Oscars Recap: What Won, What Should Have Won, and What Went Shamelessly Overlooked

Another Academy Awards ceremony has come and gone, and while there were a few unexpected surprises—such as Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite (2019) taking the Best Original Screenplay, Best International  Film, Best Director, and Best Picture awards—there can be no denying that the members of the Academy once again failed to celebrate the films, filmmakers, and performances that were truly the best of the year, in favor of sticking to their favorite Hollywood ‘big names.’ In an attempt to set the record straight, I have provided a rundown of some of the major award categories, their winners, and included my own opinions as to which of the nominees should have won (including those  which weren’t nominated at all). Take that, Hollywood!

Film Editing

And the winner was… Ford vs. Ferrari (dir. James Mangold, 2019)

And the winner should have been… 1917 (Sam Mendes, 2019). It’s not even worth listing other nominees. Giving the editing award to a movie about speedy race cars is typically a given, but come on! The seamlessness of the editing in 1917 gave the illusion of two uninterrupted long takes. The lack of a nomination for 1917 is a credit to just how well the film was edited.

Best Director

And the winner was… Bong Joon Ho for Parasite, which is a stunning turn of events for the Academy. Parasite’s victory marks the first ever win of a non-English language film for Best Picture. As someone who assumed that most voters didn’t bother to see the film, I was so happy to know that my prediction of 1917 in this category was wrong.

And the nominees should have been… Bong Joon Ho’s nomination was undeniably deserved, as was Mendes’ for the technical marvel that was 1917.  However, I would have gladly bumped Todd Phillips (Joker, 2019), Martin Scorsese (The Irishman, 2019), and even Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 2019) in favor of Greta Gerwig (Little Women, 2019), Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, 2019) and Joe Talbot (The Last Black Man in San Francisco, 2019). Honorable mentions go to Lulu Wang (The Farewell, 2019) and Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, 2019), because there were just too many great directors this year.

And the winner should have been… Of the actual nominees, the Academy made the right move here, but overall, I found Joe Talbot’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco to be the most beautifully and originally-directed film of the year.

Best Supporting Actor

And the winner was… Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. Congrats on your award for a lifetime without effort.

And the nominees should have been… entirely different. The Academy really missed the mark when it came to both supporting performance categories. I would have scrapped all of these nominees, and instead nominated Timothée Chalamet (Little Women), Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, dir. Robert Eggers, 2019), Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), Song Kong-Ho (Parasite), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit).

And the winner should have been… Of the actual nominees, I guess I would have given the award to Anthony Hopkins for The Two Popes (dir. Fernando Meirelles, 2019), just because he’s himself (though, honestly, I found this to be one of Hopkins’ weaker performances). In my opinion, Song’s performance, as the father of the Kim family, was integral to the complex tone of Parasite, so he gets the win in my book.

Best Supporting Actress

And the winner was… Laura Dern, who gave a great performance in Marriage Story, but was outshone by so many other choices this year.

And the nominees should have been… Drop everyone except Scarlett Johansson, whose performance in Jojo Rabbit was her best to date. For the other four slots, add Lu Hong (The Farewell), Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers, dir. Lorene Scafaria, 2019), Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit), and Park So-dam (Parasite).

And the winner should have been… Of both the actual choices and my personal nominees, I think Scarlett Johansson gave the most dynamic performance of them all. 

Best Leading Actor

And the winner was… Joaquin Phoenix for Joker. The movie was contentious, but it’s hard to deny Phoenix’s skilled performance that carried the film.  

And the nominees should have been… the same with a few corrections. Keep Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood), and Adam Driver (Marriage Story). For the other two slots, I would have chosen Jimmie Fails playing himself in The Last Black Man in San Francisco and Roman Griffin Davis in Jojo Rabbit.

And the winner should have been… This is a tough one.  The three actual nominees all gave fantastic performances, and my two personal picks are promising newcomers. I think I have to go with the Academy here. Phoenix gave a complex and tense performance that was simultaneously pitiful and terrifying. And let’s face it; we need Phoenix to give as many acceptance speeches as possible.

Best Leading Actress

And the winner was… Renée Zellweger for Judy. This was an absolutely overrated performance, not to mention the film was very selective when it came to Garland’s past. But, hey, Hollywood loves Hollywood.

And the nominees should have been… Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story) and Saorise Ronan (Little Women) can stay, but Awkwafina (The Farewell), Ana de Armas (Knives Out, dir. Rian Johnson, 2019), and Lupita Nyong’o (Us) should have been on this list over the other three nominees.

And the winner should have been… Ana de Armas proved that she could steal the show in a comedy as well as a thriller in Knives Out. She gets my vote this year.

Best Picture

And the winner was… Parasite. Yes!

And the nominees should have been… Lose Joker, Ford vs. Ferrari, The Irishman, and (though it pains me) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and add The Farewell, Knives Out, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, and Pain and Glory (dir. Pedro Almodóvar, 2019).

And the winner should have been… This was a tough pick for me this year. Parasite was definitely in my top five films of the year, and of the actual nominees it was probably my favorite, but I think the real best picture was The Last Black Man in San Francisco, a masterfully written, directed, and acted film with several novice cast and crew members. A very close second goes to the emotional, funny, devastating, poignant The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang. Both films were critically acclaimed true stories to which the directors have close personal connections. One film was directed by a female, and both were directed by non-white directors. Both films went completely unrepresented and the Oscars. Hmmm….I wonder why?

What are your opinions on this year’s Oscars winners? What do you think were the major oversights in the nominations? Let us know in the comments below!

Copyright © 2020 Bailey Lizotte