By Chad W. Shreeves

The 96th Academy Awards have just concluded, capping off a monumental year in film that highlighted some of the best of the best of the industry. In a year where films like Barbie and Oppenheimer dominated the movie talk throughout the year, the pressure was on the Oscars to deliver something that brought the ceremony up to the blockbusters they were honoring.

One of the big problems that the Oscars have had in previous years has been their self-seriousness. The show became more of a showcase of its star power and bragging, with a heavy dose of self-congratulation. All of that was present, but there was one element this year that stood out. They really went all in on the humor.

With this year’s host Jimmy Kimmel bringing his own brand of snark, the show was off to a good start. Despite a couple of questionable gaffes, he kicked off the show and they were off. From wisecracking jokes to wild gags, it was a night to remember. And that’s what made this year’s ceremony great.

While Kimmel was very subjectively mixed, where some fans of his were probably laughing constantly while his detractors just didn’t care, there were other moments that really stood out.

One of the highlights of the night was John Cena’s impromptu streaking across the stage to present the award for Costume Design. It was a hilarious bit with him and Kimmel to stress the importance of the costume designers that really stood out.

And the second standout moment was Ryan Gosling reprising his Ken role while performing nominated song I’m Just Ken. The musical number that hit everyone’s playlists this past summer took the Oscars stage in a rousing routine that included a sing along with the audience. An absolute highlight of the show.

And there were others that proved that Hollywood’s best were just trying to have fun. Kimmel’s regular sidekick Guillermo giving the entire audience tequila shots, John Mulaney’s recital of the entire Field of Dreams plot, and others, it was a sight to behold.

This all set up to be one of the most entertaining ceremonies in recent memory. And extremely enjoyable. That’s before getting into discussions of the winners and losers of the night.

This proved to be one of the more predictable years for the awards, with no major upsets or surprises. While to some online it appeared that Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse was a shocking loss, Hayao Miyazaki’s (potential) final film The Boy and the Heron had been sweeping the Best Animated Feature category all awards season. This does feel a little off beat. While I did enjoy Boy and the Heron, to me it never met the emotional or animation highs that Across the Spiderverse did. It’s still an incredible accomplishment even if I disagree, and a win for both 2D animation and foreign animation.

One of the most highly contentious and back and forth races all awards season was the Best Lead Actress competition. With both Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone each taking home multiple awards all season it was the single race to watch. At the end of the day, Emma Stone pulled off the win to take home her second Oscar. Although my personal pick was for Lily Gladstone, what Emma Stone was able to pull off in Poor Things was nothing short of spectacular as well so it doesn’t feel like that much of a surprise.

Oppenheimer dominated the night with 7 total wins. While at one point it seemed that Poor Things was starting to build momentum to have a giant upsetting night, the Christopher Nolan directed period piece proved to be the big film of the year. Taking home Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, and others is an incredible achievement and it’s great to see so many legacy creatives getting their moment.

Likewise, Killers of the Flower Moon had a whopping 10 award nominations, and went home with zero. This is a disappointment in so many regards, as it was my personal favorite film of the year (just look at the amount of awards it took home during last year’s Everything Entertainment Awards). It hurts for sure, but it’s hard to argue it was an outright snub in a year it was going against Poor Things and Oppenheimer.

Overall, this proved to be an incredible year and one of the best Oscars productions in a long while. Between some huge wins (and a couple notable disappointments), and some wonderful uses of humor throughout, this is why we love awards season so much. Hopefully the Academy can use these lessons and improve even more for next year’s ceremony.

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