Colin’s Column: The Oscars gives surprises that shock audiences
OSCARS REVIEW
By: Colin Bauer
Staff Writer
The Academy Awards reward filmmakers for their best films of the previous year. As with most award shows, there are some predictable winners, unpredictable snubs and a few surprises along the way, this year being no different.
Not surprisingly, Rami Malek won Lead Actor for “Bohemian Rhapsody.” From his mannerisms to tone of voice, Malek truly embodied Freddie Mercury in his performance. He took on Mercury’s persona and didn’t let go of it, allowing the audience to easily believe they were watching the real Freddie Mercury on the screen.
“Shallow” from “A Star is Born” won Original Song, and based on its popularity, was destined to win. The performance Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper gave at the ceremony was gripping, reminiscent of what audiences saw in the film. A powerful element that impacted this performance was how Cooper and Gaga entered the stage. The song began with its guitar intro and the two actors getting up from their seats, walking to the stage and singing.
Most big budget, Oscar-nominated films these days have some CGI imagery within them. Damien Chazelle’s “First Man” took home Best Visual Effects award this year. While the outer space scenes were stunning, it’s nothing different from 2013’s “Gravity” or 2014’s “Interstellar.”
“Ready Player One” or “Avengers: Infinity War” seemed more deserving of the Academy Award. Either of these CGI films would have been a better choice as they are told almost entirely through visual effects and would not be able to be told without them. Based on this year’s win and the growing use of CGI in films, perhaps the Oscars should redefine what they mean by “visual effects.”
Another snub this year was Gaga’s loss for the Lead Actress award to “The Favourite’s,” Olivia Colman. Both actresses produced memorable performances, but Gaga gave the performance of a lifetime. She included a range of emotions from fear to heartbreak and everything in between. Colman’s performance in comparison, although captivating, didn’t show the same emotion from audiences.
The surprise at The Academy Awards this year was the winner of Best Picture. All Oscar-worthy films nominated, the front-runners were: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Roma,” “Black Panther” and “A Star is Born.” Unexpectedly, “Green Book” took home the Oscar for Best Picture. There was disappointment regarding “Green Book’s” win because many felt the film missed the mark addressing the issue of racism in a more current and relevant way. This subject was better represented in “Black Panther” and “BlacKkKlansman.” Spike Lee did, however, take home the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on “BlacKkKlansman.”
“Green Book” was a remarkable film with engaging performances from Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. The characters emotionally connected with each other on screen as well as with audiences.
The 91st Academy Awards certainly had its entertaining and memorable moments, but it missed out on other important films of 2018.