Since the 88th Academy Awards are scheduled to air this Sunday, we thought we’d list the things we’re most looking forward to during its broadcast. Not a year goes by without some sort of controversy and so it goes that the upcoming ceremony is no exception (more on that later). It is also bad enough hearing your film geek friends complain about how their favorite movie didn’t even get a nomination (because you know they’ll watch the Oscars anyway). So what is there to look forward to exactly? Turns out there quite a few reasons, actually.
1. Chris Rock
Photo credit: ABC
The comedian returns to host the Oscars ceremony for the second time since 2007, during which he courted controversy with his “edgier” than usual performance style. Jude Law and Denzel Washington jokes notwithstanding, Rock was one of the more entertaining personalities to guide the three hour stretch of the broadcast. And seeing as this has been a fairly controversial year for the Academy Awards (see item number four), we’re really looking forward to how Rock will tackle this.
2. The Fashion
Well… yeah. While admittedly not everyone gives a rat’s toss about what J-Lo will be wearing this year, the topic of fashion does seem to get a lot of attention. So, what do we know? Will this year capitalize on flowing frocks (some of which could use more frock) and, more specifically, bowtie or necktie? Or no tie at all? Wonder why that red carpet YouTube clip got over thirty thousand views in one night? Fa-fa-fa-fashion.
3. See “Anomalisa” Win Best Animated Feature
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
In terms of Best Picture, it’s a total crapshoot. There are some very worthy contenders up for the top award (although we’d really, really like to see “Fury Road” win). However, while there are some excellent nominations on the Best Animated Feature shortlist, “Anomalisa” not only deserves the win, but should have been nominated for Best Picture as well. The Charlie Kaufmann scripted, stop motion animated drama is a technical achievement and then some. In a lot of ways it is even more impressive than the more buzzed about “The Revenant” that was filmed almost entirely with natural light.
4. #Oscarssowhite
Alas, this is where we address the elephant in the room that has sparked the controversy haunting this year’s Academy Awards. And, no, we’re not talking about why-oh-why did “The Martian” get nominated and not “Tangerine?” (I kid. I liked “The Martian). This year has pointed a spotlight at the lack of diversity among the nominations. In turn this has sparked a great deal of response from articles to video feeds either being supportive of the notion that something needs to be done or against the idea that anything had to be changed in the first place. Wherever you stand on this, it will certainly be interesting to see how Hollywood addresses the issue come broadcast time… or if they’ll bother to mention anything at all.
5. Who Will Accept Spike Lee’s Honorary Oscar?
ABC News interview with Spike Lee on Oscar boycott.
There are so many reasons why we would be looking forward to the moment when Spike Lee delivers his honorary acceptance speech. Having been a polarizing figure since the release of “She’s Gotta Have It” way back in 1986, Lee is just as well known for his outspoken nature, especially when it comes to the lack of diversity in film. Ergo what will he have to say about the aforementioned #oscarssowhite controversy? Can he say anything more pointed about the subject that he’s already said publically before?
However, Lee plans to boycott the 88th Academy Awards (or maybe this wasn’t his plan after all. See the video embed above). So who will accept his trophy for him and what will they have to say? Yet the main reason we’re watching this on Oscar night? Simply, he deserves the recognition. Lee has come a long way since the day he exclaimed “we was robbed” during the 1989 Oscars telecast. Normally one would chalk this up to sour grapes or, simply, being a sore loser on the iconoclastic auteur’s part. However, that year saw the release of his galvanizing “Do The Right Thing,” arguably one of the best films of the 1980s if not one of the best films ever made. And yet it wasn’t even nominated (Lee was, however, nominated for Best Original Screenplay. And co-star Danny Aiello was nominated for Best Supporting Oscar). What was the movie that won that year? The audience friendly “Driving Miss Daisy,” a title that really doesn’t deserve to be featured in the same paragraph as “Do The Right Thing” let alone the same breath.
6. The Red Carpet
ABC’s coverage of Red Carpet moments during the 2015 Academy Awards.
Not everyone watches the red carpet interviews for the fa-fa-fa-fashion (see item number two). Sometimes these moments provide a certain amount of candor before the celebrities tighten up and get into performance mode waiting for their close ups during the actual broadcast. Also: sometimes you get some awesome examples of photo bombing, or, in this case, video bombing. Because you never know when Tom Hanks may pop up behind Freddie Redmayne and say something like “hey, I wore a dress in ‘Bridge of Spies,’ too!”
7. The Backstage Interviews
It’s the backstage interviews (recorded when a winner has left the stage after receiving his or her award) that offer up some of the more prickly (and therefore entertaining) moments of the Oscars. To the extent where it’s worth waiting through a dozen “and which after Oscars party are you going to” before getting to the “but all you did was sleep in a horse. Do you think you deserve an award for that?”
8. The Oscar Pool
A peak at Fandango’s 2016 Oscar ballot.
What makes America great? Not just freedom of speech but also the ability to gamble on anything as long as it involves a collective pool and a rating chart. If we do this for football why not for the Oscars? If anything, we will derive a great deal of amusement watching our friends complain about the five dollars they lost even though they got something like twenty out of their thirty picks. What will not amuse us? Listening to the guy who wins every year bragging about his earnings at the office cooler the next day. The same guy who thought “Fantastic Four” was the cinematic high point of 2015.
The 88th Academy Awards will air live this Sunday, February 28th at 7pm EST on ABC.
