The 90th Academy Awards were largely a dull affair, barring a few moments in Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue. Kimmel who was made the scapegoat for last year’s pandemonium along with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, were called for an encore with the promise that all envelopes would be triple-checked. And even though most of the awards went without too many batting an eyelid, there is always the odd surprise. Pixar’s Coco took home the award for the best song, beating Sufjan Stevens’ much-favoured Mystery of Love.
Netflix documentary Icarus took home the prize for best documentary, beating heartbreaking ones like Faces Places, Strong Island and the Last Men in Aleppo. Jordan Peele created history by becoming the first man to win a nomination for best screenplay, best director and best film in the same year, for his debut. Roger Deakins finally broke through the Oscar jinx, as he won his first Oscar after his 14th nomination. Other veterans like Gary Oldman, Allison CJ Janney and Sam Rockwell, won their first Oscars tonight. The Shape of Water sealed two of the final four awards, including Best Director for Guillermo del Toro and Best Picture.
The evening ended with a fair distribution of awards among the top contenders. The Shape of Water won 4 awards, while Dunkirk won 3. Three Billboards, Darkest Hour and Coco all went home with 2 awards each. Jimmy Kimmel ensured there was no mix-up this time, and even Best Picture winner Del Toro confirmed it by requesting the card from Warren Beatty’s hand. This is the year of the inclusion, as Jordan Peele’s win, Rachel Morrison’s nomination and Black Panther’s box-office success seems to suggest. 2019 will be exciting for sure!
