2021 Oscar Results

 

I know this post is coming much later than usual, but I've had a very busy week and putting together a post like this is quite time-consuming, believe it or not... Anyways, I offer my sincerest apologies for not sharing this in a timely fashion. It's almost been a week since the Oscars ceremony, but I'd much rather share my thoughts now than never. 

Though I saw all the Best Picture nominees beforehand, I unfortunately haven't shared reviews for all of them just yet. I'm dedicating this weekend toward catching up on Film Assessment. Once I'm caught up on my reviews, I'll finally share a list of my Top 10 films released in 2020. That said, there were plenty of great films released last year regardless of the theater closures. I'll get to my grievances with the telecast momentarily, but the Academy did a great job recognizing the artists responsible. The ceremony went hostess once more, and I think that's proving to be a positive change. This year's telecast was promoted to feel like a movie, and honestly I'm not so sure it did.

Aside from the aspect ratio and opening monologue, it rarely felt cinematic. More or less, this Oscars was a traditional awards ceremony with a few notable changes. I liked the change of scenery from the Dolby Theater to Union Station to better allow for social distancing. I also appreciated that the winners were allowed to speak as long as they'd like and were never played off. The vibe of the evening felt more relaxed and laidback compared to the usual event. Changes that I was not a fan of were the absence of clips showcasing the work being recognized. The "In Memorium" was notably rushed so you could hardly read the names onscreen. Not to mention the upbeat song which accompanied it. Lastly, there was the anticlimactic finale which I'll address below... It was a train wreck of epic proportions.

As for the awards themselves, I'm going to list out the nominees, my predictions, what I was rooting for, and the actual winner with additional commentary for the major categories. I'll also include some images and videos of my favorite moments from the night where appropriate, so this is basically a cliff-notes for the Oscars if you didn't tune in. For the most part, things played out as expected, and I even correctly predicted 14 winners of the total 23 categories. 

2021 Oscar Results  

Best Picture

"The Father"

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Mank"

"Minari"

"Nomadland"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Predicted Winner: "Nomadland"
My Choice: "The Father," "Promising Young Woman," or "Minari" (All deserving)
Actual winner: "Nomadland"

I'm sure that the producers had good intentions by rearranging the order of categories that were announced. It certainly changed things up, but not for the better... Best Picture and Best Director, usually reserved for the very end of the ceremony, were announced much earlier. I felt this robbed the winners of their moment in the spotlight, considering they were overshadowed by what followed... Yes, it was worse than the Moonlight/La La Land mix-up.

And no, I don't mean Nomadland winning... (see Best Actor for more clarity)

Best Director

Emerald Fennell, "Promising Young Woman"

David Fincher, "Mank"

Lee Isaac Chung, "Minari"

Thomas Vinterberg, "Another Round"

Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"

Predicted Winner: Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"
My Choice: All deserving
Actual winner: Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"

Zhao's win may have been predictable, but it was also ground-breaking. She's the second woman to ever win this Oscar and the first Asian woman to ever win in the category. She also gave a very nice speech, which I'll embed below.

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed, "Sound of Metal"

Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"

Gary Oldman, "Mank"

Steven Yeun, "Minari"

Predicted Winner: Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
My Choice: Riz Ahmed, "Sound of Metal," Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," and Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"
Actual winner: Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"

Best Actor and Actress were saved for last, and the reasoning was very apparent. The producers had hoped that Chadwick Boseman would win Best Actor and the night would end with a fitting tribute for him. However, Anthony Hopkins upset in that category. That wasn't the issue though... The issue was that Anthony Hopkins wasn't in attendance, nor was he allowed to Zoom in... The night ended with Joaquin Phoenix awkwardly saying that the Academy would accept the award on Hopkins' behalf, so there was no speech to close out the night. 

Hopkins is 83 years old, now the oldest actor to win an Academy Award. Naturally, he wasn't interested in traveling to attend amidst a pandemic, so it's strange to hear his request to attend via Zoom was turned down. Supposedly, his co-star Olivia Colman was also going to accept the Oscar for him, but that didn't happen for unspecified reasons. Hopkins' victory was well-deserved, but awkward and very anti-climactic given the circumstances, which is such a shame. 

