The 2019 Oscars were a study in contrasts. On the one hand, there were milestones aplenty in the hostless show — which ran smoothly, counter to many people’s expectations. On the other hand, the winners ranged from daring films like The Favourite and Black Panther to more conventional Oscar fare like Best Picture winner Green Book. Fifteen movies took home the night’s 24 awards; Bohemian Rhapsody led the pack with four, and Green Book, Roma, and Black Panther each took home three. That means there were lots of winners, and some unexpected upsets too. Here are six winners and three losers from the night’s festivities. Green Book feels like the kind of movie that would have been an obvious Best Picture winner in the past, in the vein of other Best Picture winners that try to deal with race — think Driving Miss Daisy and Crash. It’s a funny film, with two strong central performances and an inspirational happy ending. The movie started off slow at the box office, but it was an instant hit on the festival circuit, winning the coveted Grolsch People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival — often an indicator of future awards season success. Reviews were also generally positive toward the comedy, which tells the story of a black concert pianist and the Italian-American driver he hires to accompany him on a tour through the largely segregated Deep South in 1962. Green Book was also dogged by controversies, ranging from its director Peter Farrelly’s past bad behavior to its co-writer Nick Vallelonga’s past Islamophobic tweets to more serious matters dealing with the film’s treatment of the part of American history it purports to explore and one of its characters. But those controversies and sharp criticisms didn’t harm its awards performance, which included a win for Best Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes in January and, now, three Oscars: one for its screenplay, one for supporting actor Mahershala Ali, and Best Picture. Its win is especially striking in a year of Best Picture nominees that included Black Panther and BlacKkKlansman, both of which deal with the experience of black people in America with a very different perspective (and which are helmed by black directors). A win for Green Book feels like a win for an older version of the Academy — and it’s a reminder that even though the Academy has been trying desperately to diversify its membership to include more women, people of color, and younger members, the change that some thought had come to the Academy after three years of surprising wins (for Spotlight, Moonlight, and The Shape of Water) is still slow. Winners: all the other Best Picture nominees Yes, Green Book took home the top prize, but none of the Best Picture nominees went home empty-handed. Bohemian Rhapsody managed to eke out four wins — Lead Actor for Rami Malek, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Editing. Black Panther went home with three, for Costume Design, Production Design, and Original Score. Roma earned the trophies for Best Foreign Language Film as well as Directing and Cinematography. And the other four nominees each took home an Oscar. The Favourite’s Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her performance. Vice won for its hair and makeup. BlacKkKlansman won Best Adapted Screenplay — which means Spike Lee has won his first competitive Oscar ever — and A Star Is Born took home Best Original Song for “Shallow.” In all, 15 films won the 24 prizes. Even a handful of films that were snubbed for Best Picture nominations, including If Beale Street Could Talk and First Man, ended up with awards. That’s a far cry from years like 2017, when La La Land won six of the 14 Oscars it was nominated for. And since films sometimes see an uptick in revenue after an Oscars win, that’s good news for a lot of filmmakers — not just the night’s big winners. Loser: the truncated original song performances The Academy spent the months before the ceremony tying itself in knots, trying to figure out how to get the ceremony down to three hours at the behest of ABC, the network on which the show will air until at least 2028, which suggested that a shorter telecast would help with falling viewership numbers. The organization finally gave up after sparking a near-revolt over a plan to award four of the 24 categories during commercial breaks. But one similar change that slipped mostly under the radar was a plan to truncate all of the Best Original Song performances to 90 seconds. (Kendrick Lamar and SZA ultimately declined to perform their Black Panther song “All the Stars,” so only four songs were performed.) So if the songs felt a little ... shorter ... than you remember them being, that’s why. They were! Is that good? Well, the show ran about three hours and 15 minutes — the 2018 Oscars were nearly four hours long — so the shorter performances probably helped a little. Then again, the show began with a much lengthier medley of songs performed by Queen (fronted by Adam Lambert). And