Most of the night’s winners can be watched at home. Here’s a guide to help you find the honorees.
For the second year in a row, following “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a single film dominated the Oscars with seven awards as “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s imposing portrait of the architect of the atomic bomb, took picture and director, and picked up nods for two of its stars, Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. Subscribers to Peacock can currently stream the film, but it’s an affordable rent on all the major platforms. With the exception of the visual effects wonder “Godzilla Minus One” and the two animated films, Hayao Miyazaki’s feature “The Boy and the Heron” and the short “War Is Over! Inspired by the Work of John and Yoko,” all of the other Oscar winners are accessible through either streaming services or the usual outlets. With war as a major theme throughout the ceremony, it’s worth noting that “20 Years in Mariupol,” the documentary winner about the Russian siege on the Ukrainian city, is currently available for free on Frontline PBS’s YouTube page.
‘Oppenheimer’
Won for: Best picture, director, actor, supporting actor, cinematography, editing, score.
How to watch: Stream it on Peacock. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube.
Conjuring the dark wizardry of the Manhattan Project, the director Christopher Nolan turned the Trinity test into a seat-rumbling summer spectacle, placing it at the center of “Oppenheimer” like the nuclear core of 20th-century history. But there’s a disturbing intimacy to the film as well, with Cillian Murphy’s tremulous J. Robert Oppenheimer leading an unstable band of scientists while nearly drowning in uncharted political and ethical waters. In exploring the origins of a technological boogeyman that continues to haunt humankind, Nolan embraces the contradictions of the flawed, brilliant man whose spirit seems to embody it.
‘Poor Things’
Won for: Best actress, production design, costume design, makeup and hairstyling.
How to watch: Stream it on Hulu. Buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube.
Why should you not thank your publicist if you win an Oscar?
The idea, some think, is that publicists work behind the scenes to promote you, so they should be kept in the background. But the Oscars are the ultimate promotion, so I agree that if they helped get you there, they are worth a thank you.
How did the award get the nickname “Oscars”?
There’s some debate. Some say the statue reminded academy librarian Margaret Herrick of her uncle Oscar. Others say Bette Davis said its derriere reminded her of her second husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. Hollywood gossip columnist Sidney Skolsky said he gave the nickname. It’s not, as far as we know, named for the Grouch.
What’s the deal with the floating straps trend seen on the red carpet?
The working theory is that the straps were a design accent that allowed the actresses (Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh, both representing “Oppenheimer”) to safely stand out — to inject just the right amount of strangeness and direction into their look, without verging too far into risk-taking, worst-dressed territory. The futuristic floating straps were polarizing, but memorable. And at the end of the day, the gowns you remember are the gowns that won the night.
Why aren’t stunts an Oscar category?
They should be! (In my opinion.) The Screen Actors Guild Awards honor the stunt people for film and TV already. But adding a category to the Oscars is a fraught process, and has been known to go haywire. (Anyone remember the “achievement in popular film” Oscar, which was introduced in 2018 and then scrapped a week later after an outcry?) Still, there is hope: There have reportedly been talks within the academy about a stunt Oscar.
How do they choose presenters? Some folks, besides past winners, seem random.
This is part previous winners, part actors who were in some of the nominated films and part publicists working overtime. A number of presenters have projects to promote, so it’s good for them to get face time on the show for those future (and current) releases.
Do the actors announcing the nominees write their own introductions?
They usually do not. Often, their intros are put together by the show’s writers, and the actors don’t get much time with the material, which is why some read the lines so awkwardly. The exception is usually with comedian presenters, like John Mulaney, who no doubt wrote his funny/oddball bit about “Field of Dreams” that he delivered when presenting the Oscar for best sound this year.
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Source: Movies - nytimes.com
