Regina King promised an “Oscars movie with a cast of over 200 nominees.” Producer Steven Soderbergh pledged to create “a three hour film at Union Station.” On both grounds, this year’s Academy Awards were a failure. It turns out you can’t make a successful live movie if no one knows the ending, and no matter how many talented performers you sardine into one room, most of them won’t get it right on the first take.
Connoisseurs of the awkward weren’t disappointed last night. Daniel Kaluuya provided the first moment of memeable cringe as he joked about his parents’ sex life (his mother’s reaction shot is genuinely worth a look). Frances McDormand howled at the moon during the (deserving) Best Picture win for Nomadland, then gibbered a pseudo-haiku about voices and swords as she picked up her third Best Actress Oscar. Meanwhile, Glenn Close may not have won the Oscar but for many she won the Oscars with her suspiciously encyclopedic knowledge of E.U.’s “Da Butt” from Spike Lee’s School Daze.
For the article in full, visit The Independent.