With the biggest night in film coming up this Sunday, the Oscar’s are going to be the talk of the weekend. The award show is a fun viewing experience and not to mention, a way to bond with your friends whether you love movies or not. You can even turn the event into a competition—my sorority makes ballots, and we sit in our TV room and fill them out before the show. Whoever gets the most predictions right wins and gets a prize the next day! So if you want to stay up to date on the latest news with everything and anything entertainment related, you’ve come to the right place.
It seems that every year, the award show is surrounded by controversy, and this year is no different. It all started when the Academy announced their 2019 host: Kevin Hart. Immediately, public backlash ensued, as old homophobic tweets of his were suddenly uncovered and broadcasted across the Internet. People across the country immediately began posting and tweeting their unhappiness about Hart’s hosting, and some even said that they would boycott the awards if he hosted. In response to the public’s blatant opposition, the Academy fired Hart. A week later, he appeared on Ellen, explaining that those tweets had already been uncovered, and he had already apologized for them—he refused to apologize again and thought his punishment was unfair. The Oscars then offered him the original job back, but Hart said that if he were to now host the event, he would be the center of attention, not the people who deserved the awards. So the Academy is now doing something unprecedented: they’re going without a host this year, making this an Oscars you wont want to miss.
Everyone knows that watching the awars show isn’t fun unless you know the movies, so here is a run down of the movies up for Best Picture (and basically every other award):
The Favourite:
Nominated for the most awards of the night (ties with Roma for ten), this film is about a frail Queen Anne of England during the time period in which England was at war with France. Her close friend Lady Sarah governs in place of her while tending to her condition, and when a new servant Abigail enters the Court, conflict ensues. The movie stars Emma Stone, Rachel Weiss and Olivia Coleman who are all up for Academy Awards for their roles.
Green Book:
Starring Viggo Mortenson and Mahershala Ali, this film is about an esteemed African American pianist who takes a musical tour of the deep south with an Italian American blue collar driver guiding his trip. Eventually, the two form an unlikely bond. The movie highlights racism and raises the question of how inherent in society it still is today. This one is my personal favorite, and I HIGHLY recommend seeing it! Plus both stars are nominated for Oscars.
A Star is Born:
Most people have seen this tragic drama about the romantic relationship between a struggling alcoholic country singer on the decline and a young rising pop star heading toward the peak of her career. I won’t spoil the ending, but if you haven’t seen it, bring tissues. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, who are nominated for best male and female lead actor, truly tell a pained and yet so realistic and magical story with their effortless and natural onscreen chemistry.
Roma:
This film follows the perspective of a live-in Mexican maid for a middle class family in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City. The film has a semi-autographical point of view, as it highlights director Alfonso Cuarón’s upbringing. The movie stars Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira and is a favorite to win Best Picture.
Vice:
All I could think about while watching this movie was Christian Bale’s transformation which, in my opinion, should earn him the Oscar for lead actor in a film. For his role as Dick Cheney, former vice president of the US, he gained 50 pounds of fat and looks utterly unrecognizable. This movie is a great historical retelling of the Bush presidency in the early 2000s and the dark times that clouded his and Cheney’s term.
Bohemian Rhapsody:
One of my favorites of the season, this movie follows the evolution of Queen as a band by outlining the life of Freddie Mercury. The acting and cinematography in this film are superb, but one of the best things about this movie is its soundtrack. The only issue I had with this film was the creative changes they made to the script that changed the story—a story that is real, historical and did happen, making the film partly untrue. Other than that, I am pulling for this movie and for Rami Malek, as he is my pick to win Best Actor.
BlacKkKlansman:
One of the most critically acclaimed films of the season with timely themes of racism contrasted and compared between time periods, this film is set in 1970 and follows the first African American detective on the Colorado Spring’s police force and his mission to go undercover and expose the town’s local segment of the KKK. Directed by Spike Lee and starring John David Washington and Adam Driver, this film is nominated for six Academy Awards.
Black Panther:
One of the most talked about films of the year, Black Panther is the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first superhero movie to ever receive a nomination for Best Picture. It is also nominated for six other Academy Awards as it follows T’Challa and his reign as he is crowned King of Wakanda.
I hope this article gives you a little more background on what to expect at the 91st Academy Awards. Don’t forget to tune in and watch THIS Sunday, February 24 at 5pm PST on ABC!