With the Oscars having recently passed, opinions are being voiced. And loudly. Although nothing as iconic as Chris Rock’s slap transpired, there is still a lot to cover from the 97th Academy awards.
From Zoe Saldaña’s extreme thankfulness for her mom, and Wicked’s Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo being overlooked, this year’s award ceremony was packed with controversy.
The most buzzing topic of the evening is the extent to which the film “Emilia Pérez” was recognized. In total, the film was nominated for 13 awards and brought home two, one for best supporting actress and another for best original song for “El Mal”.
Zoe Saldaña’s win for best supporting actress sparked lots of talk however, as many were in disbelief that Ariana Grande from “Wicked” did not take home the award that night.
Zachary Gradishar extended his thoughts about the situation and said, “I’m sorry, but Ariana deserved so much better this awards season.”
On the other hand, I believe “Wicked” itself was perfectly recognized with their ten nominations and two wins. These awards were for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
This award for Best Costume Design stood strong through Ariana Grande’s performance of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and her duet with her costar Cynthia Erivo of “Defying Gravity” with their impeccable dresses.
Grande performed in a stunning ruby red, hand studded, dress embodying Dorothy’s ruby red slipper from the “Wizard of Oz”, Erivo in a grand wedding-like white gown covered in florals.
However, their evening dresses they arrived in were drastically different.
Grande made her appearance in a pearly baby pink mini dress with a beautiful mesh curtain reaching the carpet, perfectly fitting into her Glinda character. Erivo too embraced her movie character wearing a dramatic deep green velvet floor length dress.
The film that stood out the most in this ceremony was “Anora”. This film was loosely based on a true story about a woman from Brooklyn, New York marrying Russian royalty.
This film was nominated for six awards and won five of them. The winnings consisted of awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.
Film critic Robert Ebert describes the movie to be “both thrilling and heartbreaking, both boisterous and shatteringly sad.”
This paints the movie’s award winnings to be well deserved
Also, “Conclave” received much recognition. Out of the eight awards it was nominated for, it only took home one award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
This thriller movie depicted the selection of a new pop and the power religious figures hold.
In conclusion, the buzzing controversy surrounding the plethora of recognized films set the stage for opinions to be thrown left and right. From fashion moments to the validity of the awards, each viewer had their opinions and many did not hold back from expressing them.