if the fun of seeing music performed live comes from hearing a song you like from the radio or from a movie, then the whole thing was just a little less fun than it could have been. Winner: not having a host The Academy didn’t set out to have a host-free ceremony, something it hadn’t done in 30 years. The last time the Oscars were without one, the result was an infamously bad opening sequence in which Rob Lowe, in an effort to rehabilitate his image (which had recently been damaged by a sex tape scandal), tap-danced and sang his way through a baffling musical number with Snow White that went down in Oscars infamy. But after the host the Academy picked, Kevin Hart, self-destructed in December, time was running short, and eventually the organization decided to just go ahead without a host. Instead, a bevy of stars would present the awards, Queen would open the show with a musical number, and everyone would hope for the best. Related Why no one wants to host the Oscars And ... it worked? The ceremony was over in record time because there was no host doing a long monologue or roasting various attendees. There were no cringeworthy bits involving unfunny songs or escapades with “normal” people. The presentations and speeches and performances flowed more or less seamlessly from one to the next. The telecast didn’t serve up as many viral or memorable moments as it might have with a host at the helm, but it was also refreshingly focused on ... the movies. Which seems like a real win for everyone involved. Losers: Glenn Close and Amy Adams Poor Glenn Close! Her Best Actress nomination for The Wife marked her seventh nomination at the Oscars without any wins (four in lead; three in supporting), and with a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award to her name for that very role, 2019 felt like it might finally be her year. What’s more, Close was finally nominated in a year where she was the legend in the category. Just look at the women she’s lost to between her first nomination (in 1983) and now. Jessica Lange! Peggy Ashcroft! Jodie Foster! Cher! Meryl friggin’ Streep! (And, okay, Linda Hunt.) People loved Olivia Colman’s work in The Favourite, but surely she wouldn’t keep Close from her Oscar. Well, yeah. Colman’s performance ended up winning the night, which was nice, as it kept The Favourite from going home empty-handed. But it also means that Close remains the living actor with the most nominations and no wins. Now she’s in danger of joining Peter O’Toole in the “eight nominations; never won” camp. Here’s hoping the eighth time’s the charm. Right behind Close is Amy Adams, whose performance in Vice earned a Supporting Actress nod and the actress’s sixth nomination overall. But Adams wasn’t able to overcome Regina King’s phenomenal work in If Beale Street Could Talk. Adams’s next role, the thriller The Woman in the Window, boasts an Oscar-friendly director in Joe Wright (of Darkest Hour fame) but also ... is based on a book written by a now very well-known scammer. Good luck, Amy! (Also often nominated and never winning tonight: songwriter Diane Warren, whose loss in the Best Original Song category marks her 10th nomination without a win. Plus, she lost to Lady Gaga, whom she was previously nominated alongside for the song “’Til It Happens to You” in 2016.) Winner: Spike Lee Admittedly, it was not a great night for Spike Lee. With his film BlacKkKlansman (which won the Grand Prix, a.k.a. second prize, at the Cannes Film Festival last May), he was up for three awards: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. The film only won one of those — a disappointing outcome in a year when Green Book did win, which Lee said was “a bad call.” Asked about "Green Book," Spike Lee decided it was time for more champagne. Full #Oscars coverage: https://t.co/GrNpbW052c pic.twitter.com/lTaEaS6SPH — AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) February 25, 2019 Lee reportedly started to leave the room when Green Book’s Best Picture win was announced. Backstage, he reportedly said, “Every time somebody’s driving somebody, I lose” — a reference to the last time he was up for an Oscar, in 1990, with Do the Right Thing, which didn’t get nominated for Best Picture, though it did earn a nomination for its screenplay. That year, Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture. But the 2019 Oscars were still, on the whole, an important night for Lee. He’d been nominated for the first time for his directing — an astonishing fact for someone as important to American filmmaking as he is. And he won his first competitive Oscar as part of the screenwriting team for BlacKkKlansman (he received an honorary Oscar in 2015). It’s a mixed bag, to be sure. But at least he didn’t go home entirely empty-handed. Winner: Bohemian Rhapsody Bohemian Rhapsody didn’t win Best Picture, but it still took home the most Oscars of any film, four in total, for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Editing, and its star, Rami Malek, who