The 2020 Oscars were much better than I was expecting in many ways, and yet this is still a grueling awards show which could be edited down by a good 30 to 50 minutes. I’m still aglow because Bong Joon-ho won a million Oscars, and because Keanu Reeves and Diane Keaton need to make another rom-com together, like, yesterday. For an awards show that can get any presenter they want, didn’t it seem like the combinations of presenters was… a struggle this year? But Keanu Reeves & Diane Keaton are perfect together.
KEANU REEVES HUGGING BONG JOON HO. THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE TWEET. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/h5tRJkwY3B
— déia (@partygirlu2) February 10, 2020
Anyway, here are some highlights/notables of this year’s Oscars:
The Hostless Oscars. I actually forgot how screwed up last year’s opening was with the musical performance, and they decided to do it again, only they gave it to Janelle Monae to perform this strange musical number where people dressed up and random film characters danced. It was… not good. The one nice thing was when Janelle said: “Tonight we celebrate all the amazing talent in this room. We celebrate all the women who directed phenomenal films. And I’m so proud to stand here as a black queer artist telling stories. Happy Black History Month.” Except… the Oscar nominations mostly went to white dudes telling stories about white dudes.
Chris Rock & Steve Martin. They were tasked with doing a jokey opening after Janelle’s “opening.” And their jokes were a struggle for the most part. This was part of the night’s theme – the Oscar producers thought that if they acknowledged Oscars So White a million times and pushed a diversity/feminist narrative, maybe we wouldn’t make fun of them?
Best Screenplay Oscars. Taiki Waititi won Best Adapted & Bong Joon ho won Original Screenplay! There was so much joy for these two amazing men!!!
Random Eminem performance. I said this on Twitter, and I say it every year: one way to cut down on the Oscars running over time is to cut out all of the utterly random montages of “hey, remember these songs in movies?” And then Eminem came out at the end and performed his Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself” for no apparent reason. I… still don’t get it. Did they invite him to do that song because all of this year’s Song nominees were kind of boring? Also, Idina Menzel’s reaction.
Idina Menzel (@idinamenzel) is everyone during @Eminem's surprise performance of "Lose Yourself" at the #Oscars https://t.co/US8LHQAufU pic.twitter.com/a1DT3zPOV7
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 10, 2020
Cynthia Erivo’s performance. Honestly, most of the Best Song nominees were perfectly nice but perfectly boring. But Cynthia’s performance was lovely. I also liked Elton John’s performance, honestly (and he ended up winning). But… regardless of how much I liked those two performances, there was actually too much music this year. You can’t replace “one Oscar host” with “a million musical pieces.”
The Night of Bong Joon-ho. When Bong Joon-ho won for Best Director, I was prepared for the Best Picture split – I thought, at the last minute, best Picture would go to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or something. Turns out, not so much. The Academy really did love Parasite as much as everybody else. So we got to FEAST on all of this massive wins for Parasite – it ended up winning Best Original Screenplay, Best International Film, Best Director and Best Picture. It’s remarkable that this is the first year in so long where the best film of the year actually WON.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and WENN.
1917 didn’t win best movie. Christian Bale wasn’t even nominated . So disappointed. But at least Roger Deakins won he’s a legend and a great man so I am happy for him and for the 3 1917 wins and the 2 Ford v Ferrari wins and the parasite foreign language win but nothing else especially the parasite best picture win. 1917 was robbed and Christian Bale was snubbed. Don’t even know if Oscars deserts to be watched by me again next year will see the nominations.
In a year when the nominations have been generally disappoint, a 1917 win would have made me officially, formally give up on the Oscars. That movie was undoubtedly a technical feat, but a “war is bad” film that’s been recognised at the Oscars countless times already (and felt like watching a video game, to me). Parasite got what it deserved!
Blerg … old white guys making war movies? I am so over it. War is so atrocious, so horrifying. Do something like Jojo Rabbit … a new take. Why, why, old men and their war movies. I know service is necessary but soldiers who do come home come home with PTSD. It is horrific and just … glorifying it seems so, so terribly wrong.
I was thrilled Parasite won. Thrilled.
1917 really, REALLY didn’t glorify war. Still having nightmares weeks after having seen it
@pineapple — did you see 1917? It most definitely did not glorify war (If anything, highlighted the pointlessness of the amount of blood shed during WW1). I’m happy that Parasite won but 1917 was a very good, technically impressive film.
Diane Keaton stop. Someone close to her needs to torch those coats and hats and belts and turtlenecks she cannot let go of.
