Oscars recap: Everything Everywhere All At Once dominates, Canadians shine
The metaphysical multiverse comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once” wrapped its sizzling canine fingers round Hollywood’s high prize Sunday, successful finest image on the ninety fifth Academy Awards, together with awards for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Though worlds away from Oscar bait, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s anarchic ballet of all the pieces bagels, googly-eyed rocks and one messy tax audit emerged as an unbelievable Academy Awards heavyweight. The indie hit, A24’s second finest image winner following “Moonlight,” received seven Oscars in all. Only two different movies in Oscar historical past — “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Network” — received three performing Academy Awards.
Fifty years after “The Godfather” received on the Oscars, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” triumphed with a a lot totally different immigrant expertise. Its eccentric story a couple of Chinese immigrant household — simply the second function by the Daniels, because the filmmaking duo is understood — blended science fiction and alternate realities within the story of an abnormal lady and laundromat proprietor.
“The world is changing rapidly and I fear our stories are not keeping that pace,” mentioned Kwan, who shared finest director and finest unique screenplay with Scheinert. “Sometimes it’s a little scary knowing that movies move at the rate of years and the world on the internet is moving at the rate of milliseconds. But I have great faith in our stories.”
Yeoh grew to become the primary Asian lady to finest actress, taking the award for her lauded efficiency in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The 60-year-old Malaysian-born Yeoh received her first Oscar for a efficiency that relied as a lot on her comedian and dramatic chops because it did her kung fu abilities. It’s the primary finest actress win for a non-white actress in 20 years.
“Ladies, don’t let anyone ever tell you you’re past your prime,” mentioned Yeoh, who acquired a raucous standing ovation.
“Everything Everywhere,” launched all the way in which again in March 2022, helped revive arthouse cinemas after two years of pandemic, racking up greater than $100 million in ticket gross sales with scant preliminary expectations of Oscar glory. In successful finest director, the Daniels — each 35 years outdated — are simply the third directing pair to win the award, following Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (“West Side Story”) and Joel and Ethan Coen (“No Country for Old Men”). Scheinert devoted the award “to the moms of the world.”
Canadian actor Fraser wins high prize, fan favorite Quan celebrates
Best actor went to Brendan Fraser, culminating the former motion star’s return to middle stage for his bodily transformation as a 600-lb. reclusive professor in “The Whale.” The best-actor race had been one of many closest contests of the night time, however Fraser ultimately edged out Austin Butler.
“So this is what the multiverse looks like,” mentioned a clearly moved Fraser, pointing to the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” crew.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a shock of freshness in a film business awash in sequels and reboots, helped Hollywood flip the web page from one of the notorious moments in Oscar historical past: The Slap. Jimmy Kimmel, internet hosting for the third time, pledged a ceremony with “no nonsense.” He mentioned anybody who needed to “get jiggy with it” this yr must come via a fearsome battalion of bodyguards, together with Yeoh, Steven Spielberg and his present’s “security guard” Guillermo Rodriguez.
The former little one star Quan capped his personal extraordinary comeback with the Oscar for finest supporting actor for his efficiency within the indie hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Quan, beloved for his roles as Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and Data in “Goonies,” had all however given up performing earlier than being forged in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
His win, among the many most anticipated of the night time, was however one of many ceremony’s most shifting moments. The viewers — together with his “Temple of Doom” director, Steven Spielberg — gave Quan a standing ovation as he fought again tears.
“Mom, I just won an Oscar!” mentioned Quan, 51, whose household fled Vietnam within the struggle when he was a toddler.
“They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe it’s happening,” mentioned Quan. “This is the American dream.”
Minutes later, Quan’s castmate Jamie Lee Curtis received for finest supporting actress. Her win, in one of many best classes this yr, denied a victory for comic-book followers. Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) would have been the primary performer to win an Oscar for a Marvel film. Curtis is the uncommon Oscar winner whose dad and mom had been each Oscar nominees: Tony Curtis was nominated for “The Defiant Ones” in 1959 and Janet Leigh was nominated in 1961 for “Psycho.”