won Lead Actor. Which is a bit astonishing, really. Yes, Bohemian Rhapsody was a massive hit with audiences, just like Queen’s music — both in opposition to the opinion of critics. (The film has a 49 on Metacritic, which signals “average” reviews; it’s easily the worst “prestige” film I saw last year.) But I (Alissa) have had even some of Bohemian Rhapsody’s biggest fans admit to me that they know it’s not a very well-made film; what makes it work, they say, is Queen’s music and, for some people, Malek’s performance as Freddie Mercury. It’s a film that shows the frayed edges of a troubled production, with an inconsistent look and some truly baffling editing choices that can only be explained by its behind-the-scenes disarray: Director Bryan Singer was fired toward the end of production after alleged abusive behavior toward the cast and crew and, eventually, just failing to show up to set. Dexter Fletcher (who also directed the upcoming Elton John biopic Rocketman) finished the film, but it’s hard to salvage something made under those kinds of circumstances. However, editor John Ottman — who has worked with Singer in the past, including on his 1995 film The Usual Suspects — managed to put together a first cut with the producers after Singer exited the project, and his work on the final film likely went a long way toward securing its Editing award. And Bohemian Rhapsody’s wins will certainly delight fans of the film, and of Mercury, for a long time to come. Related Why Bohemian Rhapsody should not win Best Picture Winner: the Three Amigos Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and Guillermo del Toro have a friendship that goes back decades, to when the three men were up-and-coming stars in the Mexican film industry.<doc-sep>The 2019 Oscars air live nationwide on Sunday, February 24 from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood with a start time of 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. The 91st Academy Awards are the first in 30 years not to have a host. That should move the proceedings along at a faster clip as there won’t be a monologue or comedy bits. All four of last year’s acting champs are set to return to the stage of the Dolby Theater to present. Gary Oldman and Allison Janney will hand out Best Actor while Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell will present Best Actress. Six other past Academy Awards winners will also be on hand: Javier Bardem, Whoopi Goldberg, Brie Larson, Helen Mirren, Barbra Streisand and Charlize Theron. SEE 2019 Oscars: Winners predictions in all 24 categories at the 91st annual Academy Awards [PHOTOS] The presenters roster is rounded out by an eclectic group: José Andrés, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Chadwick Boseman, Dana Carvey, Emilia Clarke, Daniel Craig, Laura Dern, Chris Evans, Tina Fey, Elsie Fisher,Danai Gurira, Brian Tyree Henry, Samuel L. Jackson, Stephan James, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Keaton, Keegan-Michael Key, Queen Latifah, KiKi Layne, John Lewis, Jennifer Lopez, James McAvoy, Melissa McCarthy, Jason Momoa, Tom Morello, John Mulaney, Kacey Musgraves, Mike Myers, Trevor Noah, Sarah Paulson, Tyler Perry, Amy Poehler, Krysten Ritter, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, Amandla Stenberg, Tessa Thompson, Pharrell Williams, Serena Williams, Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh. Two of the five Best Original Song nominees will be performed by the original artists: Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga (“Shallow” from “A Star is Born”) and Jennifer Hudson (“I’ll Fight” from “RBG”). David Rawlings and Gillian Welch will sing the song they wrote for “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (“When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings”) which had been performed in the film by Tim Blake Nelson and Willie Watson. Bette Midler is subbing for Emily Blunt to sing “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns.” The fifth nominee, “All the Stars” from “Black Panther,” won’t be performed. SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions We are predicting that “Roma” will win a leading four Oscars: Picture, Director (Alfonso Cuaron), Cinematography, Foreign Language Film. “The Favourite” will take three: Original Screenplay, Costume Design, Production Design. “Bohemian Rhapsody” will win two: Actor (Rami Malek) and Sound Mixing. “If Beale Street Could Talk” will win two as well: Supporting Actress (Regina King) and Original Score as will “Vice” (Film Editing, Makeup & Hairstyling). “Green Book” will win Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) while “The Wife” will claim Actress (Glenn Close). “Avengers: Infinity War” will win Visual Effect, “First Man” will take Sound Editing and “A Star is Born” will nab Original Song (“Shallow”). DISCUSS All the Oscar contenders with Hollywood insiders in our notorious forums<doc-sep>
