Christopher Nolan’s Coronation Had Kenergy | 96th Oscars Recap and Review

Last night, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 96th edition of the Academy Awards on a night where awards prognosticators felt most of the big awards were already spoken for beforehand. However, conventional prognosticating wisdom did not always win out, as the presenters read out the winners of the Academy’s 23 categories. The early frontrunner and expected Best Picture winner Oppenheimer did, indeed, become the biggest winner of the night with seven total Oscars including wins that saw shatteringly good work from Robert Downey, Jr. and Cillian Murphy earn them their first ‘Little Golden Men.’ Hollywood’s safest bet and — as I liked to call him last night on social media — the ‘Crown Prince of Cinema,’ Christopher Nolan, had his grand coronation as Steven Spielberg passed the baton, awarded him with the Best Director award, and gave him a big hug. For many, that is what the night will be remembered for — i.e. the triumph of the immensely popular biopic and Christopher Nolan who, as some will undoubtedly perceive it, went toe-to-toe with Barbie and came out of the explosion that was ‘Barbenheimer’ with 7 golden statuettes in tow. Indeed, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a hugely deserving winner of all of the awards that the cast and crew went home with (including Best Picture, which was announced in a relatively confusing way by film-legend Al Pacino), but that’s not all the 96th edition of the Academy Awards should be remembered for. 

The Highs and Lows of Kimmel, Comedy, and Planned Bits

Every time the Oscars ceremony comes around, one of the oft-discussed elements is whether or not the selected host did a good job. This year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) went with an Oscar host veteran in Jimmy Kimmel. The American talk show is a safe choice, as he has been through the drama of an awards show mix-up before and knows how awards shows ebb and flow throughout the night. AMPAS knew Kimmel wouldn’t go full Jo Koy (i.e. this awards season’s Golden Globes host who was heavily criticized for his tactlessness), but at the same time, it was unlikely that he could match the highs of, say, Billy Crystal or a great opening number like Hugh Jackman once gave us.

As some of you know, I am a member of the critics group the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA). Throughout the night, I texted with my fellow IFSCA members in our WhatsApp general chat, and, at one point, Matthew Simpson remarked that a host can really only be one of three things: memorable, a trainwreck, or fine. Matthew is right, I feel, and, ultimately, Kimmel did just fine. He delivered a so-so-opening monologue that had its moments, but also featured the kind of lazy ‘your movies are too long’ jokes that he really should know better than to make at this point. If there was anything truly controversial about his opening monologue, it may have been how he interacted with Robert Downey, Jr., who was the ‘victim’ of a joke targeted at his previous substance abuse. Look, while we all know Downey’s past — and it did earn some laughs — Downey’s career peak (i.e. finally earning an Oscar from his peers) should not be marred by making fun of the addiction that he has worked hard to overcome. Indeed, Downey looked slightly uncomfortable as he signaled to Kimmel that he should move along to another joke. Kimmel’s monologue did end with a strong moment, as he orchestrated a standing ovation in favor of unionizing and striking. Late into the night, Kimmel also earned great laughs, as he took a social media post made by former US President Donald Trump and responded on international television with the joke: “Isn’t it past your jail time?”

But it isn’t just the host’s performance that needs to be evaluated. Let’s also think back on what comedic bits and ideas paid off on Hollywood’s biggest night. Here are some of the night’s memorable moments:

• John Mulaney: The stand-up comedian, who recently hosted the 14th Governors Award (and delivered a phenomenal monologue in the process), presented the Best Sound category in a way that made everyone online light up. He essentially rambled about movies in a very entertaining manner. Frankly, it was the kind of comedic bit that made you want to see him be a future Oscar host. That said, the presentation did have sub-par writing as it commented on sound work as if it only had to do with dialogue, which is a misrepresentation of what makes that category so significant.
• Emperor’s New Clothes: One of the better presentation comedic bits of the night was when John Cena appeared naked on-stage (with the envelope covering his genitals) to present Best Costume Design. It was the pay-off to a set-up by Jimmy Kimmel who had referenced the streaker from the 46th Academy Awards. I was honestly mostly surprised that they didn’t go for a ‘You Can’t See Me’ joke, as I thought that was the obvious joke to go with for Cena. 
• Twins Unite Against Batman: In a particularly memorable presentation bit, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito — stars of Ivan Reitman’s Twins from 1988 — appeared on stage and reminisced about their time as… Batman villains! They even had a funny exchange with Michael Keaton. 
• Messi is the GOAT: Wait, I’m not talking about the footballer. I am, of course, referring to the Palm Dog-winning canine who delivered an unforgettable performance in Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. The border collie had a couple of fun reaction shots that’ll almost definitely lead to some really effective GIFs.
• Spielberg Played His Part: Speaking of GIFs, we will also definitely get a few usable ones out of the Best Documentary Feature presentation when Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera interacted with Steven Spielberg, who confirmed that his Jurassic Park dinosaurs weren’t real and that he has been receiving the messages that McKinnon had been sending to Jeff Goldblum.

I will also add that there was a significant segment included that was meant to celebrate stuntwork over the years. And while it both was introduced with great Barbenheimer banter between Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling and featured a phenomenal video of stunts through the years, it, frankly, should’ve led to the announcement of a hotly requested new Oscar category for stunts. But since that didn’t happen, it almost just feels like a way to promote Blunt and Gosling’s upcoming film about a stuntman — David Leitch’s The Fall Guy. Seriously, AMPAS, when are we getting that category?

