The stars were shining bright as the 90th Academy Awards took place on March 4. Broadcasted live from the world-famous Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, the Oscars were full of surprises and snubs.
The most prestigious prize of the evening is the renowned Best Picture category. Guillermo del Toro’s sci-fi thriller The Shape of Water took the gold, beating out top contenders like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird and Get Out. Del Toro also won the “Achievement in Directing” award due to his artistic depiction of the relationship between a mute woman and a mysterious aquatic creature in a 1950s science lab. While The Shape of Water has a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, students at this school aren’t impressed by the film, mostly because they haven’t even seen it. “I didn’t even know about The Shape of Water until it won the award,” junior Matthew Winson said.
While The Shape of Water took home the biggest award of the night, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri generated two Oscar-winning performances, Sam Rockwell for Best Supporting Actor and Frances McDormand for Best Actress.
In the other acting categories, there was a more diverse set of winners, such as Allison Janney for Best Supporting Actress for her role in I, Tonya. Additionally, British actor Gary Oldman won Best Actor for his interpretation of Sir Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.
One of the most feel-good moments of the night came when comedian Jordan Peele won Best Original Screenplay for the racially-charged horror classic Get Out. “The writing in the movie was so good and that plot twist caught me off guard,” junior Sofi Manrique said.
In his acceptance speech, Peele mentioned the struggle he endured when attempting to complete this film as well as the incredible amount of appreciation he has for those who saw the movie in theaters. Peele is among the group of revolutionary directors and screenwriters whose presence was palpable at this year’s award show. Visionaries such as Guillermo del Toro, Christopher Nolan and the groundbreaking Greta Gerwig were all present at this year’s Oscars, all proud of the work they put into their nominated films. “I loved for the unique stories that these directors tell and am excited for their future in the industry,” English teacher Kristen Haynes said.
The glue that held the entire production together was the comedic stylings of late night talk show personality, Jimmy Kimmel. Returning as host for his second year in a row, Kimmel provided the audience and the viewers at home with a multitude of opportunities to work their laugh boxes. From hilariously reminiscing about last year’s infamous mishap to cracking political and social jokes during his opening monologue, Kimmel proved why he has the chops to be one of the Oscars’ greatest hosts ever. The laughs didn’t stop there as Kimmel recruited some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Gal Gadot, Margot Robbie, Ansel Elgort and more, to venture across the street to a nearby movie theater, surprising all of the attendees inside with candy and, well, the presence of world-famous actors.
All in all, the 90th Academy Awards was a rather timid show as most of the winners were expected to take home the gold with a few good shockers thrown in. However, the Oscars aren’t always about winners and losers. Instead, the show celebrates the achievement of film, the achievement of art and the achievement of humankind.
James Barberis
Arts Editor
