Oscars 2017: A Brief Summary
If you find it really difficult to sit through anything that is more than an hour, then odds are you probably didn’t watch the Oscars. Don’t worry: after reading this summary you’ll know enough to understand all the Oscar-themed tweets, memes, and gifs to come. The evening started with a stellar performance by Justin Timberlake! Jimmy Kimmel also made an appearance to keep people laughing about life and politics, among other things. There was also a number of celebrities reading mean tweets!
So without further a due, here is a list of all the winners, nominees, and important moments from this year’s Oscars.
Best Picture:
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Winner: Moonlight
The best picture announcement was perhaps the highlight of the entire evening, and not because this is the category that most people look forward to. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway accidentally presented the award to the wrong cast and crew. Awkward. Having been given the wrong envelope backstage, Beatty hesitated when presenting the award and that’s when Dunaway jumped in and announced that La La Land won. It was only a few producers of La La Land gave their heartfelt speeches that word about the mix-up began to spread on-stage. Then Jordan Horowitz, a La La Land producer, stepped forward and said “What? You guys, I’m sorry, no. There’s a mistake. “Moonlight,” you guys won best picture.” Awkward. Arguably more awkward than the whole Miss-Universe-2015-Steve-Harvey disaster. But at least everyone handled the situation with grace and poise. I’ll leave it to you to find the symbolism in the way all this played out.
Actor in Supporting Role:
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Dev Patel, Lion
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Winner: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
Ali’s performance in this movie was phenomenal and if you haven’t seen this film yet then you really should. CEC is doing a free screening on February 28!
Actress in Supporting Role:
Winner: Viola Davis, Fences
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Fun fact: Viola Davis in now officially the first black actor to win an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony in the acting category. Congratulations Viola! And thank you for pushing for the recognition of black talent in the entertainment industry!
Actor in Leading Role:
Winner: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
Brie Larson presented Casey Affleck with this award and it was really clear that she would’ve rather not. She may not have communicated her unhappiness in words but her facial expression did all the talking, as did the fact that she didn’t clap for him after his acceptance speech. So why was Larson so unhappy? Well because Larson, a prominent advocate for survivors of sexual assault, was presenting an award to an actor who has been sued on multiple occasions for sexual harassment and assault. I can see why that would make her angry. I would be angry too, but kudos to Larson for handling that situation with such class.
Actress in Leading Role:
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Winner: Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Documentary (Feature):
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
Winner: O.J.: Made in America
13th
Animated Feature Film:
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Winner: Zootopia
I’m not going to lie, I loved Zootopia but I reeeeaaaally loved Moana!
Live Action Short Film:
Ennemis Intérieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Winner: Sing
Timecode
YAAAAAAS! Spoiler alert: highlight of this film was the scene with one of the pigs singing Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance!
Music (Original Song):
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls
Winner: “City of Stars,” La La Land
“The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story
“How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
I’m not the only person who listens to “How Far I’ll Go” literally 300 times a day, am I? Yeah, I wish this went to Moana! If you can’t already tell, I really wanted Moana to win something!
Music (Original Score):
Jackie
Winner: La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers
Directing:
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Winner: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Writing (Original Screenplay):
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Winner: Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women
Writing (Adapted Screenplay):
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Winner: Moonlight
YAAAAAAAAS! But Hidden Figures and Lion definitely deserve a mention because both movies are guaranteed to tug at your heart strings!
Directing:
Danis Villeneuve, Arrival
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Winner: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Visual Effects:
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
Winner: The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Clearly I’m not the only one who was extremely impressed by the realistic CGI effects of The Jungle Book! Congratulations to the talented team that produced this film!
Cinematography:
Arrival
Winner: La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence
Film Editing:
Arrival
Winner: Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight
Costume Design:
Allied
Winner: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land
Makeup and Hairstyling:
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Winner: Suicide Squad
Sound Editing:
Winner: Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully
Sound Mixing:
Arrival
Winner: Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Foreign Language Film:
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
Winner: The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann
Animated Short Film:
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Winner: Piper
Production Design:
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
Winner: La La Land
Passengers
Documentary (Short Subject):
Extremis
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
Winner: The White Helmets
So there you have it! Now you’re mostly all caught up on current affairs!