The 96th Oscar gala began at midnight Spanish time, with the promise of ending earlier than usual, at 3:30, and thereby lightening the effort of night owls on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
In an edition that was not very exciting because it was predictable, with
Oppenheimer
, by Christopher Nolan, as the obvious great winner, the expectations in case the national representation made up of
The Snow Society
and
Robot Dreams
managed to make a splash in its categories were one of the incentives of the night.
For this reason, it had to be the Uruguayan actor Enzo Vogrincic (Numa in JA Bayona's film) who was quickly in charge of waking us up from the red carpet to the incontestable war cry of “Let's go up!”
LET'S GO UP BO pic.twitter.com/sX4Ceuotuv
— agos (enzo vogrincic's manager) (@halbrandthinker) March 10, 2024
This year, above the dresses and suits, in the moments before the ceremony the most relevant and commented gesture was that of the stars who decided to stand up and ask for a ceasefire from Israel in Gaza.
Parallel to the carpet, in fact, a march in support of Palestine was taking place on Sunset Boulevard.
Either with a flag pin or with red badges from the Artists 4 Ceasefire collective, the actors Milo Machado Graner and Swann Arlaud, a child and lawyer in
Anatomy of a Fall
, Mark Ruffalo and the singer Billie Eilish, positioned themselves a few hours away from winning the Oscar for his song for
Barbie
.
The latter in black, in contrast to the film's trademark pink that fellow nominee America Ferrera did wear.
pic.twitter.com/hjAoTg84wP
— ' (@cravemedia_) March 10, 2024
They are the meme of the #Oscars houses https://t.co/at8oUoWnEt pic.twitter.com/Pm2bEnYe6R
— SostieneNatalia (@SostieneNatalia) March 10, 2024
Beyond a stumble by actress Liza Koshy, the revelation of Vanessa Hudgens' pregnancy or the age differences causing some hilarious lapses to the Movistar Plus+ commentators, who took Nicolas Cage's wife (31 years younger than him) for her granddaughter, on the red carpet, naturally, it was not possible for anyone to outshine the visual effects team of
Godzilla: Minus One
, who left the bar of elegance unattainable by showing up to the event holding Godzilla dolls.
Only Messi, the charismatic dog from
Anatomy of a Fall
, also present at the Oscars, approached them.
The 'GODZILLA MINUS ONE' team has arrived to the #Oscars with their mini Godzillas pic.twitter.com/IXb2Mrfyyh
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 10, 2024
Jimmy Kimmel and Messi rehearsing for the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/wSGyTdeXfG
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 10, 2024
To avoid stress for the animal and for him not to be in his seat for the entire ceremony, reaction shots of him applauding or urinating on Matt Damon's star on the Walk of Fame were previously recorded, which were interspersed during the broadcast.
this is the best thing I've ever seen pic.twitter.com/q0QlwwmIG0 https://t.co/t5W6T7M9GY
— bethany (@fiImgal) March 11, 2024
A great fact about the ceremony is that the little dog Messi recorded his appearances at the Oscars beforehand, to avoid stress.
🐶💖 #Oscarspic.twitter.com/rYQkQG397y
— Carla ❁ (@shannonlada) March 10, 2024
"Anatomy of a Fall" star Messi appears to pee on Matt Damon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
https://t.co/UNgGySGz3r pic.twitter.com/yMXgsvpiip
— Variety (@Variety) March 11, 2024
Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue, with its usually gentle humor, left one of the first commented moments of the night when, in a detour more typical of Ricky Gervais's years at the Golden Globes, he made a joke that few people laughed about the old drug problems of Robert Downey, Jr., one of the night's winners thanks to his supporting role in Oppenheimer.
“This is the highest point in Robert Downey, Jr.'s career. Well, one of the highest,” he said, looking at the actor, who responded by pointing to his nose.
His joke about the sexual content of
Poor Creatures
also didn't excite the film's actress, Emma Stone, who appeared to be seen muttering "He's a prick."
Jimmy Kimmel: Ryan Gosling is so hot.
Also Jimmy Kimmel: Robert Downey Jr. used to do drugs.
It's time for a new host.
#Oscars pic.twitter.com/sKcQ2v4ndc
— La Brea of SEA (@goodgrlbreabrea) March 10, 2024
Emma Stone's reaction to Jimmy Kimmel's joke about poor things.. oh YEAH pic.twitter.com/LlIKvGr4H2
— best of emma stone (@badpostestone) March 10, 2024
The first block of winners highlighted, among others, a revelation such as Da'Vine Joy Randolph, best supporting actress for
Those Who Stay
, and left Robot Dreams without an award.