A still from Roma, Best Film nominee. (Image courtesy: Instagram) Highlights Roma and The Favourite lead with 10 nominations each Oscars will be conducted with a host this year Glenn Close is the favourite in Best Actress race Hollywood's biggest awards night is upon us with some of the best films from last year vying for the coveted Best Film prize. In a few hours, Hollywood celebrities will walk down the red carpet to cheer for the fraternity for bringing out gems such as Roma, Green Book, A Star Is Born, BlacKkKlansman, Black Panther, Vice, Bohemian Rhapsody and The Favourite - all are Best Film nominees . Mexican Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, an ode to his childhood, and Yorgos Lanthimos' period piece The Favourite lead with 10 nods each. A Star Is Born, which was brutally snubbed at the Golden Globe Awards held earlier this year, tie with Vice, starring Christian Bale, with eight nominations. Black Panther has been nominated in seven categories while Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book have five lives each. Best Film aside, Glenn Close (The Wife) is a favourite in the Best Actress race with main competition from Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born). Debutante Yalitza Aparicio (Roma) is also in race for the prize. For the first time in three decades, the Academy Awards will be conducted without a host after Kevin Hart stepped down from the host's position after he was criticised for his old homophobic comments on social media. Meanwhile, ahead of the 91st Academy Awards, check out the complete list of nominations: BEST FILM Black Panther BlacKkKlansman Bohemian Rhapsody The Favourite Green Book Roma A Star Is Born Vice BEST DIRECTOR Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite Alfonso Cuaron, Roma Adam McKay, Vice BEST ACTOR Christian Bale, Vice Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born Willem Dafoe, At Eternity's Gate Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody Viggo Mortensen, Green Book BEST ACTRESS Yalitza Aparicio, Roma Glenn Close, The Wife Olivia Colman, The Favourite Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me? BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Mahershala Ali, Green Book Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Sam Rockwell, Vice BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amy Adams, Vice Marina de Tavira, Roma Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Emma Stone, The Favourite Rachel Weisz, The Favourite FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Capernaum Cold War Never Look Away Roma Shoplifters BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The Favourite First Reformed Green Book Roma Vice BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs BlacKkKlansman Can You Ever Forgive Me? If Beale Street Could Talk A Star Is Born BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Cold War The Favourite Never Look Away Roma A Star Is Born BEST SOUND EDITING Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker, Black Panther John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone, Bohemian Rhapsody Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan, First Man Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl, A Quiet Place Sergio Diaz and Skip Lievsay, Roma BEST SOUND MIXING Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin, Black Panther Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali, Bohemian Rhapsody Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montano, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis, First Man Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and Jose Antonio Garcia, Roma Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic, Jason Ruder and Steve Morrow, A Star Is Born BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Black Panther The Favourite First Man Mary Poppins Returns Roma BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Avengers: Infinity War Christopher Robin First Man Ready Player One Solo: A Star Wars Story BEST COSTUME DESIGN Mary Zophres, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Ruth Carter, Black Panther Sandy Powell, The Favourite Sandy Powell, Mary Poppins Returns Alexandra Bryne, Mary Queen Of Scots BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING Goran Lundstrom and Pamela Goldammer, Border Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks, Mary Queen of Scots Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney, Vice BEST ORIGINAL SONG All The Stars, Black Panther I'll Fight, RBG The Place Where Lost Things Go, MPR Shallow, A Star Is Born When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings, Buster Scruggs BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Black Panther BlacKkKlansman If Beale Street Could Talk Isle Of Dogs Mary Poppins Returns BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE) Free Solo Hale County Minding the Gap Of Fathers and Sons RBG BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT Black Sheep End Game Lifeboat A Night at the Garden Period.