The 92nd Annual Academy Awards

Actually, nothing much different from previous years. Again, never-ending boredom, never-ending number of commercials, and for the second time in a row without a host, which they probably found out to work surprisingly well. In addition, with a series of musical performances, where I was most surprised by Eminem, who returned to the stage after 17 years to finally sing his best film song of the time and lift half the audience from their seats. Interesting and probably the biggest surprise of the evening. The second of the performances was by Elton John, who was visibly moved, but he also really enjoyed it. And the third was by Billie Eilish, who sang Yesterday from the Beatles for the In Memoriam contribution. That is always emotional and this year was no different. And in terms of nominations, the biggest surprise was – of course – the winning film Parasite, which for the first time proved that a non-English-speaking film can win the highest award, which in my opinion presents a victory not just for the film itself, but for the whole contemporary South Korean cinematography, which has been at a high level for quite some time. I wished the best score award to Hildur Guðnadóttir for her Joker OST, and my wish came true. Her contribution was the most feminist one, but I liked it. And as for actors, there were no doubts about who the winners will be, as evidenced by the betting odds. Brad Pitt looked really touched, I was happy for him. Laura Dern accepted her – well-deserved – award with grace. Renée Zellweger looked like it was Bridget Jones who came to accept her award; it was almost a pity that she didn’t stumble on her way to the stage. And Joaquin Phoenix? Delivered the best speech of the evening. An emotional, personal confession of our times, a request not to eat meat and an apology for how he used to behave. A great actor who finally showed some humility – nothing more needs to be said. I think that this year's Oscars, although they might seem unremarkable, had their moments. They seemed alright to me. (10.02.2020)

Far from being as scattered as last year, nor as one-sided in nearly uninterrupted monologues about the merits of this or that group. The absence of an emcee (and therefore a more fixed structure) at the most watched event in the industry still gives the impression that responsible people only care about the final image and entertainment is somewhere in the background. The acquiescent lethargy was most broken to its cored by the well-oiled duo of Maya Rudolph/Kristen Wiig and, of course, Joaquin Phoenix's speech, the most sincere male tearjerker. (12.02.2020)