Best Actress

Viola Davis, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Andra Day, "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"

Vanessa Kirby, "Pieces of a Woman"

Frances McDormand, "Nomadland"

Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"

Predicted Winner: Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"
My Choice: Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"
Actual winner: Frances McDormand, "Nomadland"

Frances McDormand gave a very short speech for her third acting Oscar (she also won her fourth Academy Award that evening for Best Picture since she produced Nomadland). Though she gave a great performance, I personally would have chosen any of the other four actresses... Especially since McDormand has already won two acting Oscars.

Best Supporting Actor

Sacha Baron Cohen, "The Trial of the Chicago 7"
Daniel Kaluuya, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Leslie Odom Jr., "One Night in Miami"

Paul Raci, "Sound of Metal"

LaKeith Stanfield, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

Predicted Winner: Daniel Kaluuya, "Judas and the Black Messiah"
My Choice: Daniel Kaluuya, "Judas and the Black Messiah" or Paul Raci, "Sound of Metal"
Actual winner: Daniel Kaluuya, "Judas and the Black Messiah"

I am so ecstatic about this win. Daniel Kaluuya has proven himself to be a very versatile actor on the rise, so I'm glad to see him recognized for just that. He also had one or two amusing moments in his speech, so I think it's worth watching.

Best Supporting Actress

Maria Bakalova, "Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm"

Glenn Close, "Hillbilly Elegy"

Olivia Colman, "The Father"

Amanda Seyfried, "Mank"

Youn Yuh-Jung, "Minari"

Predicted Winner: Youn Yuh-Jung, "Minari"
My Choice: Maria Bakalova, "Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm," or Youn Yuh-Jung, "Minari"
Actual winner: Youn Yuh-Jung, "Minari"

Another win that I was happy to see. Youn Yuh-Jung became the first Korean actress to win an Oscar.

Best Original Screenplay

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Minari"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Predicted Winner: "Promising Young Woman"
My Choice: "Promising Young Woman"
Actual winner: "Promising Young Woman"

I adored Promising Young Woman, so naturally, I was excited to see it win here. 

Best Adapted Screenplay

"Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm"

"The Father"

"Nomadland"

"One Night in Miami"

"The White Tiger"

Predicted Winner: "Nomadland"
My Choice: "The Father"
Actual winner: "The Father"

Again, I was excited to see The Father get the recognition it truly deserves. It is without a doubt one of the best stage-to-screen adaptations I have ever seen. I highly recommend you give it a chance.

Best Film Editing

"The Father"

"Nomadland"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Predicted Winner: "Trial of the Chicago 7"
My Choice: "The Father" or "Sound of Metal"
Actual winner: "Sound of Metal"

Another great win for a great film. You can currently stream Sound of Metal on Prime Video, so get to it!

Best Cinematography

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Mank"

"News of the World"

"Nomadland"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Predicted Winner: "Nomadland"
My Choice: "Nomadland"
Actual winner: "Mank"

Another upset from the ceremony that's well deserved in my book. 

Best Costume Design

"Emma"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"Mulan"

"Pinocchio"

Predicted Winner: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
My Choice: "Emma" or "Mank"
Actual winner: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Not my personal choice, but this film does have some showy costumes. Again, costume designer Ann Roth wasn't in attendance or allowed to Zoom in, so they awkwardly brushed over this category.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"Emma"

"Hillbilly Elegy"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"Pinocchio"

Predicted Winner: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
My Choice: "Pinocchio"
Actual winner: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Not a surprise in the slightest. 

Best Production Design

"The Father"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

"Mank"

"News of the World"

"Tenet"

Predicted Winner: "Mank"
My Choice: "The Father" or "Tenet"
Actual winner: "Mank"

My choices skewed non-traditional, but Mank is deserving in my book. 

Best Visual Effects

"Love and Monsters"

"The Midnight Sky"

"Mulan"

"The One and Only Ivan"

"Tenet"

Predicted Winner: "The Midnight Sky"
My Choice: "Tenet"
Actual winner: "Tenet"

I am over the moon to see Tenet walk away from the ceremony with at least one Oscar.

