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Sunday, February 28, 2016

The 88th Annual Academy Awards: Results and Reactions

Will "Spotlight" Get the Spotlight or Will the Academy Revere "The Revenant"?

By Chris Sabga


Before the Show

Chris Rock is tonight's host. I am hoping he's hilarious and skewers the hell out of everyone. He was probably the best of the hosts we've seen in the last decade. Let's hope that streak continues tonight.

Am I horrible for wanting him to find some way to offend Sean Penn again? Penn's sour, humorless reaction to Rock's Jude Law joke was hysterical to me. Then again, Jude Law's career did take somewhat of a hit after that.

I'm here with both Silver Screen Sisters and a delicious plate of Chinese food – yum, yum!

The Red Carpet

Robin Roberts looks nice. That's all I have.

The Oscar Ceremony

Full results are listed at the end.

Chris Rock's opening monologue is great. I loved his Rocky and Paul Giamatti jokes. Comparing Rocky to science fiction because white athletes are better than black athletes – brilliant!

Here comes Emily Blunt and "Charize" Theron! A "Travolta moment" early in the evening for Chris Rock. Intentional?

Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight

Could this be an early precursor to Best Picture? We shall see.

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are awesome together.

Gosling: "We have two Academy Awards between us." (Crowe has both. Ha!)

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Nice to see someone acknowledge the book and thank the original writer. I could have done without the bizarre political rant afterward, but I guess it makes some sense considering the subject matter of the movie.

The clips interspersing black actors like Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, and especially Tracy Morgan into Oscar nominated films were a riot!

Henry Cavill is out now. Is it really pronounced Cah-vul?

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Silver Screen Sister 1 predicted Brie Larson – who wasn't in this category.

Before the winner was announced, Silver Screen Sister 2 went on a rant about Kate Winslet. "Anyone could've played that!" I disagree and adored Kate's performance, but she is streeping up there in the amount of nominations she's racked up. Yes, I meant to type streeping instead of creeping.

Alicia Vikander's co-star Eddie Redmayne appeared rather touched by her speech. "She seems very humble," according to Silver Screen Sister 2.

Chris Rock: "Now we're black" (pretending to trip over the word "back") – cute.

Best Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Jenny Beavan's list of people to thank – shown on a scrolling sidebar on the bottom of the screen – is enormous. I'm glad they're handling it this way, allowing her to make a more heartfelt, personal speech. Of course, music just had to cut her off. How rude!

Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

"The first Oscar for diversity." Nice!

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road

Three straight for "Mad Max." Will this be it?

I hate when one winner interrupts another, especially at the end when there's barely any time left to speak.

Best Cinematography: The Revenant

A nice speech overtaken by emotion.

Best Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

"Mad Max" wins its 4th Academy Award tonight – and the music cuts off the speaker again.

A serious, stone-faced Angela Bassett with a satirical Black History Month tribute to Will Smith – amazing!

Best Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

#5 for "Max."

Silver Screen Sister 2: "Why are they putting 'Mad Max' on the balcony if it's going to win everything?"

Best Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road

And here comes #6.

"Come on!" screamed Silver Screen Sister 2. "I don't even know what the movie is about. Is it a continuation?"

Best Visual Effects: Ex Machina

And the "Mad Max" streak is broken!

In poor taste: A close-up of actors looking bored during the speech, and only one of the four winners being allowed to speak.

Even a Star Wars segment couldn't cheer up a livid Silver Screen Sister 2: "How much time has passed? It's 10 o'clock already?! They've given out one good award. I hope they speed it up now."

Chris Rock and his daughters selling Girl Scout cookies to the billionaire actors in the audience – I love it!

Best Animated Short Film: Bear Story

I don't think I picked this in my Oscar pool. Damn it!

The first award for Chile. The Oscar-recipients feel so honored. I'm happy for them.

Best Animated Feature Film: Inside Out

"Regardless of a gold man, we get to make stuff!" Can't help but love that kind of passion.

"I have to see it!" begs Silver Screen Sister 2 about "Inside Out."

Funnyman Kevin Hart with a surprisingly serious and superb speech about black actors and their craft.

The Weeknd – that's the singer's name, apparently – "has the most creative hairdo on the planet," says Silver Screen Sister 1.

