Oscar Surprises

Sorry this is so late, but I thought it was more important to address the sorry state of the 2016 presidential race.

The Oscars were unique this year, because they were less about awards, and more about the state of racial equality in this country, following the second straight year that there wasn't a single minority in any of the 20 acting nominations. This theme was obviously prevalent throughout the entire show. I did not think it was heavy-handed, but is a genuine problem that needs to be addressed by not only the Academy, but the film industry as a whole.

Let's break down the show, which, overall, I thought was entertaining and fast-paced compared to other years, (even though I started late and fast forwarded through many of the below-the-line awards and speeches) even though it went well over time once again.

The host: Chris Rock stayed on as host despite the many calls for him to step down in protest. He either thought this hosting gig was a great opportunity to get the message across about racism in the film industry, or he would have gotten sued had he bailed. That having been said, he did a great job. I laughed out loud several times during his opening monologue, and he did a great job bringing the issues to light while being funny. The taped bits with black actors being inserted into nominated movies, and the man-on-the-street interviews in front of a Compton movie theater were relevant and funny. The Girl Scout Cookie bit was cute, but was too forced of an effort to recreate the spontaniety of Ellen DeGeneres' antics two years ago.

The winners: This is the first time in several years that I can remember this many upsets. Usually, after all of the guild awards, most experts can usually predict all of the top winners correctly. The upsets started when Sly Stallone lost supporting actor to Mark Rylance from Bridge of Spies. It was also surprising to see Ex Machina, with a modest $15 million budget, to beat megabudget blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the special effects category. Finally, even though there was no clear favorite in the Best Picture category, I was surprised to see "Spotlight" take the big prize, since its only other award was for original screenplay. I was kind of expecting "The Revenant" to win, but I wasn't too sure after reading a rather humorous interview with an Academy voter who despised this movie, so much so that, in one of the categories, he chose a movie he never saw just to stop "The Revenant" from winning. Speaking of "The Revenant," God no longer hates Leonardo DiCaprio, who nabbed his first Oscar with his sixth nomination. Despite his heavy-handed tree hugger message, he was grateful and confident, and didn't come off like a douchebag.

I did get a chance to watch "Spotlight," and it was a very straightforward, sometimes depressing and always compelling movie about a team of journalists who investigated abuses of children by priests in the Boston Archdiocese, and the subsequent cover-up of these abuses. The movie did a fine job of telling the story of how the piece in the Boston Globe came together, and thankfully resisted the urge to become preachy or overly sentimental. It was a pleasure to see the movie subtly underscore the importance of the media, particularly the print media. One of the most important duties of the media is to protect the general public and hold public institutions accountable for their wrongdoing. I was glad to see this movie focus on this sadly declining profession. With the 24-hour news cycle and internet news sources, the long-form journalism that this movie focuses on is quickly becoming extinct. So how does it measure up to the other nominees? Keep in mind I have only seen three of them. Although I would call "The Martian" more entertaining than "Spotlight," I think "Spotlight" is the better movie, and I will be thinking about it and talking about it for years.

The Head Honcho: Usually when the Academy chairperson comes out, it is usually to deliver some happy horse manure praising the art of filmmaking and so on. This year, however, everyone was listening to Cheryl Boone Isaacs. She said there would be some concrete changes to the makeup of Academy voters (which I will have to see to believe) and charged everyone in the industry to strive for diversity, which is a good point, because diversity begins with the writing and casting process.

Daisy Pushers: As always, I have something to say about the "In Memoriam" montage. This year's big omission was Abe Vigoda, a veteran character actor, best known as Sal Tessio from "The Godfather." By the way, he got that part through an open casting call. The Academy gave their usual bullshit explanation that they select a cross section of dead people from all aspects of the film industry, blah, blah, blah. Also missing was George Gaynes, best known as Punky Brewster's adoptive father, and in the film world, as Commandant Lassard in the Police Academy movies. Even though these two somewhat well-known actors were omitted, on the list was Alex Rocco, another actor from "The Godfather" (he played Moe Greene). Also on the list were a few publicists, agents, and a film critic. Granted, Richard Corliss was a very good movie critic, but in my opinion, he worked for the journalism industry and not the film industry, so his inclusion on this list is questionable at best. At least they finished the segment with the great Leonard Nimoy. I should also mention that Dave Grohl's gave a great, restrained performance of "Blackbird" that was consistent with the evening's overall theme.

Best song performances: Sam Smith was a bit off-key, especially in the falsetto range. I realize it was a tough song to sing, but it was a good thing Simon Cowell wasn't in the audience. Following an introduction by the vice president, Lady Gaga nailed her performance, and a chorus of abuse victims made for a very poignant moment. However, it was Smith that took the Oscar. His claim was incorrect that he was the first openly gay man to win an Academy Award, but it was nice of him to dedicate the award to the LGBT community.

Shut up: The producers didn't hesitate to cue the orchestra during several speeches with "Ride of the Valkyries." There is nothing like Wagner to get someone's ass moving. This was done way too prematurely for Best Director winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who echoed the evening's message of racism, focusing on the fact that it's not just a white/black problem, but concerns all races.

Clueless: Most of the crowd didn't get the bit with Stacey Dash, especially Chrissy Teigen, and neither did I until I read that she said during an interview that we should get rid of Black History Month and the BET network. Also, the gag with the Asian children as the Price and Waterhouse accountants fell flat, and I was half-expecting Mickey Rooney to come out there and say "So solly!" The animated bits with the Minions and Buzz/Woody were just OK, but they should have been on earlier when most people's kids were still awake. Finally, the thank you crawl went by too quickly for anyone to read, wasn't seen on the display screens in the Kodak Theater, and were about as useful as screen doors on a submarine.

Best scripted moment: Louis C.K. was funny and spot-on when he was presenting the award for best documentary short, and said "This award is going home in a Honda Civic."

Best unscripted moments: First, young Jacob Tremblay's genuine excitement when the Star Wars droids went on stage (he is a huge fan), and when Chris Rock came out with a box of Girl Scout cookies to end the show, and Morgan Freeman and Michael Keaton proceeded to steal and eat the cookies. I was also told Sacha Baron Cohen's in-character appearance as Ali G was off the cuff.

Movies I am definitely going to watch:
The Big Short
Creed
The Hateful Eight

Movies I might watch if I have time:
Room
Steve Jobs

Movies I probably won't watch because they look too depressing, boring or look like artsy-fartsy Oscar bait:
Bridge of Spies
The Revenant
Carol
The Danish Girl
Brooklyn

5 suggestions for next year's host:
1. Chris Rock and Kevin Hart
2. Louis C.K. (see above)
3. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
4. Jane Lynch
5. Bruce Campbell (one can dream)