The 90th Oscars Review

One day, and I will likely never live to see that day, the writers and producers of the Oscars telecast will realize, at long last, that sitting through a nearly four-hour, bloated awards ceremony is a lot to ask of their audience.    The 90th Oscars was a lifeless affair, with even Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue appearing to go through the paces.    Kimmel seemed more settled in during this hosting affair, and that may not be a good thing.     The entire show felt like it was trying to rouse itself off the canvas.    There were topical jokes about Harvey Weinstein, Mel Gibson, Donald Trump, sexual harassment, etc., but most fell flat. 

If you are a fan of multiple endless film montages, supposedly witty presenter banter, and every other pitfall of Oscar broadcasts since time immemorial, than the 90th Oscars will not disappoint you.    Forget the montages showing every single acting Oscar winner EVER or paying tribute to the military in movies, let's see who won Best Actor already.  

Here are the list of major winners:

Best Picture--The Shape of Water

Best Actor-  Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Best Actress- Frances McDormand, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Director-  Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

Best Supporting Actor--Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Actress--Allison Janney, I, Tonya

Best Original Screenplay-- Jordan Peele, Get Out

Best Adapted Screenplay-- James Ivory, Call Me by Your Name

Best Original Score---Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water

Best Original Song---Remember Me  (from Coco)

I was six of eight picking major categories this year, missing on Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, but the acting wins were expected since each actor swept their respective categories at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and the BAFTA Awards.    Somehow, Frances McDormand managed to act surprised at the win.   

The telecast had too many cutesy bits which added more running time than laughs to the event.    The broadcast started 30 minutes earlier than was customary, but instead of running with the opportunity to possibly keep the show from overrunning into the late local news (or even Monday morning), the writers and producers saw fit to use the time to throw in more lameness.    Did we really need to see a jet ski offered away to the Oscar recipient with the shortest acceptance speech?   Or a group of celebrities crashing an "unsuspecting" movie audience showing at a theater across the street, which just so happens to be previewing Disney's A Wrinkle in Time?   (Disney owns ABC, which telecasts the Oscars).   Or jokes about how long the show is?     Here's a thought:   Instead of poking fun at the show's length, why not actually make the show shorter?     I know the whole "unexpected" drop-by at the movie theater probably sounded great on paper, but in reality it stopped the show dead.   The audience in the Dolby Theater was probably dying to get on with the show.

Del Toro's win for Best Director was expected, although with the Academy's recent trend of Best Picture not coinciding with a Best Director win, The Shape of Water's victory was hardly a sure thing.    Mira Sorvino, Ashley Judd, and Salma Hayek also were on hand to present...another film montage.    These women were the leading voices in the #MeToo and #Time'sUp movements and, like Christopher Reeve's surprise appearance during the 1996 awards a mere months after his paralyzing neck injury, it seemed a letdown to simply have these women merely present a montage. 

The In Memoriam segment featured a strong rendition of Tom Petty's "Room at the Top" from Pearl Jam lead vocalist Eddie Vedder, but of course they missed some important names, including John Mahoney and former Oscar nominee Emanuelle Riva. 

When Warren Beatty (who along with Faye Dunaway returned to announce Best Picture in a nice redemptive moment) read (correctly this time) The Shape of Water as Best Picture, the show was at three hours and 45 minutes with the Producers' acceptance speeches still to go.    I can't exactly heap praise on the show ending before midnight because it had a thirty-minute head start.    But, because I love the movies and I love seeing how the awards will turn out, I will return next year to watch it all again.    Why?   Because I'm a knucklehead...and I love the movies.