An Overview of the 91st Annual Academy Awards Ceremony

Spike Lee

If one viewed Twitter seconds after The 91st Academy Awards announced its Best Picture winner, one would believe that this was the worst year ever. How could a film like Green Book beat more culturally relevant films like BlacKkKlansman or Roma? In some ways, it can be viewed as the perfect metaphor for a year of constant controversy where Academy President John Bailey tried (and failed) to introduce a Best Popular Film category, cut out several music acts, and go forward with no hosts. No matter what, this year was threatening to be different and many wondered just how well that turned out. Those who stopped at Green Book's Best Picture win, much like the other controversial missteps, didn't recognize how great this year was in small ways. It's a year where diversity was recognized, which shows that even if you view Green Book as a regressive winner, there has been inevitable change since the Oscars So White controversy of three years ago. This may have not been the most beloved Academy Award year, but it's far from the contrived mess people wanted it to be.

Review: "The Favourite" is One of the Wickedest, Most Enjoyable Period Pieces in Ages

Scene from The Favourite

The idea of power is alluring. For a certain breed of people, the idea of getting close to it is a dream come true, and they'll stop at nothing to get it. That is at the heart of director Yorgos Lanthimos' first period piece The Favourite, as two women (Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz) enter a grueling battle to be the faithful companion of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). Whereas most power struggles feel restrained and calculated, this feels like a truly antagonistic film, unafraid to paint Queen Anne at times as ugly and repugnant. Still, in her moments of weakness she turns to Abigail (Stone) and Lady Sarah (Weisz) help. It's a hostile world with lots of grossness and people assaulting each other, and all so that they can get Queen Anne's affection. Thankfully Lanthimos is a filmmaker who uses this icky surface to explore power not as something to be desired, but why would anyone want it in the first place. Thankfully, it's got a reliably pitch black sense of humor to make the awfulness go down smoothly.