The 95th Academy Awards ceremony saw wins for “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “All Quiet on the Western Front,” with a few upsets. Telecast producers Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner scheduled the show’s categories to create as much natural drama as possible, which worked well. Unlike last year’s ceremony, the Oscars didn’t try to be something it wasn’t, with no hidden award categories or bits to bring viewers in. While the theme of paired presenters worked, the ceremony lacked a little fire.
The 2023 Oscars had it all: donkeys, fighter jets, Lady Gaga in a T-shirt, and even a cameo from a Cocaine Bear. But amidst the chaos, there were some highs and lows that stood out.
One low was the decision to ditch the classic red carpet for a new “champagne” color, which many found underwhelming. Host Jimmy Kimmel, however, was a high point with a solid cold open that included topical one-liners and good-dumb dad jokes.
Another high was the emotional win for Ke Huy Quan, who managed to mine fresh feeling with his season-capping win. The Little Mermaid, on the other hand, was a low point, with ABC parent company Disney brazenly inserting a free ad for their latest live-action project in the midst of the year’s biggest awards show.
There were also some fun moments, like Jenny the donkey joining Kimmel on stage in an Emotional Support Animal vest and the sing-along celebrating James Martin’s birthday after his film An Irish Goodbye won Best Live-Action Short.
However, the in memoriam callout for Robert Blake’s murder charge was a bit brutal (though hilarious), and some of the musical performances, including Lady Gaga’s strip down and David Byrne’s wiener hands, were underwhelming.
One of the biggest questions of the night was where in the world is Tom Cruise, who didn’t show up for the Oscars despite appearing at other high-profile pre-season events.
But amidst it all, the Oscars had a surprise up their sleeve: a Cocaine Bear, who joined Elizabeth Banks on stage for one of the night’s better bits honoring Best Visual Effects. As Banks explained the magic of CGI vs. reality by running down the year’s nominees, the movie’s four-legged Scarface did its bit in furry pantomime, and got the answer we all knew was true: “Wakanda? Wakanda is totally real.”
Here is the full list of winners:
Best picture: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best actress: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best actor: Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
Best director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best original song: M.M. Keeravaani and Chandrabose, “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”
Best documentary feature: “Navalny”
Best adapted screenplay: Sarah Polley, “Women Talking”
Best original screenplay: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best costume design: Ruth Carter, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Best international feature: “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany)
Best supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best animated feature: “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”
Best visual effects: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, “Avatar: The Way of Water”
Best cinematography: James Friend, “All Quiet on the Western Front”
Best supporting actress: Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best film editing: Paul Rogers, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best score: Volker Bertelmann, “All Quiet on the Western Front”
Best sound: Mark Weingarten, James Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, “Top Gun: Maverick”
Best production design: Christian M. Goldbeck and Ernestine Hipper, “All Quiet on the Western Front”
Best makeup and hairstyling: Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Annemarie Bradley, “The Whale”
Best documentary (short subject): “The Elephant Whisperers”
Best short (animated): “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”
Best short film (live action): “An Irish Goodbye”
