Oscars 2020

Another year, another moment for Hollywood's finest to remind themselves how great they are, and how in fact that they transcend Olympus itself. They didn't have Ricky Gervais ripping into things like the Golden Globes, but they did feel the need to remind us of that most bloodcurdling feline-themed horror movie since Stephen King's Sleepwalkers.

 And so, with both a year and a decade past us, we can look back on Disney making all the money in the world, between redundant remakes and new box office record makers (and though that one technically isn't on top counting for inflation...Disney owns those rivals too). That's why I sort of argue against the Oscars being more about what's 'popular', since otherwise you're just stroking Bob Iger's ego even more--though fortunately, we had a fair few entries both successful and deserving. So without further ado, let's see what the magical land of Tinseltown patted itself on the back with this year.

Starting with best actor and actress--we have Joaquin Phoenix in Joker, and Renee Zellweger in Judy. It's not the first time Phoenix has played the role of a disturbed and teensy bit violent fellow, and while I didn't feel his performance was as brilliant as some made out, you can tell where it really hit the zeitgeist. Funnily enough, between this and Heath Ledger, the character of the Joker seems to be the only comic book figure to attract so many awards--a shame only we'll never see Mark Hamill cackle across the academy for it.

For supporting actor, we had Brad Pitt in Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which is where I start to raise an eyebrow. While Pitt was fine there, I have trouble taking him over nominee Al Pacino wiseguy-ing like a boss through The Irishman. Hell, I was surprised he beat out Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers (although, having never grown up with Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, perhaps it's not one to pluck on my nostalgia was it would American audiences). OPATIH even beat out 1917 for production design--and while I commend Tarantino's retro recreation of the late sixties, it does not match the wartorn fields and village ruins of the latter in all frankness.

That moment when you realize you're outcompeted by your own co-star's chin.

1917 at least deservedly won its awards for cinematography and visual effects, beating out Endgame and Rise of Skywalker. At least here I can confidently say the Academy knows what's up--the latter two may have looked impressive, but ultimately, it was the same old big budget glossy CGI, with I guess the occasional prosthetic in Star War's case. 1917 mixed in the practical with the digital, editing with the extras, and all sorts of cunningly creative option for the most detailed, rewarding, and refreshing feast for the eyes in years. I think I'll take that over JJ Abrams turning Mark Hamill into Jeff Bridges joining the Blue Man Group.

Michael Bay would be disgraced. Where's the fifty extra explosions and the historically accurate German spider robots?

Editing, both sound and visual, went to Ford vs Ferrari--and while the rubber-tearing races therein were certainly fun, I think the award should've gone to Christian Bale's northern England accent. Between that and Vice, he seems to have mastered playing assholes of various flavors, be it lovable or black hole levels of pure evil.

Best animated, as usual, was a shoe-in for Pixar, with Toy Story 4--a fine film, and while not as good as most of its predecessors, was a pleasant surprise for me. However, I have seen objections that rival nominee Klaus was snubbed--and they're enough that I intend to check that one out as soon as possible. There's the usual arguments about Netflix films being snubbed here or not, with Klaus turning out to be one--but it does make me feel that I would've have missed out on this one had it received a wider release besides being tossed onto streaming.

Taika Waiti finally got his Oscar for Adapted Screenplay with Jojo Rabbit--not having a clue that there even was a source material, I do commend him for finally getting his due here, even if some of his films I prefer more than others. Joker was also shoved into this category as a nominee, despite not having any real specific source material for the Academy than 'I dunno, a buncha comics I guess?'

And now, we get to Best Original and Best Picture--it's the one and only Parasite. After Green Book made its prompt march out of the public eye, here comes something with real teeth--and I can say with confidence that this was a deserving one. There's no self-congratulation for Hollywood here as some winners have been, but some damn fine filmmaking with a brutal message to make--my kind of film. I was honestly surprised something that visceral made it this far--much less a subtitled Korean flick, but props to all involved.

Were there any real snubs this year? Some people have suggested Lupita Nyong'o in Us, and while it's true she certainly put on a chilling show there, the rest of the film wasn't quite on the same level as Get Out if we're being frank. Joker has also been suggested for Best Picture, and while I felt it was definitely an interesting one, it wasn't that new if you've seen Scorsese flicks or, well, a lot of Phoenix's repertoire. I'm just personally relieved that the Lion King remake, with slightly creepy-looking CG fuzzballs and shot-for-shot laziness, didn't go that far.

So, while debates will continue about the relevance of Oscars and their selections, at least this year we mostly got a worthy lineup in my view. If more films from across the world like Parasite can make it here, all the better--and while the 2010s may have relied ever more on remakes and cinematic universe of varying success (okay, one success and many piles of misery), enough triumphs, popular or niche, managed to go the distance. Let's see the 2020s give us more of that, and if they get a golden naked dude in the process, well, it's just a happy bonus.