Possibilities for surprise captivate professionals who follow the movies
While the 2019 Oscars have already created surprise and controversy, members of the Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) anticipate even more excitement when the winners are announced on February 24 during ABC’s broadcast of the 91st Annual Academy Awards.
“This year’s ceremony, celebrating a solid cinematic year, feels so overshadowed by controversy that it’s hard to know what to expect,” said HFCS member James Roberts of Glide Magazine. “From the hosting debacle, to the justifiable rage over the cut categories, to the scandal surrounding the director of Bohemian Rhapsody, the ceremony may be tainted.”
“I worry that the current wave of blatant commercialism and capitalism will continue to erode respect for the art and talent of moviemaking,” said HFCS president Doug Harris, of Third Rock Radio. “This is a time to applaud the work of filmmakers—not the promoters of plush toys, kids’ meals and adventure park tickets.”
Harris believes that The Academy and Oscar audiences may conclude that a host for the awards show has become an unnecessary distraction.
“I would be thrilled to see the presenters and winners show some respect and gratitude when they step up to the podium while dripping in diamonds in their designer duds and, absent of humility, show us a bit of charm,” Harris said.
Other HFCS members agree.
“I think it’s just fine that there is no Oscar host,” said T.J. Callahan of Houston’s AM 1070 KNTH. “After the opening number, they always become scarce.”
Dustin Chase, of Texas Art & Film, said that he hopes the show “isn’t the train wreck that reports suggest, from all the bad choices that have come to light. The Oscars should be a celebration of the best in film, not some television program produced to attract audiences that care nothing about cinematic art.”
Other HFCS members expressed a desire for change surrounding the speeches and statements given at the awards show.
Donna Copeland, also from Texas Art and Film, hopes that the Academy succeeds at “limiting the acceptance speeches which are always boring, though well prepared; thoughtful remarks at earlier awards shows this year, from such winners as Glenn Close and Christian Bale, are models to follow.”
Callahan contends that all political statements should be “outlawed” during the awards show. “Anyone who spouts off an opinion that has nothing to do with the movies should be fined,” she said.
Meanwhile, HFCS member Louis Parks describes a strong dislike for “forced levity and awkward efforts to address problems, real or imagined, that seem phony.”
It may come as a surprise that, as much as these critics love movies, not all of them intend on watching the awards show this year.
Alan Cerny of Coming Soon said that he won’t tune in on Oscar night because of “the infighting and bitterness that seems to take place every year.” Meanwhile, Hunter Lanier of Film Threat says that, as the Oscars have become a larger-scale television event, “The Academy Awards have catered more to the People Magazine crowd than to people who love movies. It’s like that unbearable red-carpet pre-show has leaked into the main event.”
Still, to many critics, the “main event” offers sufficient appeal.
“I love that the winner for the Best Picture is not a given this year,” says Callahan, “and that Glenn Close came from behind to be the frontrunner. If she doesn’t win Best Actress, I’ll throw a tomato at the screen.”
Mark Schumann of Hearst Connecticut Media agrees, noting that, despite all the credit Close receives for her body of work, “she should win the Oscar for delivering the year’s most complex performance by an actress. As a lady who survives in the shadows, Close delivers a master class in the subtleties of nuance and expression. Not since ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ in the 1980s has she been so commanding in presence.”
Chase wonders, “Can Bradley Cooper pull an upset for Best Actor? And Spike Lee for Best Director? Can Rachel Weisz surprise in the Best Supporting Actress category? Can First Man beat the juggernaut Avengers for special effects? And can anything but Roma win Best Picture?”
Schumann thinks it unlikely. “Some movies reach beyond their imagery to inspire us to take fresh looks at the world we experience and the mirrors we examine.”
Roberts agrees, saying, “‘Roma’ still feels like the film to beat for Best Picture, though personally, I’m still holding out hope that The Favourite, which recently won Best Picture at the 2019 Houston Film Critics Society Movie Awards, walks away as the big winner.”
Joe Kotisso, of KPFT 90.1 FM in Houston, says to “pray for Spike Lee if Green Book wins Best Picture. The Academy can’t let him lose to Driving Miss Daisy twice.”
Looking ahead to the awards show this Sunday, Kotisso predicts that “the show will be long, yet feel like a blur you don’t want to remember.”
Meanwhile, HFCS member Sally Hill is eager to watch the event unfold. “I’ve watched the Oscars as long as I can remember. I will always watch. I love the unexpected.”
Roberts offer a concise summary, with a note of promise. “It’s important to remember that Oscar night is meant to celebrate the artists and craftsman who enrich our lives through film. While the vibe surrounding the ceremony definitely feels off this year, it should still be an evening to remember.”
ABOUT THE HFCS
The 37 members of the Houston Film Critics Society are working film journalists on television, radio, online, and in traditional print. Together, they reach millions of people each week across the country with their critiques and commentaries on film. The organization, which also actively promotes the advancement of film in the Houston community, will launch a student scholarship program in 2019.