Ten awards left.

Silver Screen Sister 2: "There's an hour left" – so she thinks – "and they haven't given out one decent award yet! Thank God for Facebook."

The Silver Screen Sisters are more entertaining than this ceremony. Host Chris Rock has had some fun moments, but they're drowned out by the sheer length of this show.

Rock asking random black moviegoers about the hoity toity Oscar-nominated movies is a hoot! "Spotlight? What the hell is that?!"

"There's so much talent out there – of all races," says another fan. Amen!

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

A major upset.

"That's cruel!" laments Silver Screen Sister 2. "There are two Marks."

She has a point. I was predicting that the other Mark – Ruffalo – would get the upset over Sylvester Stallone, who many thought was a shoo-in.

Louis CK gives a wonderful and amusing speech about the importance of the Best Documentary Short Subject category.

Best Documentary Short Subject: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

"That's the best speech so far!" raves Silver Screen Sister 2. "It has some meaning to it."

Best Documentary Feature: Amy

Eight awards left – and with that, Silver Screen Sister 2 has gotten up and gone home.

Chris Rock with a major announcement: Over $65,000 in Girl Scout cookies sold. Not too shabby!

In Memoriam was touching, but where were Abe Vigoda and Roddy Piper? If "The Godfather" and "They Live" aren't good enough to make this list, what the hell is?

There are still eight awards left. I say this every year, but the Oscars are too damn long!

"They deliberately make it this long," Silver Screen Sister 1 points out. "What could they cut out?" I wonder. Then she lists a bunch of pointless skits.

Best Live Action Short Film: Stutterer

Best Foreign Language Film is next. Am I horrible for hoping that John Travolta would announce these nominees?

Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul

I'm so tired that I barely recognized Vice President Joe Biden. His speech decrying sexual abuse seems a hell of a lot more important to me than Will Smith and Jade Pinkett-Smith boycotting the Oscars. While there is certainly room for improvement when it comes to Hollywood and diversity, I do think there has been encouraging progress over the past ten years.

Best Original Score: The Hateful Eight

Best Original Song: "Writing's on the Wall" – Spectre

"No openly gay man has ever won an Oscar." Dustin Lance Black won it a few years ago for "Milk."

Sacha Baron Cohen is great!

Only four awards left. "I mean, that's another two hours, really," Silver Screen Sister 1 quipped.

Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant

Iñárritu wins this Oscar for the second year in a row, and they still try to cut him off with music – shameful! I know the show is already too long, but come on.

"They've been cutting everybody off with music," Silver Screen Sister 1 rightly notices.

Chris Rock: "It's late. It's infomercial late."

"That child is going to be traumatized for something that didn't even happen in his life!" Silver Screen Sister 1 says about "Joy's" husband and wife shouting scene in which a baby is held and shaken.

Best Actress: Brie Larson, Room

Nice of her to thank the average Joe moviegoers who paid money for a ticket to see her film. The fans are important too, and it seems that Hollywood sometimes forgets that.

Julianne Moore about "The Danish Girl": "One of the first people to undergo gender confirmation surgery." I thought that was a slip of the tongue, but Dr. Google says it's a legitimate phrase.

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Silver Screen Sister 2 just texted me a million clapping emojis. She's obviously very happy with this result.

Leonardo DiCaprio's climate change spiel might have been more persuasive if he wasn't smirking throughout it.

Then again, another text from Silver Screen Sister 2: "That speech was worth the prior four hours of drivel."

Leo really is the king of the world!

Best Picture: Spotlight

Most of the experts pegged "The Revenant" but I had a feeling "Spotlight" would win, so I went against the grain and picked it in the Oscar pool I'm in. Congratulations!

Full Results

Best Picture: Spotlight

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Best Actress: Brie Larson, Room

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short

Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight

Best Animated Feature Film: Inside Out

Best Cinematography: The Revenant

Best Documentary Feature: Amy

Best Documentary Short Subject: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

Best Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Original Score: The Hateful Eight

Best Original Song: "Writing's on the Wall" – Spectre

Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Live Action Short Film: Stutterer

Best Animated Short Film: Bear Story

Best Visual Effects: Ex Machina

Best Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road