Please don’t take down someone’s style… If someone is wearing a contract gown I’m all for dissecting it but when someone really really has a comfortable image built overt the years I’m in awe. It might no be for you, but it clearly is for HER.
Clothes are a form of freedom very few people allow themselves and it’s a shame.
I just think it would be fun to see what she actually looks like under all of those clothes. She definitely wants to be covered head to toe, but seeing her without a hat and those little glasses would be nice. But they’re her armor, and to each their own.
I like how she is so open to having her homes featured in architectural magazines but she wraps herself up in a cocoon of clothes for public appearances. It’s very consistent image-making, giving the public some sense of intimacy and ability to ‘know’ her, but via her house rather than her uniform-esque fashion style.
I love how you can count on her wonderful nuttiness with her clothing. I just love seeing her. That is a women who knows what she likes.
I find it hard to imagine DK in a gown of any sort. She has developed her style over 50 years and it suits her. She reminds me of Katharine Hepburn in how she goes her own way, no matter what.
Exactly. And I personally love seeing someone do their own thing in sea of other actresses wearing dresses other people picked out for them.
Diane Keaton is 74 years old. She has ALWAYS had her own sense of style. Her personal style sparked a whole style trend back in the 70’s (Annie Hall).
Not everyone has to look alike. Or wear the same things. I respect that Diane has her own aesthetic and has never allowed anyone to change it. It may not be YOUR style. But it is HERS. That’s why it’s called PERSONAL style.
American Factory won Best Documentary!! Directors Julia and Steven are beloved members of the Dayton community, and they have really close ties to a local university. There were watch parties all over Dayton last night, and social media blew up as we all celebrated their win. This is the documentary that the Obamas produced.
If you haven’t yet seen American Factory on Netflix, you’re missing a fascinating documentary. It’s frankly incredible that they were able to capture so many intimate, candid moments that make you wonder whether the subjects completely forgot they were being filmed–even as they spoke to the camera.
Bonus: Watch for Senator Sherrod Brown to seize his moment during filming–it’s glorious!
Will do. Thanks
Ooooh, I will watch this also. Thanks so much for the recommendation. XO
Parasite is such an amazing film. So glad it won!!
I actually loved seeing Janelle and Eminem. And while I was obviously thrilled for the Parasite fam, I was especially moved by Taika’s reaction!! I know he likes to joke around a lot, but you could tell he was at a loss of words. I guess he wasn’t really expecting to win?
I can’t watch any of the videos 🙁 Anyone else outside USA has this problem?
lemonylips, get a VPN (free or pay for a good one) and then log on from a US IP address. I do it to see shows from other countries. Works like a charm. (I also then use my Apple TV to stream them to my big screen).
thanks 🙂
I really enjoyed the musical retrospective, and then Eminem came on. And I like Eminem and Lose Yourself takes me right back to college, but….what? It was so random. With the best song nominees and then the opening number, they dont need another performance in the middle like that.
I havent seen Parasite…..I was all set to watch it and then realized its a horror film? I dont like horror so thats why I’m asking.
It’s not a horror film, apart of the fact that it highlights the horrible parts of our society.
My understanding is that Eminem didn’t play Lose Yourself the year it won at the Oscars because they told him that he could not perform it with the lyrics as they were (even though they were giving him an Oscar for those same lyrics). So this was a “make up” performance for that slight, hence the standing ovation. I loved it.
Right but… why this year? It wasn’t a particularly meaningful anniversary of his win. He wasn’t connected to any of the other films. It was just weird and incongruous.
@ tealily – maybe they thought they needed a little something different (I found the songs incredibly boring this year) or maybe it was the year he agreed to do it. who knows, but I’m a fan of his music (but not always of him, sigh) so I totally appreciated it.
Thing is, they STILL bleeped out a lot of the lyrics! Why bother to have someone perform a song, KNOWING you’re not going to allow them to *really* perform it in its original form?
Are they also going to air the FridaMom post partum ad 10 years from now? The oscars really are the biggest joke.
https://youtu.be/1q9leHVgecw
Not only was Joon ho’s win well deserved for Best Director, but he got the trophy from Spike Lee’s Suit.
And Quentin fanboying was….enduring. Naw, that can’t be right.
Along the fact that awards shows are so white and so male dominated, how about Bong and Taika coming out as new stars out of this awards season. Awesome! I love it. But the ceremony looks like a hot mess without a host. What the hell was Eminem doing there? Also they dragged in Billie Eilish and Finneas just to do a cover for in memorial. As if that is enough to appeal to younger generation… and the fashion was meh this year. But let’s return to feeling happy for Bond and Taika. Yay!
I thought Billie’s rendition of “Yesterday” was beautiful. Very haunting.
