The Oscars 2023: “Oh Heck Yeahs”
Yesterday I went over some of what I considered the big misses from the Oscars in terms of both winners and nominees. Today, I want to highlight some of the wonderful wishes that came true and what I hope they symbolize for cinema moving forwards:
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Top Gun: Maverick
Ke Huy Quan
Brendan Fraser
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
I think the way each presenter visually or audibly reacted when opening the envelopes that said Everything Everywhere All at Once, speaks more volumes than anything I could write here.
Since I’ve begun tracking and rating films, I’ve added over 350 movies and Everything Everywhere All at Once sits atop that list with the highest rating I’ve given anything at a 9.8. I was absolutely enamored with this film the first time I saw it [which is great because, without some convincing from a friend, it almost passed me by], and my review afterwards called it “the gold standard by which all modern film should be held”. After having seen it a second time recently and been allowed to really stew on the results of the Oscars and all the rest of the awards season that led up to them, I can firmly stand on that ground and declare it again.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is the gold standard by which all modern film should be held.
It’s rare, I think, for the academy to recognize something as boldly innovative and [quite frankly] insane as EEAO. This is one that could have tipped people’s “weird” meters into overdrive and scared votes away with its pure madness. It did not, however, and that credit goes to a few places. First and foremost, the incredibly bold visionaries behind the whole thing, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
There are some moments in film that only work because the people at the helm believe in them. 1993’s Jurassic Park employed visual effects in a way never before seen and has forever altered cinema because of it. Go back further to 1977’s A New Hope and you have what should have been a corny built-in-a-garage space opera that has instead become one of, if not the, most ubiquitous franchises in all of film and probably media in general. It’s moments like these can be pointed to by historians, critics, fanatics, and hipsters as when things changed forever. 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once is going to be one of those moments, and it wouldn’t have happened at all if it wasn’t for the unshakably confident vision and frighteningly acute execution of “The Dans”.
It’s great to see Jamie Lee Curtis net a win after several decades of making films and being a much beloved face in Hollywood, despite my personal nod going to Stephanie Hsu in this case, but both of them were great in their roles and worked fantastically well with the rest of the cast. Michelle Yeoh faced some truly incredible competition from Cate Blanchett in Tar, and I am genuinely pleased and surprised this shook out the way it did.
We’ll talk about Hollywood’s newest crush in a second. [No, not Pedro Pascal. Ke Huy Quan.]
All in all, I think that both the commercial and critical successes of EEAO point to a shift in the dynamic of film at large. Led hugely by the rapid popularization of A24’s many masterpieces, we’re entering into an era of cinema where creators are discovering that spectacle doesn’t have to take a back seat to tell deeply meaningful stories. For over a decade we’ve been saturated with showy Marvel films that have no real substance and watched as more classic dramas juxtapose them with patient pacing and moving plots. Now, however, Everything Everywhere All at Once has stormed the stage and shown us that you can both have your cake and detonate it in a chaotic, shiny mess too. I wrote about this in the series I started [and never finished… Oops] on my top 10 films of 2022, but I truly believe that film is cresting a hill to become the best it’s ever been, and I think that A24’s intrepid investments, people with “The Dans” bold bravery, and the willingness of audiences to sit through slightly deeper feelings than previous generations are going to bring us some of the absolute greatest films ever made.
“Top Gun: Maverick”
This is a weird follow-up to EEAO, I know, but hear me out. Every film that is the best at what it does deserves to be recognized. Maverick and the John Wick series have reinvented action films in a way that hasn’t been seen since the popularization of the genre in the 80’s. While Wick has yet to make an Oscars appearance, Maverick has shown that action-first films can be recognized, and I think that’s a great thing. Despite my general distaste for Jordan Peele’s films, he has done much the same for the horror genre, and I hope to see the trend continue moving forward. Top-tier awards don’t only belong to heavy dramas, and it’s good to see a wider selection of films getting recognized for what they are: The best at what they do.
