I’ll start out with some positives from the 2026 Academy Awards. One, Conan O’Brien did a great job as host, once again, and he kept it moving and didn’t dawdle with too many long, drawn-out bits. Many of his opening jokes were amazing. Two, the show didn’t go too far over and it didn’t feel like everyone was punch-drunk by the end. Three, the Oscar wins for Sinners were ELITE! I also loved that Marty Supreme was completely shut out. Now for the bad stuff: it felt so typical of Hollywood that they gave Best Picture to One Battle After Another and not Sinners, all while positioning Sinners so prominently for months beforehand. The sound and sound mixing for the Oscar broadcast was HORRIFIC. They also bizarrely left tons of people out of the In Memoriam section. Anyway, I’m including some of my personal highlights below, these are in no way comprehensive.
So many of Conan’s jokes were great in the opening monologue, but people especially loved the ballet & opera one. The Weapons bit was great too.
The Oscars found a way to brilliantly “recreate” the juke joint scene in Sinners for Miles Caton’s performance of “I Lied to You.” It was terrific and this was the best the sound-mixing got last night. It was all downhill after this. I loved the “cameo” by Jack O’Connell too.
Sinners’ cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first-ever woman to win Best Cinematography and she’s also the first woman of color to win in this category as well. What a historic moment.
Michael B. Jordan’s win for Sinners was amazing, although it did feel like the Academy was chasing the high from his SAG/Actor win. Still, I loved the looks on Ethan Hawke, Wagner Moura and Leonardo DiCaprio’s faces – they were proud uncles! There was a cutaway to Jesse Plemons too, who is friends with MBJ from Friday Night Lights, and Jesse was so pleased for his friend. Teyana Taylor was thrilled too! MBJ really felt the weight and history of the moment – he’s only the sixth Black man to win Best Actor. I’m so glad he had his parents there too.
I loved everything about Amy Madigan and her win, up to and including her husband Ed Harris’s presence and support. He was so proud of her! What a moment!
Putting Anne Hathaway and Anna Wintour together as presenters was brilliant.
If nothing else, Ryan Coogler finally won his first Oscar, for Best Original Screenplay for Sinners. Thank God he won something.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Miles Caton (center) performs onstage during the 98th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.,Image: 1083372006, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: LCY/Avalon
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- Ryan Coogler with the Oscar for Original Screenplay backstage with Paul Thomas Anderson with the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.,Image: 1083377266, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Harbaugh / The Academy/Avalon
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- Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Goransson, Michael B. Jordan and Autumn Durald Arkapaw backstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.,Image: 1083397415, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Etienne Laurent / The Academy/Avalon
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- Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler pose backstage with the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.,Image: 1083397548, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Etienne Laurent / The Academy/Avalon
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- Jessie Buckley, Michael B. Jordan and Amy Madigan pose backstage with the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.,Image: 1083397633, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: LCY/Avalon
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- Conan O’Brien hosts the 98th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.,Image: 1083410274, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red/Avalon
One day, Ryan Coogler will win best director and best picture. I’m happy that Michael B Jordan won.
This. His day will come
I have to wonder if that’s part of Sinners not getting Director or Picture—Coogler is young and super talented, and the Academy assumed he’s got more great films to award at some later date. I wish they wouldn’t think that way, and would reward good work when it’s made. Like OBAA wasn’t PTA’s best work, either. It’s frustrating but I am so so glad he got Screenplay.
SINNERS was a masterpiece. It’ll be discussed and referenced for years later. I find rhe discussion within the Black community about Shaboozey participating in that sequence so us. LOL. We are very Pepperidge Farms Remember over his comments from the Grammy’s. Also love that Misty Copeland performed in part due to her movie reference that was woven into that scene. I skipped even tangentially paying attention because I knew they were going to short change SINNERS. Last, I really really hope Miles becomes the new generation Denzel.
Admittedly my social media algorithm is skewered but it felt like Sinners ruled last night: there was Autumn’s historic win and beautiful speech, everyone in that room loved MBJ (loved his speech shouting out the other black winners, particularly that he included Halle), all the winners gushed over Ryan Coogler (actually the whole damn cast and crew gushed over each other), and then the big musical number was amazing. The film didn’t win the big prizes but still felt like it got an inordinate amount of love.
It feels like Sinners will be remembered moreso than the actual winner. Sigh. Loved all the wins they did get though. Love seeing them holding those statues.
Yeah, all we are going to remember is Sinners got robbed. I will 100% not be able to remember what won by next year’s Oscars.
There is a whole cottage industry at Oscar time around naming pictures that shouldn’t have won when there is a better film available. And the voters tend to choose Black themed movies from a white perspective rather than Black themed movies from a Black perspective. That never seems to change.
This is so nice, I’m so happy for them because I really did think that they were going to get shut out. It’s one of the multitude of reasons that I stopped watching Oscars about 20 years ago. They take forever, anything that has popular appeal if it even gets nominated never wins, and half of the voting academy admits that they don’t even watch all the movies.
That being said, I am so happy that Sinners is getting the recognition it deserved. I barely go see movies in theaters anymore, and I left the theater after watching that standing in the parking lot booking a ticket to go see it again. It was just phenomenal work. I wish they had won more of the technical awards, because I do feel like that’s where it really stood out in addition to Michael’s acting and the screenplay.