It sure was. But that can coexist with persistent “why is she there” feeling. She did a great job but it contributed to the general feel of organisers not knowing how to focus the show and they just kept throwing things together. I love Steve Martin, but was he and Chris Rock wheeled out to do a monologue but two ppl associated with hosting to cover up the fact that there is no host who usually delivers the monologue. Eminem thing was completely out of place.
The Memorial segment was just so mediocre. Turner Classic Movies do better ones every year and they tend not to leave anyone out.
Can we PLEASE just have Maya and Kristin host next year? They were my favorite presenters by far!
They WERE amazing weren’t they?
I really enjoyed their bit as well. They played off of each other perfectly and were so, so much better than Steve Martin and Chris Rock. Chris Rock was fine but Steve Martin was really off, not funny at all. I really like Steve Martin but he seemed so stiff and off last night.
I had a really great time watching last night. The Oscars are like my Super Bowl, lol, even when they’re boring. But last night was fun and exciting, with some lovely speeches and unexpected wins. Yay Parasite!!!! And yay Jojo Rabbit!
I thought Eminem’s performance made perfect sense as it reflected the montage before it.
Keanu and Diane made sense since they were in Something’s Gotta Give together.
Overall Im glad I didnt watch this year. I’ve seen clips in Twitter but the entire show looked like a snooze fest. Right down to the fashion.
The funny (or not) thing about that Janelle performance, was all the dancers dressed up as characters from movies NOT recognized by the Academy and should have been (hello Midsommar and Queen & Slim!).
I thought I was the ony one that did not like the opening musical number…so happy for all the love for Parasite, Bong Joon Ho and Taika Waititi
Wait a minute… Didn’t Keanu and Keaton date at some point?
Diane denied the rumor. She wasn’t mad at it, but she denied it.
I didn’t know that a movie could be nominated for both Best International Film & Best Picture. It seems as if it should be one category or the other. I’ll see it when it comes to my town.
Joaquin gave an interesting & articulate speech. Rene couldn’t ramble her sentences without a couple of “um’s” in each one. Her dress was great but her speech should have been short, over, & done.
Submission process is different. That is why and people were upset at Roma for being in both last year so they are gonna be upset this year because an actual win resulted.
The audience seemed delighted with Parasite’s multiple wins.
Steve’s and Chris’s jokes fell flat which really sucked because in any other context they’d have gotten tons of laughs, but they’re in a room full of stuck up humorless egomaniacs, so
Okay, I just watched the Best Picture speech. I am salty. I cannot believe that darkened the stage in the middle of those speeches and kudos to Jane for not closing out the show when the spotlight was on her.
I am salty. Salty.
And the audience yelling up, up, up, until they brought the lights back up.
The opening act was not good except I loved that some of the dancers were dressed as if they came right out of Midsommar and that Janelle was wearing the cape of flowers as the May queen from the same movie. Except with such a nod to the film, they should have had Janelle and Florence Pugh in the same shot as Florence was in the front row. How do you miss that?
To me, a great Oscar night includes an actor/actress award upset and we didn’t get any shockers last night. Thank God for Olivia Coleman … can we find a way for her to make some kind of appearance every year? And the Eminem performance needs a formal press release to explain, please.
Janelle’s performance was not random at all. It was an ode to all the characters of colour who were ignored by the Academy. She basically sang about the Oscars so white.
I did not watch the Oscars.
#1. I did check online ASAP to see Keanu Reeves in a tux. Mmmm, yup.
#2. I can not stand Diane Keaton. Never could. Her “quirky” personality which was the entire film Annie Hall + her years and years of defending Woody Allen..no.
#3. If the Oscars are going to continue to be broadcast on tv, first of all, shorten this by a minimum of 30 minutes. Get a Host who can move things along. Whoever half these people are on the red carpet, IMO, have zero reason to be attending. They are B list celebs who are attending for PR only.
#4. Could these multi-millionaires stop making political statements every time they step in front of a mic, please?
#5. As was said in the ’80’s “If Sting wants to save The Rainforest so badly, Why doesn’t he buy it and fix it up? He has ALL the money.” IIRC, Phil Collins said that. It also applies to Bono, Oprah, Clooney, Leo, etc. All talk and preach to the rest of us regular folks but compare our salaries and charitable donations vs. Celebs.
#6. In 2020, this country is rapidly going downhill. Is there truly an adult who isn’t aware of Vegan/Vegetarian-ism as a choice? Private jets causing climate change, etc. Thanks celebs I do read the news.
Hand out the awards. Intersperse the nominated songs. Get host/hosts to move things along. 2 hours max. Go home.