Best Sound

"Greyhound"

"Mank"

"News of the World"

"Soul"

"Sound of Metal"

Predicted Winner: "Sound of Metal"
My Choice: "Sound of Metal"
Actual winner: "Sound of Metal"

Of course, the film with the word "sound" in the title wins Best Sound. 

Best Original Song

"Fight For You" from "Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Hear My Voice" from "The Trial of the Chicago 7"

"Húsavík" from "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"

"Io Si (Seen)" from "The Life Ahead"

"Speak Now" from "One Night in Miami"

Predicted Winner: "Io Is (Seen)" from "The Life Ahead"
My Choice:  "Speak Now" from "One Night in Miami "
Actual winner: "Fight For You" from "Judas and the Black Messiah"

A fairly generic pop song in my opinion, but whatever... 

Best Original Score

"Da 5 Bloods"

"Mank"

"Minari"

"News of the World"

"Soul"

Predicted Winner: "Soul"
My Choice: "Da 5 Bloods," "Minari," or "Soul"
Actual winner: "Soul"

Cool to see Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross scoop up a second Oscar for this category and even lose to themselves (since they were also nominated for Mank). Even better for Jon Batiste to scoop up his first, and I liked that Reznor and Ross let him speak for the entire duration of the speech. I haven't stopped listening to Soul's score since seeing it, so once again, I'm happy!

Best Animated Feature

"Onward"

"Over The Moon"

"A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon" 

"Soul"

"Wolfwalkers"

Predicted Winner: "Soul"

My Choice: "Soul" or "Wolfwalkers"

Actual winner: "Soul"

Disney and Pixar almost always emerge triumphant here. I loved Soul, so I'm happy, but Wolfwalkers is just as deserving in my mind. I wish that Kemp Powers could have gone up to accept the award alongside Pete Docter and Dana Murray since he co-directed with them, but the stipulations for the nominees in this particular category are strange. 

Best International Feature Film

"Another Round"

"Better Days"

"Collective"

"The Man Who Sold His Skin"

"Quo Vadis, Aida?"

Predicted Winner: "Another Round"

My Choice: "Another Round"

Actual winner: "Another Round"

This was hands-down my favorite victory and speech of the night. Another Round is admittedly the only nominee I saw in this category, but this film is special. I wish the filmmaker responsible for the film actually won in this category, but the Academy's stipulations for awarding the country of origin are cemented for some reason. Anyways, I'm glad Thomas Vinterberg was able to accept the Oscar. He was so genuine and it was heartbreaking to hear him discuss the circumstances of this production... Vinterberg experienced an unfathomable tragedy four days into shooting the film when his daughter Ida was killed in a car accident. But the way he is so appreciative of the cast, crew, studio, and his family for supported him amidst this terrible hardship and dedication of the award to Ida genuinely brought tears to my eye. If you're interested in seeing Another Round, it's currently streaming on Hulu and I cannot recommend it enough.

Best Documentary Feature

"Collective"

"Crip Camp"

"The Mole Agent"

"My Octopus Teacher"

"Time"

Predicted Winner: "My Octopus Teacher"

Actual winner: "My Octopus Teacher"

I haven't seen any of the films nominated from this point on, so I don't really have any additional commentary. 

Best Documentary, Short Subject

"Collette"
"A Concerto is a Conversation"
"Do Not Split"
"Hunger Ward"
"A Love Song for Latasha"

Predicted Winner: "A Love Song for Latasha"

Actual winner: "Collette"

Best Short Film, Live Action

"Feeling Through"

"The Letter Room"

"The Present"

"Two Distant Strangers"

"White Eye"

Predicted Winner: "Two Distant Strangers"

Actual winner: "Two Distant Strangers"

Best Short Film, Animated

"Burrow"

"Genius Loci"

"If Anything Happens I Love You"

"Opera"

"Yes People"

Predicted Winner: "Burrow"

Actual winner: "If Anything Happens I Love You"