Although the non-victories of some are always the joys of others, like that of the fans of
Anatomy of a Fall
, who celebrated their best original script to the rhythm of the version of
PIMP
, by 50 Cent, which thunders through the speakers at the beginning of the story during the death (by accident, suicide or homicide) of the protagonist's husband.
Or however joy manifests itself in the always serious grimace of Hayao Miyazaki, whose
The Boy and the Heron
won best animated film.
The 83-year-old Japanese teacher, who already had an award for
Spirited Away
and another honorary award, did not come to collect it.
OSCAR WINNER ANATOMY OF A FALL #Oscars pic.twitter.com/22lRHseqVR
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) March 10, 2024
THIS IS NOW OSCAR WINNING DIALOGUE #oscars pic.twitter.com/wSpUJHhbvK
— Cris ✨ (@lionesspike) March 10, 2024
My hand Miyazaki ganhou as ruas est em festa #Oscars #Oscar2024 pic.twitter.com/3kcWW6cDEx
— bebê spencer do ru (@PeBallsOnCock) March 10, 2024
Christopher Miller, producer of the also nominated animated film
Spider-Man: Crossing the Multiverse,
had precisely some words for Miyazaki : “If you are going to lose, at least lose against the GOAT [acronym for
Greatest Of All Time
, the best of all the time]".
Well, if you're gonna lose, you might as well lose the GOAT
— Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) March 10, 2024
miyazaki after finding out he won an oscar pic.twitter.com/2atosOCvYs
— maxx (@battleupsaber) March 10, 2024
Among the award presentations in the first third of the gala, with
Poor Creatures
and
Oppenheimer
making their strengths effective (makeup and production design in the case of the first, editing and photography in the second), that of the actor and wrestler John Cena, who appeared naked to present the costume award to the Yorgos Lanthimos film starring Stone, to the laughter of Margot Robbie.
John Cena walking onto the #Oscars stage naked.
See the full winners list: https://t.co/IctYZ9WO3B pic.twitter.com/cRE3tLPe1Y
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 11, 2024
Mythical moment.
pic.twitter.com/1aUP9zBFA5
— From the Church (@alexdelaIglesia) March 11, 2024
American Fiction
's victory
in the best adapted screenplay category was one of the first surprises, with Cord Jefferson vindicating films with modest budgets, while the Godzilla saga won the franchise's first Oscar in 70 years thanks to its effects.
Euphoria for fans of extra-large creatures with radioactive breath (and for the film's crew, who, of course, took the stage with their dolls).
オスカーゲットーーーーーーーーうわーーーーーーーーーー！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ ！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ ！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！#Oscar #Oscars2024 pic.twitter.com/72bxBaZ9jc
— 野島達司 / TatsujiNojima (@tatsujinojima) March 11, 2024
Oscar Winner Godzilla.
I feel so moved.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) March 11, 2024
No less notable is that this last award was given by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, the protagonist couple of the classic
The Twins Strike Twice
(1988), which celebrated its 35th anniversary last year.
The actors, instead of mentioning the film, joked: “We are here together for an obvious reason.
We both tried to kill Batman,” in reference to his appearances in
Batman and Robin
(1997) and
Batman Returns
(1991).
From the stage, the man who played the superhero, Michael Keaton, sternly scrutinized them.
Oscar Winner Godzilla.
I feel so moved.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) March 11, 2024
As most of the pools pointed out,
The Zone of Interest
beat
The Snow Society
in the international category.
The triumph of the film, which portrays the daily life of a family of Nazis indifferent to the horror of the concentration camp next to their house, left a speech that rose to the occasion: that of director Jonathan Glazer, Jewish, which drew attention to those who also try to remain equally oblivious to the humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine.
“All our decisions were made to reflect and confront ourselves in the present.
Our film shows where dehumanization leads.
"Do not ignore the Jewish character of the Holocaust, which has been hijacked to justify the occupation," he declared before a cold audience.
glazer made a movie about the banality of evil during the holocaust- it would have been odd if he didn't mention the parallels to gaza.
respect for saying something to an otherwise hostile room.
remember they booed michael moore's speech for criticizing the iraq war
— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) March 11, 2024
(“Glazer made a film about the banality of evil during the Holocaust; it would have been strange not to mention the parallels with Gaza. Respect for saying something in a hostile place. Let's remember that Michael Moore's speech was booed for criticizing the Iraq war.”)
The war in Ukraine also deserved attention, along with the recognition of
20 Days in Mariupol
as best documentary feature film.
Mstyslav Chernov, its director, said: “It is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history, but I wish I had never had to make this film.”
Another who won the first Oscar of his career was Wes Anderson, for his short
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
.
