The winners and losers of the 2019 Oscars: "Green Book", Spike Lee and more

As the Oscars approached Sunday night, there was a strange sensation in the air. There was no host. There was little indication that the Academy knew what they were doing. And the absence of a pioneer in the Best Film category, with two disconcertingly acclaimed films in Green paper and Bohemian Rhapsody in the foreground – left the door open to a whole range of results, good or bad. So how is it going? Well, good, bad.

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Winner: Perspective

–Miles Surrey

Winner (s): Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph

The Oscars have not been less numerous for 30 years and the last time this happened was a disaster. But without a viable alternative at the last minute after the Kevin Hart fiasco, the series had to continue and … everything was fine? Freed from the need to produce a monologue, Poehler, Fey and Rudolph joked for a few minutes before presenting the award for best actress in a supporting role. The innate chemistry of the actresses corresponded exactly to the first minutes of the Oscars. "Just a brief update, just in case you're confused," Rudolph opened, "there's no presenter tonight, no popular Oscar category, and Mexico does not pay for the wall."

It's worth going back to, but if you want to prevent Poehler and Rudolph from making their best impression of Lady Gaga's "Shallow", it's at 1:55.

After one of the most catastrophic preparations at the Oscars history ceremony, littered with public relations nightmares, this solid opening was indispensable. Typing on Poehler, Fey and Rudolph to carry the burden was a very good choice. Even if everyone asks this trio to host the Oscars next year, the undeniable success of the latter raises the question of whether a host is still necessary. -MRS

Winner: The total absence of a host

At the opening of the ceremony, the Academy's inability to reserve a replacement for the beleaguered Kevin Hart was perceived as an easily avoidable fiasco, which, for the record, was. But producers may have accidentally rallied to a major improvement.

The biggest question that arose at a hostless ceremony was perhaps to know how, instead of a traditional 10-minute soliloquy, open the damn thing. However, a medley of the Queen presented by Adam Lambert kicked off energetically, followed by Holy Trinity, comedy, which featured an abridged version of a roast show. After this only slightly awkward introduction, however, the lack of host – and with it, many clumsy and dragging elements that often weigh on the show – are largely considered positive. All my respects to Ansel Elgort, but when it comes to ABC's mission of reducing turnaround times, I'd rather watch the mixers get his due than shoot with a hot dog gun. The writers of the series have always spent their time in the sun; it looks more like Melissa McCarthy wearing rabbits while presenting a real reward.

It's not difficult to predict a future when the Oscars will completely give up the idea of ​​a host on behalf of a faster and cheaper company. At the very least, this will not be the Oscars fiasco. latest exit without hostess. What seemed to be the biggest liability of the Oscars became an improbable advantage. Miraculously, setting the bar so low in previous months of hiring, firing, and the proposed categories of Best Popular Film may have paid off. –Alison Herman

Loser: The performances of the song

Some battles are worth fighting, such as the outcry against sending talented and hardworking artisans back. Some are not. All our respects to Lady Gaga for defending her fellow artists, but Best Original Song performances outside of the two that the Academy originally planned to feature were not the most compelling arguments for their existence. "Shallow" has a megastar; "I'm going to fight," "The place where lost things go" and "When a cowboy swaps his spurs against wings" do not do it. This is a terrible reason to fool the last group. A better justification? The three results caused an impression of turgescence, overwork and simply useless numbers that contributed as much to interrupt the success of the series as the absence of host to accelerate it. Bette Midler exclaims Mary Poppins the lyrics are frankly puzzling; Even the bright Kacey Musgraves adorning the Dolby Theater is not enough to create a cute song that deserves the public's time. Just like the removal of the presenter, the suggestion to condense Best Original Song into a single medley was perhaps a smarter idea than we had originally attributed to it. –AH

Winner (?): Eye contact

Do you get a man who – ah, you know how they say. –Andrew Gruttadaro

Winner: Bradley Cooper – Lady Gaga Shippers

Since Jackson Maine and Ally started playing in a parking lot, the Internet is convinced that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga would make a couple as fascinating as they are fictitious. The recent rupture of Gaga only fueled this fire; now, the sight of the author and his muse looking into his eyes on a piano bench will make a supernova before you can say "Shallow". That Cooper regained his beard and apparently reapplied his fake tan for the occasion certainly helped.) You could say that they … just wanted to look at each other again. May the fan art support Tumblr for a thousand years. –AH