Moments That Stole the Show: Old Format, Political Speeches, and Gosling

At certain ceremonies, the comedic bits mentioned earlier might’ve been the actual best moments of the night. What made the 96th edition of the Academy Awards fairly good was that three elements truly stole the show. The first of these is that the Oscars brought back a beloved presentation format that was famously used at the 81st Academy Awards back when Heath Ledger was honored with an Oscar posthumously. Like with that ceremony, all of the night’s acting awards presentations were carried out by five different awards recipients from past years for each of the four acting awards. This led to some wonderful performance tributes that appeared to genuinely move the nominees, but it also led to some awkward moments when it was obvious certain presenters had no prior relationship with the performer they were introducing (Tim Robbins also notably fluffed one of his lines when he was supposed to praise Robert DeNiro’s performance in Killers of the Flower Moon). Also, even though it was a welcome return for the acting presentation format, it was a shame that it wasn’t paired with clips from the nominated films. 

The second element of the ceremony that stole the show was that there were a couple of powerful political speeches. When The Zone of Interest won Best International Feature, its principal filmmaker Jonathan Glazer read out a statement that included: “We stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?” It was a powerful and brave speech from the filmmaker on a night when many online desperately wanted someone to speak out against the horror show in Gaza. For some online, it wasn’t enough, but to stand there as a Jewish man and criticize Israel for all to see takes more courage than most could ever muster up if they were in his shoes. Glazer knew his comments would be controversial and perhaps even be misconstrued. But Glazer was clearly adamant that his film, his identity, the Holocaust as a whole, and this Oscar win must not be used to justify what is going on in Gaza. Given what his film is about, it would’ve probably been wrong of him to not say something. It’ll be interesting to see how people react to it in the weeks to come.

Later, when Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days in Mariupol rightfully won Best Documentary Feature, Chernov remarked: “But probably I will be the first director on this stage who will say: ‘I wish I’d never made this film.’ I wish to be able to exchange this [for] Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities. I wish for them to release all the hostages, all the soldiers who are protecting their lands, all the civilians who are now in their jails. But I cannot change the history. I cannot change the past. But we all together — among you are some of the most talented people in the world — we can make sure that the history record is set straight and that the truth will prevail. And the people of Mariupol and those who have given their lives will never be forgotten. Cinema forms memories and memories form history.” Although some may argue politics doesn’t belong on an Oscars stage, I beg to differ. To stand up there in front of the whole world and speak your truth is what art is all about. In addition to these powerful political speeches, AMPAS also smartly included a clip from the Oscar-winning documentary Navalny (about the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was a symbol of a free and democratic Russia) in which the late politician delivered a final message in case of his death, in their In Memoriam segment. 

But the one moment that will probably outshine the ceremony itself, at least on YouTube, TikTok, and whatnot, was the musical performance of “I’m Just Ken,” from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. The performance featured song and dance from Ryan Gosling — who also memorably let America Ferrera, Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, and Emma Stone sing into the microphone — as well as notable appearances from other ‘Kens’ from the movie, who danced alongside other suited-up backup dancers. Heck, even Slash showed up to play the guitar. It was, frankly, one of the best musical performances in the history of the Oscars, as it featured the kind of rock-star and movie-star energy that everyone in the audience is desperate to capture. Sure, Oppenheimer may have won more awards while Ryan Gosling, Greta Gerwig, and Margot Robbie went home empty-handed (Barbie won a single award for the Billie Eilish song “What Was I Made For?”), but, make no mistake, Barbie’s Ryan Gosling actually won the Oscars.

Battle of the Stones & A Notable Shutout

Going into the night, most awards prognosticators decided to predict that Killers of the Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone would win the Best Actress-Oscar since she had won that very SAG award in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. Gladstone, however, did not ultimately win the award, as Poor Things’ Emma Stone was instead called to the stage. Online, a lot of people were understandably upset that Lily Gladstone didn’t win for her powerful, subtle performance, which would have been a historic win given that she was the first Native American woman to be nominated for the award. While I would’ve loved to have seen Gladstone, herself a worthy winner, get her first Oscar, you simply can’t say that Emma Stone did not deserve this. The now-two-time winner delivered one of the bravest and most entertaining performances of the decade in Poor Things. 

At the same time, it does feel wrong for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon to go home empty-handed especially given its central message. On another note, Martin Scorsese is our finest living filmmaker and one of the greatest to ever do it, and yet, year after year, AMPAS takes his work for granted. Although Christopher Nolan is a more than worthy winner of Best Director (to be clear, I was happy when his name was announced), Scorsese only has a single Oscar to his name, and therefore it is frankly unacceptable that his last four features have netted zero wins in spite oft the fact that they earned 26 nominations. It is absolutely baffling and unacceptable that his work isn’t more honored by the Academy. AMPAS notably messed up back in the day when they chose not to give Scorsese a Best Director Oscar for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, as they opted, instead, to give the Little Golden Men to Rocky, Ordinary People, and Dances With Wolves (and, frankly, only one of those other films has had any lasting cultural imprint comparable to those Scorsese films), but I digress.

FINAL VERDICT: Good, Bad, or Ugly?

So, where does that leave us? Well, unlike certain recent Oscar ceremonies, there weren’t any ugly moments that derailed the entire show. It also wasn’t the dull show that some expected given how predictable Best Picture was. It ended up being a fairly good show thanks to a strong selection of worthy winners and ‘an injection of Kenergy‘ added to the show at exactly the right moment. If there was something that made it seem slightly clumsy, it was perhaps how certain moments of the show felt unnecessarily sped up. The show had been re-designed to start earlier than usual but was then, unexpectedly, five minutes late to start, which, I think, made the people in charge of the show overly nervous that they wouldn’t have time to get through it all. But despite moments of wonky pacing, it ended up being the kind of show that the Oscars needed precisely because of the effective Barbenheimer of it all. 

– Article Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.