We watched the Oscars tonight. Lots of fun. The lightest I’ve felt in a while. Jimmy Kimmel was genuinely funny. I loved seeing people truly moved when they won. I didn’t love Casey Affleck’s speech, but I thought he was amazing in Manchester by the Sea. A very tough movie with him playing an incredibly tough role. To be fair, I haven’t seen many of the other movies nominated. I certainly will. I loved Come Hell or High Water, a classic Texas film about something entirely different than what it first appears to be (and yes, I’m being cryptic just in case you haven’t seen it.) I saw Hidden Figures as well and enjoyed it. I’ve seen Zootopia twice or maybe three times with Luna. It actually gets better each time I watch it, which is always the best indicator of a great movie.
I was moved by Viola Davis’s acceptance speech, which was so full of passion. I was also very touched by the speech of Kenneth Lonnergan after winning for his original script. I was glad he won; I thought the writing in Manchester by the Sea was exceptional. Of course, I, like everyone else, was shocked with the Best Picture mix-up. I hope Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway don’t give themselves too hard a time over announcing the wrong winner. After all, it sounds as if someone accidentally handed them the wrong card.
I thought overall this was one of the better Academy Awards shows I’ve seen in a long time. Even the politics was played down. Kimmel struck just the right note with his teasing of Trump. Just an occasional poke, but nothing that could be seen as overly-sensational. I was happy with that. I appreciated that the general message of the night was, “Let’s remember how many values we share rather than focus on all of our differences.” That is exactly what the country needs to hear right now.
A very satisfying experience overall. I am glad I took the time to watch the Oscars tonight. A little inspiration never hurt anybody.
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