All Quiet on the Western Front has good night time, others strike out
The German-language WWI epic “All Quiet on the Western Front” — Netflix’s high contender this yr — took 4 awards because the academy heaped honors on the craft of the harrowing anti-war movie. It received for cinematography, manufacturing design, rating and finest worldwide movie.
Though Bassett missed on supporting actress, Ruth E. Carter received for the costume design of “Wakanda Forever,” 4 years after changing into the primary Black designer to win an Oscar, for “Black Panther.” This one makes Carter the first Black lady to win two Oscars.
“Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman,” mentioned Carter. “She endures, she loves, she overcomes, she is every woman in this film.”
ABC’s telecast opened historically: with a montage of the yr’s movies (with Kimmel edited right into a cockpit in “Top Gun: Maverick”) and a prolonged monologue. Kimmel struggled to search out classes from the yr’s prior scandal when Will Smith smacked presenter Chris Rock, and went on to win finest actor. If anybody tried any violence this yr, Kimmel mentioned, “you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech.”
After landmark wins for Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) and Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), no girls had been nominated for finest director. Sarah Polley, although, received finest tailored screenplay for the metaphor-rich Mennonite drama “Women Talking.”
“Thank you to the academy for not being mortally offended by the words ‘women’ and ‘talking,’” mentioned Polley.
Daniel Roher’s “Navalny,” concerning the imprisoned Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, took finest documentary. The movie’s win got here with clear overtones to Navalny’s ongoing imprisonment and Vladimir Putin’s continued struggle in Ukraine. Yulia Navalnaya joined the filmmakers on the stage.
“My husband is in prison just for telling the truth,” mentioned Navalnaya. “Stay strong, my love.”
Some huge names weren’t in attendance for different causes. Neither Tom Cruise, whose “Top Gun: Maverick” was up for finest image, nor James Cameron, director of best-picture nominee “Avatar: The Way of Water,” had been on the ceremony. Both have been forefront in Hollywood’s efforts to get moviegoers again after years of the pandemic.
“The two guys who asked us to go back to theater aren’t in the theater,” mentioned Kimmel, who added that Cruise with out his shirt on in “Top Gun: Maverick” was “L. Ron Hubba Hubba.”
Blockbuster nominees sometimes assist enhance Oscar scores. Neither “Maverick” or “Avatar” — with some $3.7 billion in mixed field workplace — took house a lot, although. “The Way of Water” received for visible results; “Maverick” took finest sound.
Gaga, Rihanna carry out
After final yr’s Oscars, which had stripped some classes from being handed out within the dwell telecast, the academy restored all awards to the present and leaned on conventional track and dance numbers. That meant some show-stopping numbers, together with the elastic suspenders dance of “Naatu Naatu” from the Telugu action-film sensation “RRR,” an intimate, impassioned efficiency by Lady Gaga of “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” and an Super Bowl follow-up by Rihanna. Best track went to “Naatu Naatu ” from “RRR.”
It additionally meant an extended present. “This kind of makes you miss the slapping a little bit, right?” Kimmel mentioned halfway.
After final yr’s slap, the academy created a disaster administration staff to higher reply to surprises. Neither Rock, who just lately made his most forceful assertion concerning the incident in a dwell particular, nor Smith, who was banned by the academy for 10 years, attended.
Last yr, Apple TV’s “CODA” grew to become the primary streaming film to win finest image. But this yr, 9 of the ten finest image nominees had been theatrical releases. After the film business cratered throughout the pandemic, moviegoing recovered to about 67% of pre-pandemic ranges. But it was an up-and-down yr, with smash hits and anxiety-inducing lulls.
This yr, ticket gross sales have been robust because of releases like “Creed III” and “Cocaine Bear” — which made not one however two cameos at Sunday’s present. Meanwhile, the Writers Guild and the main studios are set to start contract negotiations March 20, a looming battle that has a lot of the business girding for a attainable work stoppage.
The Oscars, too, are looking for steadiness. Last yr’s telecast drew 16.6 million viewers, a 58% improve from the scaled-down 2021 version, watched by a record-low 10.5 million.
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