89th Academy Awards: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

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Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons (CC)

The 89th Academy Awards are in the books, and it proved to be a night to remember. “La La Land” didn’t dominate the night quite like people expected, Jimmy Kimmel was an admirable host, and if you stayed up, you may have witnessed one of the biggest catastrophes in Oscar history.

The Good: 

  • Casey Affleck upsets frontrunner Denzel Washington for the Best Actor award. Affleck gave my favorite overall performance of 2016.
  • Not a single film completely dominated the night. While “La La Land” did win six, “Moonlight” managed three wins, and “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Manchester by the Sea” both won two.
  • Jimmy Kimmel’s many jabs at Matt Damon throughout the night were hilarious, particularly when Kimmel had the orchestra play while Damon was presenting Best Original Screenplay with Ben Affleck.

The Bad:

  • The telecast was far too long and far too political.
  • The “impromptu” tour group gag dragged on for a while and frankly wasn’t very funny to begin with. Sorry, Kimmel.
  • The telecast had the lowest ratings in almost a decade.

The Ugly: 

  • In what might be one of the biggest flubs in Oscar history, presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway read the wrong Best Picture winner, “La La Land.” It was an unfortunate turn of events that left “La La Land” producers embarrassed and the rightful winner, “Moonlight,” had their night marred by confusion.