This year Oscars will be taking place Sunday, February 24, 2019, and is available to watch on Sky. The Oscars has started off with teething issues over the host. Kevin Hart a much loved comedian was chosen and then a short three days later dumped. Hart was asked to apologise for some tweets that had been deemed offensive and of a homophobic nature. The Comedian refused to apologise tweeting: “I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscars” he continues, "This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists”, he also posted a later tweet stating "I’m sorry that I hurt people. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love and appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again." There has yet to be a replacement announcement. The Academy is now preparing to have a host-less ceremony, with celebrities filling in to announce, give awards, perform musical numbers and there is even a rumoured Avengers appearance. Perhaps this year will be less painful, as some hosts tend inspire the feeling of sticking needles under your fingernails or rewatching the most embarrassing Mr. Bean moments (recall Anne Hathaway and James Franco 2011).
This film is probably the Oscars saving grace, delivering style and craft, something many films struggle to do simultaneously.
As for the surprises this year: Black Panther is probably the happiest surprise, as the first comic book film in history to be nominated for best picture. In fact this film is probably the Oscars saving grace, delivering style and craft, something many films struggle to do simultaneously.
A sub has definitely been given to Aquaman, which could have easily been distinguished for its visual effects, the underwater scenery filled with rich and exotic imagined landscape and the stunning neo classical and ruinous Atlantis with its high technology city rising through the remains, makes a stunning contrast of an old myth in the new world. The work with water that director James Wan put in is incredible, going as far as to stress about making Jason Momoa’s beard look great: “And in the case of Jason Momoa, there wasn’t just the hair on his head — we had to figure out how to make his beard look like it was underwater, as well. And when you’re doing that, you’re actually physically affecting the actor’s face and how their performance comes across so that just took months and months.”
I was shocked to see that Nicole Kidman did not receive a best actress nomination for her role in The Destroyer. Much like Cristian Bale’s incredible transformation in VICE Nicole Kidman makes an equally impressive transformation into the haggard LAPD detective Erin Bell, the sub is made all the more obvious seeing as she had received best actress in a motion picture at the Golden Globes.
On a final note, despite there being several fantastic female directed films this year such as Mary Queen of Scots (Josie Rourke), Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Marielle Heller), and Destroyer (Karyn Kusama) there were no female director nominees.