Someone pointed out that Michael B. Jordan gave one twin dimples, and the other didn’t have them. As a fellow dimples owner, I do not know how this is even achievable. I have no control over that part of my face, I smile, they appear.
I am going to spend so much time thinking about this, he poured so much into those performances.
The fact that an almost 100 year old award show is only awarding its 6th black male lead is appalling. No wonder black people simply dont care anymore of what movie or performance wins as long as its a black person. We just want our people to win.
But the SAG awards was lovely and the NAACP Image Awards was so beautiful and uplifting. I truly don’t care about the Oscar’s and admittedly post-Will Smith debacle was handled I care even less.
Sinners was the movie that got me back in theater after the pandemic. I’ve enjoyed the fan art, the skits people posted about being careful who you let in, the commentaries, the analysis of certain scenes and costumes. Sinners will continue to be discussed and remembered. OBAA I don’t think will have the same impact long term.
OBAA was good, no doubt. Sean Penn was overrated in that one and Delroy should have won (based on the movies I saw) but the movie itself was pretty good.
But Sinners was just a class of its own and it deserved Best Picture. I think I said when the nominations came out that it would win original screenplay and then the voters would think they had done enough and that would be it. I’m glad I was partly wrong about that and Jordan won and the cinematography and sound wins were big.
But still.
Well at least Emma stone didn’t win for that horrible movie and at least Chalamet was shut out lol.
I’m at odds with this group, but I was so hyped to see Sinners and then it felt so very flat to me. I also wasn’t surprised at Penn’s Oscar win, but was disappointed because I thought there were more deserving nominees. Other than that, I hugely enjoyed Timothee and his movie getting shut out, loved that for him lol.
Isn’t Autumn the first person of color to win? As well as being the first woman?
Yes, and only 4 women ever nominated!
I hope Kaiser posts that video of Leo just straight up snuggling MBJ later on. It was great. Leo was so proud. I am glad that Timothy I am just a bro bro lost. He looked messy as heck last night.
I loved the clips of Teyana Taylor going crazy when Michael won…..as she was sitting next to Leo lol, who also seemed excited for him (genuinely excited).
I dunno guys. I’m starting to really like Leo DiCaprio again lol. I know we all make fun of him for his dating history but he supports the women in his movies and seems more invested in their nominations than his own, and it was clear that he was thrilled for MBJ last night. I feel like he has his Oscar and that’s enough for him and he’s here for others getting recognized as well.
Same. The way he supports his female costars in the past two films has been cool to see. I would like to see him one day work with a female director, just saying though. Since he never has. But he tends to like working with the same male directors. A little variation there wouldn’t hurt though. He’s also lost weight and if you told me some face work was done I’d believe it. Subtle though.
I saw a clip of MBJ announced as the winner and Leo immediately stood up/seemed the first to stand and I loved that. I don’t know how they know each other (I saw the hug clip!) but I love that he’s so supportive.
Where’s Wallace???
He s picking up an Oscar in Hollywood!
That one is for The Wire fans, the show where he showed everybody what would come. GO Wallace.
Wallace!
But what about Timothy Chalamet’s face when Michael B. Jordan won the Oscar? I am SOOOOO glad Michael won it (and so glad Timothy did not). I’d like to point out that the great director Spike Lee got his ONE Oscar for Best Original Screenplay too, I think. It’s the consolation prize for Black directors who should have won the Best Director award. I stand by that. I wish Teyana won because I love her, though I saw neither her nor Amy Madigan’s films. I wonder how long it will be before the shine of Timothy’s relationship with Kylie wears off. My prediction is we will not see her frequently accompanying him to big events in future. She served her purpose, I suppose. Of course, the real winner of Best Actor was probably with someone, too, but it wasn’t so blatantly shoved in our faces like with the Kylie/Timothy “romance.”
Same as it ever was. A truly progressive flick loses Best Picture to one that pulls its racial punches.🤬🤬The Academy did this same crap with Black Panther losing to Green Book. Man, a lot of Academy folks must hate Sinners’ excellence—and Coogler’s unprecedented deal. I hoped I’d be wrong, but…🤬🤬
Deering, you are absolutely right. I so wanted Ryan Coogler to get best director. How many Black men or women did win for Best Director? I don’t feel like looking it up, but some people are more comfortable with a (white) man at the top, just as some are more comfortable with a white quarterback. And of course, a white/orange president. It sucks.
On Threads some commentary came up for me from a Black user and they called the whole thing: that Michael B. Jordan would win best Actor and Ryan Coogler would win Best Screenplay but he would lose Best Director. And that Sinners would lose Best Picture and One Battle After Another would win instead. It was a whole 30+ part thesis explaining their rationale and logistics behind the whole thing, it was really interesting. I wish I could share the username because it was very educational but anyways, it was eerie how this person predicted how it would exactly go.
Also glad Timothee Chalamet got nothing. He’s kind of been the Anne Hathaway of this year (love Anne Hathaway but the year she was nominated for Les Mis as Best Supporting Actress she was insufferable too during her Oscar campaigning).
Putting together the juke joint from Sinners for I Lied To You then adding a Native American dancer, an Asian dancer and Misty Copeland was sublime, a moment of sheer perfection. Timeless. I knew Golden was getting best song but I’m a huge fan of the Blues and would’ve voted for I Lied To You. I started going to Blues clubs when I was in high school so this was a thrill.