Losing: This Speech

Why prepare a speech when you could do it – and by "that," I mean "groping on words and staring confused for so long that people are beginning to question the nature of their reality" – instead of this? –AG

Winner: Black PantherIn the wings

It may seem impossible that an aspect of a Marvel film to global success be underexposed, but Oscar Night was a victory for the less visible but equally crucial members of the group. Black Panther team. Production designer Hannah Beachler literally built Wakanda from scratch, ranging from the space age lab to Shuri space at the M'Baku Stone Age Den; Costume designer Ruth Carter dressed a fictitious nation in resplendent and meticulously researched costumes. Both do the story as the first African-American women to win victories in their respective categories and to contribute to a fanfare for winners in non-genre categories such as Documentary Feature and Sound Editing. But they also won victories in a big film that was snubbed into more vivid categories such as the acting game and the director, drew attention to a lesser known part of the filmmaking process. film and, in the case of Beachler, they delivered a winning speech with nothing iPhone You could not ask for a better argument against the categories of craft boats at the commercial break. –AH

Winner: Super Hero

When Spider-Man: in the Spider-Verse was nominated for the best feature film alongside Black PantherDuring the seven nominations, we noted that it was a turning point for superhero films, the moment when the ultra-commercialism of the genre came up against criticism. This point was only amplified Sunday night, when Black Panther won three awards – for the best costume design, the best production design and the best original score – and Spider worms beat a massive Pixar movie to win the best animated feature film.

The superhero genre is the defining genre of this cinematic era, and this moment is in the works for over a decade now. During this decade, we moved from Iron Man's hideout to Wakanda's vast imaginative expanse; of mania filled with stars from The Avengers social commentary and the artistic excellence of Black Panther. Superhero movies contain multitudes and are much more than just stupid stories about a purple alien who can erase civilization in a snap of fingers. The recognition at the Oscars is only the confirmation of that. –AG

Losing: Wife

… and by extension, the Oscar votes of all. The eagerly awaited trophy for best actress Glenn Close for Wife was supposed to be one of the few things certain of this season unpredictable rewards. In addition to the BAFTAs, which have been won by the home team, Close has won almost all the predictors awards to win. More than that, a victory would have perfectly matched the long tradition of the Oscars of awarding cumulative honors to discordant roles – the Alice again, If you want. Instead, Close is going with the more dubious distinction of being the most nominated actress to never win the prize. All this long-simmering feminist rage was silently communicated for nothing. It's tempting to make a joke "always the bridesmaid", except that Close has most definitely been the bride, or rather, Wife. –AH

Winner: This hat

This hat is an Oscar-winning hat, and every man who has a Carhartt hat (I'm one of them) is SO PSYCHED now. –AG

Winner: Spike Lee

Of course, Spike Lee's acceptance speech began with several seconds of induced by profanation silence. Technically, it all started with the famous tiny director who shouted about the Knicks tank …

… and then almost attacked Samuel L. Jackson as he climbed onto the stage to accept a price that had been preparing for decades. Lee himself seemed to recognize that his appointments in 2019 were as much for his monumental career – and, on the side of the academy, under-recognized criminally – as BlacKkKlansman, bringing Radio Raheem Brass favorites on the red carpet and ending his thanks by urging the public to "do the right thing." After a night of Heroic reactions workNot to mention years of artistic excellence, Lee has finally taken center stage. Naturally, he wore a purple suit and gold sneakers while doing it.

–AH

Loser: we

After the award Black Panther, recognizing Spike Lee and celebrating Olivia Colman, the Oscars have cast all his goodwill hard won by the window by giving Green paper the biggest prize of the evening, best movie. Neither the objections of the family of his subject, nor the Islamophobic tweets of Nick Vallelonga's screenwriter, nor the resurrected story of Peter Farrelly's inappropriate behavior on the set, nor a saccharine and simplistic account were enough to counteract the love of the parable . (In an act of heinous symbolism on the nose, the film's producers demonstrated Green paperThe real priorities of leaving Don Shirley It can be argued that this is the conclusion of an exhausting and widespread Oscar season that we deserve. Certainly, a Driving Miss Daisy retread is a rebuke to the public who voted with their feet rushing to Black Panther and A star is born and presumably Roma. The new, young, diverse and international members of the Academy have exerted their influence by nominating Pawel Pawlikowski and rewarding Ruth Carter, but for the most important prize of all, the oldest and whitest contingent has historically kept the Academy away from the time worn the day. –AH