as the Oscars traditionally have. I really think the only musical numbers should be an opening number and the performances of the Best Song nominees (no Eminem unless he is nominated for Best Song). And, as for the In Memoriam, make sure that viewers at home can see the whole screen and make it longer and more inclusive. Last night's Academy Awards ceremony reached a new low in the ratings, only 23.6 million viewers. If they would try to make the Oscars ceremonies as good as those of old, I think they might find they will get more viewers.