Oscar night has come and gone. There was a lot of glitz and glamour, but there was actually a lot of political/social messages with a sprinkling of controversy.
First up was the red carpet. I could toss out some random pictures of celebrities on the runway…
…but there was something that started prior to the event that changed the tone of the evening and I am compelled to focus more on that than the glamour. #AskHerMore was a campaign that started to challenge the media to possibly ask actresses than more about their dresses and designers. The desired effect was achieved, as there were more questions about actual experiences with their films with the occasional reference to their clothing. While the red carpet is much about the fashion, it was nice to get a little actual substance with the interviews. I would say though that the production of the red carpet still feels too scattered and jumpy that actual substance is still diminished by the self-indulgence of talking about how amazing it is to be there and to see all of the stars appearing.
I will say, though, that I do not know what people saw in Lady Gaga’s outfit. Why the lobster claw gloves? I know you are Gaga, but seriously?
As far as the actual show, there were some good hits and so serious misses. Let’s take a look…
Hit: Neil Patrick Harris – The opening number with Anna Kendrick and Jack Black was a success! For film lovers, it was the perfect way to open the show (ignoring the odd message by Jack to diss the industry ironically). NPH was graceful, energetic, and clearly into the entire experience.
Miss: Oscar Writing – While NPH’s opening was strong, his comedy throughout the rest missed the mark for the most part. He had good delivery, but the random variations of award categories and attempts to poke fun at some of the celebrities were just not that funny.
Hit: NPH’s Birdman Bit – Taking the risk to show off in your tight-whiteys on such a large stage is a bold move. While it was funny in Birdman, it did not miss a beat with this Oscar version. To add a little extra to the hilarity, Miles Teller appeared just offstage to allow NPH to also pull in a little Whiplash.
Miss: NPH’s Bits with Octavia Spencer and David Oyelowo – There are some thoughts about NPH’s and the Oscar writer’s attempt to take a jab at some of the disparity of representation of blacks in Hollywood, but both skits really missed the mark. With Octavia, the whole thing just felt awkward. She played along, but the regular check-ins with her felt forced and unnecessary. It felt like it was killing time and testing people’s patience with a poor attempt at the joke. For David, it started out fine until NPH had him read a punchline that took a jab at remaking Annie (possibly with a black actress in the lead role). It was supposed to be sarcastic but came out disrespectful.
Hit: The Music Performances – Starting with “Everything is Awesome” and ending with Lady Gaga’s rendition of hits from The Sound of Music, every note sung into the mic was powerful. Tim McGraw’s performance of “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” was a hauntingly beautiful tribute. Jennifer Hudson’s “I Can’t Let Go” made me want to go back and watch “You’re Gonna Love Me” to hear another beautiful performance. Adam Levine and Rita Orr also had strong performances. Then you had Common and John Legend. Eventually winning the Oscar for “Glory,” their performance was strong and moving. It clearly made an impact on the audience.
http://oscar.go.com/embed/VDKA0_6mhrbx3g
Miss: MIA in the In Memoriam – While the In Memoriam was moving as it happens to be every year, there was a noticeable absence that brewed a storm in the social media universe immediately following the tribute. Where was Joan Rivers? While her connection to the Oscars was more about her Fashion Police coverage, she was an institution to the red carpet and also had a career in acting.
Hit: Political Messages – You have to expect that actors and film industry representatives will use the stage to talk about some important social and political issues. Whether it was Common’s speech about social equality, Patricia Arquette’s impassioned talk of wage equality, or Graham Moore’s “stay weird” message, there were a lot of moving moments. While some of the messages were criticized on social media for their shortsightedness or poor word choice, the messages were still put out there. Also, listen to J.K. Simmons and call your parents!
Miss: #OscarsSoWhite – As much as the Academy wants to represent American culture and the diversity of film, they seem to come up really short. This infographic shows the stats. David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay were left out of the nominations for Selma just because of the promotion circuit shortcomings, and not because of they did not deserve it. At least NPH said it right from the start, “Tonight we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest, sorry, brightest.”
So what about the actual awards…
Biggest Winners: The GrandBudapest Hotel and Birdman – The battle for the Best Picture win was a two-way race between the 12-year epic focusing on the concept of representing real life (Boyhood) versus the self-indulgent Hollywood movie for people who love their industry (Birdman). While Birdman was a great film, it was a surprise that it stole the directing award and clearly labeled that Hollywood loves to embrace stories about itself. As for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson will have to figure something else out to finally get his Best Picture win, but he did tied for the most Oscar wins for the year.
Biggest Losers: Dreamworks, Boyhood, and Selma – While the win for best song was a nice and deserving win, it felt like a consolation prize for the crew from Selma. As mentioned previously, where were the nominations for direction and best actor? Even a nomination without the win would have honored the film better for its achievements. Boyhood was an epic film to produce, but the wins were just not there. Patricia Arquette represented the only win, with the film losing for direction and film editing. As for Dreamworks, ABC and the Academy proved that they prefer Disney/Pixar over all else. The few times that Disney/Pixar has not won Best Animated Feature were nearly all when the studio failed to put out a movie to be nominated. In the past 14 years, Disney/Pixar has won 10 of them. How to Train Your Dragon 2 deserved to win over Big Hero 6…or The Lego Movie should have been nominated.
Final Reaction: Creepy McCreeperson – John Travolta needs to be banned from interacting with people. Whether it was with Scarlett Johansson or Idina Menzel, his hands were in all the wrong places.
What was your favorite moment of the Oscars?
Down the Red Carpet: Dan's Movie Reviews 
