After months of guessing and anticipation, the 90th Annual Academy Awards has finally arrived. And while we all know who won each statuette, who were the real winners and losers on Oscars night?
Winner: Guillermo Del Toro
This was Guillermo Del Toro’s night to shine. He took home the Best Director award for his movie “The Shape of Water,” which took home four Oscars, including the coveted Best Picture.
Loser: Baby Driver
In last week’s Laker Review feature “How to win Your Oscars pool,” published March 2, I wrongly predicted that Baby Driver would win best film editing. Not only did “Baby Driver” not win Film Editing, but also the movie’s lead actors Ansel Elgort and Eiza Gonzalez were the two presenting the award for Film Editing.
Winner: Armie Hammer
Armie Hammer was not nominated for his role in “Call me by Your Name,” but he hot dog-launched his way into Oscars history Sunday night. It is hard enough to pull off a white suit well. Trying to wear a red velvet suit and matching pants to Hollywood’s biggest night seems like a recipe for disaster. Yet, Hammer pulled it off wonderfully and, as a result, was the only man in attendance who was not completely and utterly overshadowed by presenting an award alongside the gorgeous Gal Gadot. Plus, did you see how he handled that hot-dog cannon?
Winner: Hotdog Cannon
Three words: HOT. DOG. CANNON. That thing was rad, and Armie Hammer was the coolest dude in the room when he had that cannon in hand. If the hot dog cannon is not a staple at every sporting event from now on, we have failed as a country.
Loser: The ‘Surprising Normal People’ Bit
Unfortunately, everything else surrounding the hot dog cannons was a low moment in the show. Jimmy Kimmel brought a group of actors including Gal Gadot, Mark Hamill and Armie Hammer across the street to surprise a group of fans watching a sneak peak of “A Wrinkle in Time” with some snacks and the aforementioned propulsive hot dogs. This segment was a rehash of last year’s bit where Jimmy Kimmel brought a Hollywood tour group into the Dolby Theatre to take selfies and shake hands with celebrities. It was barely funny the first time, and this segment just dragged on in a show that was already very long.
Winner: Blade Runner 2049
One of the few surprises in this year’s Academy Awards was “Blade Runner 2049” taking home not one but two awards, winning Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.
Loser: Blade Runner Two-Thousand Forty Nine
Really?! All this time “Blade Runner 2049” was supposed to be pronounced “Blade Runner Two-Thousand Forty Nine” and not “Blade Runner Twenty Forty Nine”?! Does that mean these past Oscars were the “Two-Thousand Eighteen” Oscars and not the “Twenty Eighteen” Oscars? Nope. Not buying it.
Winner: Meryl Streep
As mentioned during the show last Sunday, the longest Meryl Streep has gone without being nominated for an Oscar was from 1991-1994. Meryl Streep received her 21st Oscar nomination for her performance in “The Post” this year. While she did not win for that, she still comes out of Oscar night a winner just for being Meryl Streep. There should really be a bet for how many times she gets mentioned in bits during the Oscars. This year’s show had memorable gags like Jodie Foster saying that she got “I, Tonya’d” by Meryl Streep and Frances McDormand during her Best Actress acceptance speech (and best speech of the night), telling all the female nominees to stand and saying, “Meryl, if you do it, everyone will.”
Image from ABC Television Network via YouTube.com