92nd Academy Awards: A review.

Last night, something amazing happened at the 2020 Academy Awards… That’s right, the show really wasn’t that bad!
 
The speeches were decent, the comedy was there throughout and some of the awards went against the bookie’s favourites.
 
But before we see who won what, here’s our mini review…

The above three-minute film showcases a few of the biggest highlights of the night, but by no means does that do the ceremony justice. On the lead up to the Oscars, and near enough every award show, the lack of diversity and equality is an ongoing issue that needs to be investigated. Last night’s show didn’t shy away from that, and even tried to tackle it head on.
 
Some of the presenters, performers, speeches and even award winners helped get the important message across that times need to change. And if the 92nd Academy Awards are anything to go by, it was a positive step. The Academy have stated they will be looking into its system, and that is a good thing. The night kicked off with Janelle Monáe, Steve Martin and Chris Rock all taking pops at the Academy through smart jokes and creative performances. From here, many of the presenters took the opportunity to have their say with plenty of wit, delivering zingers after zingers. Then, Cynthia Erivo did one of the performances of the night…

After the star of Harriet sung her heart out, the Grammy award-winning, Bond theme-singing superstar Billie Eilish sang a beautiful rendition of The Beatles’ Yesterday. She performed alongside her brother and collaborator, Finneas, during the ‘In Memoriam’ segment. Her performance was a scene-stealing part of the show that was probably only rivalled by the random gig by Eminem. But anyhoo, check out Billie below…

And then, after all of the above, the biggest achievements of the night kept on rolling for one person in particular… Bong Joon-ho. The man behind the six-time Oscar-nominated movie Parasite had one of the biggest nights in Academy Awards history. He collected not one, not two, not three but four Oscars. Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best International Film and the coveted Best Picture gongs all in his back pocket. A masterful director getting the recognition for the masterpiece of a film.
 
1917 had the bookies’ backing, Scorsese and Tarantino looked better bets for Best Director and yet, Bong prevailed every time. If there’s one film that you need to see this year, it’s Parasite. To quote the man himself, “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films."

BEST PICTURE:
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
PARASITE
 
BEST DIRECTOR:
Martin Scorsese - The Irishman
Todd Phillips - Joker
Sam Mendes - 1917
Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
BONG JOON-HO - Parasite

BEST ACTOR:
Antonio Banderas - Pain and Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver - Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix - Joker
Jonathan Pryce - The Two Popes
 
BEST ACTRESS:
Cynthia Erivo - Harriet
Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan - Little Women
Charlize Theron - Bombshell
Renée Zellweger - Judy

SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Tom Hanks - A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
Anthony Hopkins - The Two Popes
Al Pacino - The Irishman
Joe Pesci - The Irishman
Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
 
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Kathy Bates - Richard Jewell
Laura Dern - Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson - Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh - Little Women
Margot Robbie - Bombshell

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Knives Out - Rian Johnson
Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach
1917 - Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Quentin Tarantino
PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho & Jin Won Han
 
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
The Irishman - Steven Zaillian
Jojo Rabbit - Taika Waititi
Joker - Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
Little Women - Greta Gerwig
The Two Popes - Anthony McCarten

ANIMATED FEATURE:
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
TOY STORY 4
 
INTERNATIONAL FILM:
Corpus Christi (Poland)
Honeyland (North Macedonia)
Les Misérables (France)
Pain and Glory (Spain)
Parasite (South Korea)