The filmmaker, who last year released a film completely ignored by the Academy,
Asteroid City
, did not come to collect the statuette.
A moment expected by many that manifested itself in an anticlimactic way, unlike the peak of the gala, the performance of the song
I'm just Ken
by Ryan Gosling.
A modern
power ballad
that featured the collaboration of one of the figures of the subgenre, Slash, guitarist of Guns N' Roses.
Gosling also briefly approached Emma Stone, his co-star in
La La Land
(2017), who, he later explained, tore her dress in excitement during the number.
Slash joins Ryan Gosling during his performance of "I'm Just Ken" at the 2024 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/fPAFwiCQuI
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone singing 'I'm Just Ken' at the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/rBWsgmvCTt
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 11, 2024
The Poor Creatures
actress
surpassed who seemed, in the previous weeks, to be the favorite for the statuette: Lily Gladstone, female face of
The Moon Killers
.
Scorsese's film, with ten nominations, left empty-handed.
And Stone, very emotional and with her zipper broken, proved to be the first to be surprised in her acceptance speech.
EMMA STONE TRULY THOUGHT LILY GLADSTONE WAS GOING TO WIN THE OSCAR OMG #Oscars pic.twitter.com/2Ds3idbXKN
— kelechi (@kelechi_ai) March 11, 2024
Where there was no room for surprise was in the categories of best director, actor and film.
Christopher Nolan, whom a good part of the film community considered unfairly ignored by the Academy since the time of
The Dark Knight
(2008), finally achieved his award, given to him by Steven Spielberg.
Nolan, who in addition to mentioning his team dedicated the award to his wife, “producer of our films and our children,” celebrated in his speech being part of the centenary history of the Oscars and cinema and, for some reason that no one He managed to understand well, when he left the stage the orchestra played the main theme of
Pirates of the Caribbean
, giving a strange sense of epic to the whole thing.
Nolan leaving the stage to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme pic.twitter.com/5KAiCR874t
— OPPIE SWEEP Smalls (@GageSmalls) March 11, 2024
Cillian Murphy's victory was no less emotional because it was expected.
Much more restrained in his claim than Glazer (he dedicated the award “to all those who work for peace in the world”, without mentioning any specific conflict), Murphy has been the subject of jokes throughout the awards season for his supposed apathy. when posing on the carpets.
She won't have to go through that process again for a while.
His attitude as a person who did not care whether he won the Oscar or not has contrasted, throughout his career, with that of Bradley Cooper, dedicated body and soul to the role of Leonard Bernstein in
Maestro
, who has received a certain amount of antipathy during his intense campaign for several far-fetched statements about his method performance.
In his eyes during Murphy's speech, some saw a man plotting slow, painful revenge.
category: cillian being done with the red carpet pic.twitter.com/4iAG3542Xi
— 🍸 (@discopiigs) February 26, 2024
THE WORLD.
Will remember this day.
https://t.co/Swl3KrQkyw pic.twitter.com/oxxZA2HwEZ
— 𝒞ʟᴜʙ 𝒞ɪʟʟɪᴀɴ 🍉 (@clubcillian) February 25, 2024
With Kimmel remembering that those who made
Taxi Driver
(1976) nearly 50 years ago were still at the forefront and nominated that night – not only Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker for
The Moon Killers
, but also Jodie Foster by
Nyad
–, the Academy decided to round out its tribute to the New Hollywood generation by leaving Al Pacino the responsibility of presenting the Oscar for best film.
The protagonist of the
Godfather
trilogy (1972) was in charge of leaving the gala on a high with his memorable, but brief, final appearance: after a rare joke about Shakespeare, he went from waiting to the video of the ten nominated films and, Directly, he opened the envelope to pronounce the instantly mythical words “I am reading
Oppenheimer
.”
In the midst of the confusion, the music came rushing in so that the team from Nolan's film could proceed to go up.
Nobody.
Al Pacino: The one with the bomb won.
— Inoportuna (@vesdape) March 11, 2024
Al Pacino stumbled out of bed, walked onstage, opened an envelope, and said the name of the winner.
This is the ideal award presenter.
You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) March 11, 2024
(“Al Pacino got out of bed, walked on stage, opened an envelope and said the name of the winner. This is the ideal awards presenter. You may not like it, but this is what the pinnacle of acting looks like.”) .
Al Pacino after opening the winner's envelope pic.twitter.com/88Wm1KmbFw
— No well wow (@NoPuesGuau__) March 11, 2024
Sometimes one of the greatest living actors has to come along to remind us, as the gala ends five minutes early, that to love cinema is also to love one's own time.
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