The 93rd iteration of the prestigious Academy Awards has wrapped up and as usual, it was a night full of history, buzz, and a few shockers.
The ceremony was performed at two separate venues with multiple presenters and no host (the third consecutive year without a real one), in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the nominees present were expected to wear masks whenever the cameras weren’t focused on them.
The movie with the most nominations (10), the David Fincher-directed biopic, Mank, took home two awards: Best Production Design and Best Cinematography. The Pixar-animated movie Soul won Best Animated Feature (as well as Best Original Score), while Another Round won Best International Feature, and My Octopus Teacher won Best Documentary. Yuh-Jung Youn made history by becoming the first Korean actress to win an Oscar for her role in the Best Picture-nominated Minari.
In the other acting categories, Daniel Kaluuya won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for playing Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah (a film that also won Best Original Song for “Fight for You”). Frances McDormand won Best Actress for Nomadland, which also took home Best Picture as well as Best Director for Chloe Zhao, the first woman of color to win an Oscar for directing.
And, in perhaps the biggest shocker of the night, Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for his role in the Florian Zeller-directed film, The Father, despite the fact that many pundits had the late Chadwick Boseman penned for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. It was especially surprising considering that the Oscars ended with Best Actor when they normally end on Best Picture (a move I thought they were doing to save Chadwick’s seemingly locked-in victory to close out the show), and due to Chadwick having taken home numerous other awards for the same role.
I personally didn’t get the chance to see all the movies nominated for Oscar categories, but I did see most of them, and I can assure that films that won awards like Two Distant Strangers (Best Live Action Short Film), Mank (Best Cinematography, Best Production Design), Judas and the Black Messiah (Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Song), and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design) are definitely worth checking out if you find the time.
I also recently watched Da 5 Bloods, a Spike Lee-directed movie that only got a Best Original Score nomination, and in my opinion, should have gotten more nominations. For instance, Delroy Lindo gave a great performance that should have at least garnered a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
In addition, while Paul Raci did well in Sound of Metal, I don’t think his performance topped Lindo in this movie. Although other categories may have been too hard for Da 5 Bloods to crack, given the competition, I think that Lindo definitely got robbed of a nomination.
Other notable wins from the ceremony are:
Colette for Best Documentary Short Subject
If Anything Happens I Love You for Best Animated Short Film
Promising Young Woman for Best Original Screenplay
Sound of Metal for Best Film Editing and Best Sound
Tenet for Best Visual Effects
The 93rd annual Academy Awards was definitely one for the history books, and hopefully continue to be groundbreaking as next year.
