8 things we absolutely loved about Oscars 2016
1) Chris Rock’s monologue
Chris Rock’s opening monologue was not pitch-perfect with his nerves often showing but he nonetheless managed to get his point across in hosting what certainly was one of the most challenging Oscar ceremonies of the year given the #OscarsSoWhite backlash and heated discussions on diversity.
He wasn’t afraid to hit where it hurts, such as when he spoke about how the Oscars didn’t matter much to the African-American community back in the 1960s. “Why? Because we had real things to protest. We were too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer.” Or this killer line about how this year’s in-memoriam segment was “just going to be about black people shot by cops on the way to movies.”
2) Pete Docter’s winning speech
Inside Out may have lost the best screenplay Oscar to Spotlight, which also won best picture, but its director and co-writer Pete Docter was awarded with best animated feature film prize. On stage, Docter, whose earlier victory was for Up!, demonstrated how he is one of the greatest writers with a lovely speech that ended with these words of wisdom for kids: "Make things: make films, draw, write. It will make a world of difference."
3) Jenny Beavan’s devil-may-care sartorial style
Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan, who early in February made headlines when Stephen Fry called her a “bag lady” at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards (BAFTAs), was the badass heroine of the red carpet.
While everyone strutted in long shimmering gowns, Beavan appeared in a jacket which looked like one of the unused creations from Mad Max: Fury Road, for which she was awarded her second Oscar. She was great with words too as she reminded audiences how the dystopian world in George Miller’s action film could be a sign of things to come if we aren’t careful with the environment.
PS To all those men who didn’t applaud, including Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, we have got this gif featuring Furiosa for you.
4) Louis CK as presenter
He was presenting an award for best documentary short subject that most in the room wouldn’t care about, let alone remember, but trust the comedian to make it one of the best presentations of the night.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won her second Oscar for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, which looks at honour killings in Pakistan. We start our petition for Louis CK as host next year now.
5) Chris Rock’s visit to Compton
Rock interviewed movie-goers outside a theatre in Compton, a city also seen in the Oscar-nominated film Straight Outta Compton. Some of the reactions to mere mention of Oscar-nominated titles were hilarious. Asked if they had seen Spotlight, a movie-goer replied, “What the hell is that?” Bridge of Spies? “Where are you getting these movies from? You messing with me, right?” said another.
Asked to name a favourite film featuring white actors, a woman replied, "By the Sea". To which Rock quipped, “Wow, not even they (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) would say that.”
6) Mad Max: Fury Road’s six victories
“Us Mad Maxers are doing okay tonight,” said Margaret Sixel, who won an Oscar for editing the film directed by her husband, George Miller. For Mad Max fans, including me, one hour of the show was not simply okay but sheer bliss as Mad Max swept the technical categories including production design, hair and make-up and sound mixing and editing, losing only in cinematography (to The Revenant) and visual effects (surprise winner Ex Machina).
The recipients, many of them Australians, couldn’t hide their joy as they took to the stage delivering the most spontaneous and heartfelt speeches, all of which acknowledged the genius of George Miller. It may not have won in the best director category, which it should have, or best picture, but it still walked away with the most number of trophies on Sunday night.
7) Lady Gaga’s performance
Gaga’s performance of “Til it happens to you” from The Hunting Ground, a documentary about rapes on US college campuses, was one of the most affecting bits of the show. Standing in solidarity with many of the survivors of sexual assault, Gaga, a survivor herself, hit all the right notes with a powerful rendition, which received a standing ovation and left many in tears. Pity then that she lost to Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the wall”, one of the dullest James Bond songs. It’s proof that the Oscars don’t always get it right.
8) Spotlight winning best picture
The Big Short had won the Producer’s Guild Award, while The Revenant had collected honours at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs, and also won Inarritu his second straight Director’s Guild prize. Spotlight’s terrific ensemble won the Screen Actors Guild award but not many were convinced that the film could take the big prize home.
Nominated for six Oscars, Spotlight won the first (best original screenplay) and the last award of the evening. Following intrepid reporters in the investigative team of The Boston Globe, which broke the explosive story of how the Catholic Church protected priests accused of child sexual abuse, the film is a taut, moving and engrossing watch. It restores faith in the power of journalism.