While I’m very glad Maverick didn’t take any awards besides Sound, I am equally glad that it was recognized for what it was. The best action movie of the year and an outstanding [if entirely idiotic] achievement within the box it was designed to fit inside of.
Ke Huy Quan
“And the Oscar goes to… Ke Huy Quan,” Ariana DeBose chokes out through tears of joy as the entire auditorium, every audience at home, and even the stars themselves applaud and cry and cheer as Short Round makes his way to the stage to claim this unbelievable triumph. He’s done it. We’ve loved him for years and years and years, A24 has finally given him the chance he deserves… And he’s done it.
“Thank you. Thank you. My mom is 84 years old and she's at home watching.
Mom, I just won an Oscar!
My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage. They say stories like these only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it's happening to me. This– this is the American dream. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much to the Academy for this honor of a lifetime. Thank you to my mom for the sacrifices she made to get me here. To my little brother, David, who calls me every day just to remind me to take care of myself: I love you, brother. Thank you to Ken for all of your support and for everything you've done. Thank you to A24, the Daniels, Jamie and Michelle, and my 'Goonies' brother for life, Jeff Cohen.
I owe everything to the love of my life, my wife, Echo, who month after month, year after year for 20 years, told me that one day my time will come.
Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive. Thank you, thank you so much for welcoming me back. I love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
I don’t know what more there is to say.
“They say stories like these only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me.”
Incredible.
There’s always talk of who the Academy should have nominated and who got looked over and yadda yadda yadda. This man, who has such a passion for what he does and has rendered such an incredible performance even amid the multiverse of incredible performances issued in EEAO, deserves this award more than most others who have come before him. It’s vision like this, it’s roles like this, and it’s emotions like that that make cinema matter.
Brendan Fraser
“Gentlemen, you laid your whale-sized hearts bare, so that we could see into your souls like no one else could do… and it’s my honor to be named alongside you in this category.”
Brendan Fraser is the exception to the rule, “never meet your heroes”. Between a 6-minute standing ovation at the premiere of The Whale to the genuine joy on each other nominee’s face as he took the stage, there is not a soul on planet earth that isn’t ecstatic about this man’s revival.
Between a series of physical injuries from shooting films like George of the Jungle and The Mummy, to a catastrophically abusive divorce, and culminating in the reveal of being a sexual assault victim at the hands of a powerful Hollywood executive, Fraser’s career went all wrong all at the same time. He virtually fell off the planet for about 10-years, pulling minor roles but not getting recognition other than that. Through the internet he was reminded how much his fans loved him, even being moved near tears during an interview when she expressed the overwhelming support he still had amongst the public.
Come 2022, the world learns that he’s set to star in his first major role in over a decade, directed by none other than the acclaimed Darren Aronofsky, in a movie being produced and distributed by the daring and wonderful A24. Instantly, the world became alight with support for Brendan once again… if a little apprehensive just in case the film isn’t any good.
But it was.
It’s moving, it’s intense, it’s difficult, it’s important… and, most of all, Brendan Fraser is absolutely BRILLIANT in it. This is not an “oh look how sad” Oscar win. Brendan won this award strongly from the other nominees; and his competition were no slouches. Colin Farrel, Austin Butler, Bill Nighy, and Paul Mescal [who’s in what will almost certainly be one of top movies I watched in 2023, Aftersun] all were absolutely fantastic in their roles and deserving of the award any other year. This was an incredible showing of talent, and yet, Fraser saunters his way back onto the scene and earns his place right back at the top of the ladder.
Amazing. Inspiring. Beautiful.
And after all he’s been through – all the hurt and shame and hatred that he’s suffered at the hands of those who only wanted to bring him down – this man – shuddering and out of breath at the sheer exasperation and release of it all – does not even one time mention his abusers or his own greatness. Instead, he says,
“Thank you again, each one and all. I’m so grateful to you. Goodnight.”
Incredible.
