CONAN O’BRIEN SERVES
IT UP

Conan O’Brien made a spirited entry, hidden beneath layers of prosthetic make-up to look like Amy Madigan’s Gladys from Weapons. Chased by kids into the theatre — like Madigan’s character in the film, which won her an Oscar minutes after O’Brien’s act — the comedian-host incorporated himself into vignettes from the year’s biggest films — One Battle After Another to Sinners, F1 to Sentimental Value, a montage which brought on claps and cheers.

Once on stage, O’Brien touched upon various topics in his opening monologue, wasting no time getting to the controversies of the moment, including the looming threat of AI, world strife and Best Actor nominee Timothee Chalamet’s burning comments against ballet and opera.

“Security is extremely tight tonight,” O’Brien said, adding: “I am told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” with the cameras quickly cutting to a smiling, white-suited Chalamet in the audience.

He also hit back at AI, saying: “I am honoured to be the last human host of the Academy Awards. Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”

He went on to joke: “I should warn you tonight could get political. Okay? And if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock. It’s at the Dave & Buster’s down the street.”

The host also took a jab at Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos who was seated in the audience, saying: “Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is here and this is exciting. It is his first time in a theatre,” Conan joked, alluding to the growing dominance of streaming platforms.

O’Brien’s monologue also gestured towards political unrest, albeit vaguely. “If I could be serious for just a moment, everyone watching right now around the world is all too aware that these are very chaotic, frightening times. It is at moments like these that I believe that the Oscars are particularly resonant,” he said. “Thirty-one countries across six continents are represented this evening, and every film we salute is the product of thousands of people speaking different languages, working hard to make something of beauty. We pay tribute tonight, not just to film, but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today, optimism.”

Returning from a commercial break, O’Brien took a look into the future, talking about the year 2029 when the Oscars will air totally on YouTube, remarking that it will be interrupted with ads far worse than Jane Lynch’s “BeamPro” tactical flashlight, “the same flashlight that killed Bin Laden”.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER STRIKES BIG

Veteran director Paul Thomas Anderson became a first-time Oscar winner, with One Battle After Another converting its 13 nominations into six wins, including the big two for Best Picture and Best Directing for Anderson. “I wrote this movie for my kids, to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we are handing off to them,” Anderson said on stage, adding: “But also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that brings us some common sense and decency.” His speech also included a nod to the love for the movies where he said: “I am here because of people’s faith in me that give me their faith and their time, and the best part about being on a film crew is being with people. We need each other. This is a wonderful gift and I am so happy to call the movies home.”

One Battle After Another also won Anderson the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Actor Sean Penn won his third Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the film, but gave the ceremony a miss. The other awards for the film included Best Production Design and the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting, instituted this year.

SINNERS SHINES

Sinners, the most nominated film in Oscars history with 16 nods, won four golden statuettes. The most notable among them was Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan’s twin acts in the Ryan Coogler-directed period horror action film, making him only the sixth Black man in history to win an Oscar in the coveted category. Jordan, in his speech, took a moment to acknowledge trailblazing Black actors who won the Best Actor Oscar before him, naming the likes of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith. He also honoured Halle Berry, the first Black woman to win Best Actress. In his speech, an emotional Jordan — who got the crowd at Dolby Theater to its feet — said: “I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me. So thank you for keeping betting on me. And I am gonna keep stepping up.”

The other big wins for Sinners were for Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler), Best Original Score (Ludwig Goransson) and Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw who, in the 98-year history of the Academy Awards, became the first woman to win in the category.

IT’S A TIE!

The Oscar for Best Live-Action Short Film resulted in big drama with the winner being a tie. Actor-comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who presented the category, deftly handled the nearly unprecedented situation when he opened the envelope and declared: “It is a tie. I am not joking. It is actually a tie. So everyone calm down.”

Amid surprised murmurs in the crowd, Nanjiani explained he was going to announce one winner, and they would come up on stage and accept their award, and then he would name a second winner. This is only the seventh tie in Academy Awards history and the first since 2012. “Ironic that the short-film Oscar is going to take twice as long,” actor-comedian Nanjiani quipped between the speeches.

The winners were The Singers, directed by Sam A. Davis and produced by Jack Piatt, and Two People Exchanging Saliva by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata. “Thank you to the Academy for supporting a film that is weird and queer and made by a majority of women,” was the word from the team of Two People Exchanging Saliva.

The Singers director Sam A. Davis, in his speech, touched upon the turbulent times we live in. “The Singers is a simple story about the power of music and art to bring us together in a moment when we live in an increasingly isolated world. May we keep looking for beauty in unexpected places, and may we all be brave enough to keep on singing.”

The first tie at the Oscars happened in 1932 between Fredric March and Wallace Beery for Best Actor. In 1968, Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand tied for Best Actress. The last tie before this was in 2012, when Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty were both honoured for Sound Editing.

THE FIRSTS

Jessie Buckley became the first Irish woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of a grieving mother in Hamnet. Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography for her work on Sinners. As a Filipino and African-American Creole descent artist, she also marks the first woman of colour to achieve this accolade. A smiling and clearly emotional Arkapaw, who was presented the award by actor Demi Moore, went on to ask all the women in the room to stand up, thanking them for all the love she felt throughout awards season. “I have gotten to meet so many people and I feel like moments like this happen because of you guys,” Arkapaw said before thanking her cast, crew and family. “These people are so beautiful,” she said of the actors, “and I’m honoured to be there photographing them.”

In a first in its 98-year history, the Academy Awards handed out its maiden award for Best Casting, with Cassandra Kulukundis winning the statuette for putting together the strong ensemble in One Battle After Another.

In her speech, Kulukundis said: “I have to thank the Academy for even adding this category and for the casting directors who fought tirelessly to make it happen despite everything in their way. I dedicate this to you and to the casting directors who never got a chance to get up here, who didn’t even get a chance to get their name on the movie. So to you guys.”

This is the first new category created by the Academy since 2001 introduced the Best Animated Feature category. A Best Stunt category will be introduced into the Oscars next year.

K-Pop Demon Hunters hit Golden became the first K-pop tune ever to win the Best Original Song Oscar. Ejae, Ido and Teddy Park also became the first South Koreans to win in the category. The Oscar for Best Original Song was the film’s second of the evening, following its victory in the Best Animated Feature category. “For those of you who look like me, I am so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here. That means the next generations don’t have to go longing,” said Maggie Kang, the film’s co-writer and co-director, adding: “This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere.”

RICH TRIBUTES

This year’s moving “In Memoriam” segment paid tribute to those who had passed in the last few months, pausing to talk individually about actors Diane Keaton and Robert Redford and director Rob Reiner. It began with Billy Crystal paying tribute to his friend Rob Reiner, taking us through his extensive filmography.

A tearful Rachel McAdams stepped up to talk about Diane Keaton. “There isn’t an actress of my generation who is not inspired by and enthralled with her absolute singularity,” McAdams said of Keaton. The tribute ended with Barbra Streisand recalling her friendship with Robert Redford. “Bob had real backbone, on and off the screen. He spoke up to defend the freedom of the press, protect the environment and encourage new voices of his Sundance Institute, some of who are up for Oscars tonight, which is so great.”

Priyanka Roy
The 98th Academy Awards is streaming on JioHotstar