10 takeaways from the best Oscars in a long time
That was how you do the Academy Awards.
Whoever wrote, produced, and helped create the 96th edition of the Super Bowl for the movies deserves a return seat to the 2025 show and a big raise.
Sunday night’s show was how you do it, from the sharp wit to the lack of politics to the overall looseness of the nominees and presenters. Johnny Cash said, “get a rhythm,” and the Oscars found one. Let’s get into ten takeaways from the best show in a very long time.
10) Al’s succinct read of the Best Picture winner was scripted and good
I want to hang out with Al Pacino, who apparently was taught how to take a selfie recently by Sylvester Stallone, his pal. Okay, I’ll hang with both those fierce Italians. Pacino presented the biggest night of the award and in a break from history, didn’t read the nominees before opening the envelope and reading the winner.
At first, there were gripes about the rushed announcement, but Pacino laid it to rest in a statement that said it was the Academy’s choice to do it that way. Good on both of them. We’ve had the movies shoved down our throat all night with segments that happen right when the show comes back from a commercial break. Pacino cut the shit, and that’s the right way.
9) Candid was the secret ingredient
While it’s hard to be relatable with rich celebrity movie stars, the evening never felt like a bunch of people grab-assing in an Ivory tower over their viewers. Instead, the script was more down to Earth, funny, and direct. Past Best Actor winners took the stage and just gave out a huge compliment to the Best Actor nominees, and it was genuine and positive. Those last two are mighty drugs for harsh times. Everything didn’t feel rehearsed at all; more natural and candid than ever.
8) Welcome back, Mr. Downey Jr.
We all knew he was going to win. Robert Downey Jr. took a much-needed acting break after completing the epic Avengers: Endgame, which put a sexy period on his run as Tony Stark, the Megamind who powered Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. But Oppenheimer was a different beast for Downey Jr. to play. Leslie Strauss (STROS!) was a complicated individual, and not really likeable. He created a playground for the world’s strongest minds to come up with brilliant ideas, but Strauss could never really sit with them.
You hated, understood, and empathized with him through the film, which saw him bash heads with Cillian Murphy’s complicated-to-a-tee scientist turned world saver. Downey Jr. gave us all the speeds and flavors of Strauss, disguising himself in just enough makeup to show us a powerful yet jealous man. Bravo for that, and the best acceptance line of the night.
“I’d like to thank my awful childhood, and the Academy.”
7) Ryan Gosling is Ken, and we’re all better for it
Let me get this out there, and hammer it into the ground with a nail. VERY few actors would have attempted to sing “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars, a hit song from Barbie that is more silly than stellar. It’s one thing to serenade the audience with Lady *Smoking Hot* Gaga sitting next to you in front of a piano, and quite another to rip around the stage and audience wearing a pink jacket and pink leather gloves… being silly.
Gosling’s natural talent is blending action, comedy, drama, and some thrills to create his performances--unless he’s playing stone cold in Drive. The reason he was nominated for playing a humanized Ken doll is simple: he always knows what movie he’s in and what that film and role needs. He played Ken exactly as needed, and didn’t roll his eyes while doing it. The same went into the performance last night. He didn’t just do it; Gosling nailed it.
6) Cillian already had it clamped down in July
I’ll admit that I’m not right about a whole lot, especially when it comes to predictions of any kind. I could tell you the Cardinals will win 85 games today and possibly 87-88 tomorrow. It’s all a Hail Mary toss to the blind wind of time and whatever could happen. But I properly called a Cillian Murphy Best Actor win back in the summer when Oppenheimer came out.
He climbed into J. Robert Oppenheimer, and didn’t come out until the shoot was done. There’s a level of commitment to the role that goes beyond a carb-less diet or an outfit or pro. He wore every decision made by the Manhattan Project quarterback on his face, almost like he lived it. That’s acting, something we’ve known Murphy could do in spades for decades. The man needed a bigger stage, and got it.
5) Christopher Nolan is an Oscar-winning filmmaker now
Here’s the thing. Nolan doesn’t really miss. Sometimes he doesn’t hit me right in the heart (Tenet and Interstellar), but he’s always precise with his craft. There’s always a meaning and moral behind his visceral and loud movies, something to take away. He used a comic book tale to remind us that people get ugly during a time of chaos. He showed us how far a man will go to get back to his kids in Inception. With Insomnia, he put Pacino’s cop on a frying pan for past sins, stabbing us with the idea that grief eats away at you like cancer.
Oppenheimer was teaching us that true power doesn’t have to do with dropping a bomb or winning a war; it’s how you take something incredible and decide to use it. It’s been too long before an Academy Award found its way to Nolan’s address, but make no mistake: Oppenheimer isn’t a career achievement victory. He’s just getting warmed up.
4) The early finish was a nice touch
By starting an hour early, the finish around 9:30 pm instead of the usual “into the evening news and beyond” ending was a refreshing result. It was so quick and sudden of a start that I was devouring fajita nachos down the street when I realized half the awards could be handed out before the Buffa household could properly tune in.
The total runtime still stood around three and a half hours, about standard at this point. That’s not a bother; remember, this only happens once a year, and that’s with award winners being cut off. Brevity and wit are nice dance partners.
3) Emma Stone now owns two Oscars
She’s just one behind the all-time record for Best Actress trophies, a small group that only includes Meryl Streep and Ingrid Bergman. Stone took home the statue for the eclectic and acquired taste flick called Poor Things. Featuring plenty of blunt nudity and an unconventional story, Stone owned the performance and was terrific.
On Sunday night, however, she was shocked upon hearing her name announced. It wasn’t performance shock, either. That’s pure, unmixed anxiety that we saw, a humbling sight on someone who is barely 35 years old. I’ve known since she handed Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Bill Murray their ass in Zombieland. She’s a real one, but also a human. A nice reminder to folks that these people aren’t superheroes; they live with the same doubt we all do.
2) Let John Mulvaney host next year
In a hilarious moment while presenting an award, the comedian/actor broke down the entire plot of Field of Dreams out of nowhere. He did it in a classic deadpan rendition that only gave the sudden breakdown of a baseball classic (in place of discussing the films and people nominated) more zip on his fastball. If he was auditioning to be next year’s host, I’d vote for it over the just okay Jimmy Kimmel, who doesn’t try as hard as Fallon but still tries hard.
1) Mr. Freeze and The Penguin take on the original Batman
In the best moment of the night, a nice Twins reunion between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito-while presenting an award-turned into a playful and highly entertaining 90s throwback. They talked about what they had in common, and Schwarzenegger mentioned they both tried to kill Batman. The camera pans to a steely looking Michael Keaton, brilliantly selling the staredown.
Schwarzenegger fired off, “You have a lot of nerve showing yourself here,” to which Keaton motioned with his hands to bring it on. This is why I turn in, seeing childhood heroes have a nice showdown in a very well-written skit.
It was natural and funny, like the show. The best in years because it didn’t feel forced or preachy, choosing candidness and wit to sell the industry and its finest players.
Thanks for reading, and have a great night. Monday is dying, and Tuesday awaits with a fresh set of cards. And once again, Michael Keaton rules.
