The biggest night of the year for the film industry definitely had its ups and downs. Some segments were joyous and memorable. Others were pointless and a waste of time. Here are some of the best (and worst) moments from the telecast (Films mentioned in red have trailers linked to them!):

Best – Girl Power – Just over 20% of people working film industry are women, but they won big! Chloe Zhao became the second female ever to win Best Director for Nomadland. Emerald Fennell (holding her award below) and her film Promising Young Woman took home the award for Best Original Screenplay. And at 89 years old, Anne Roth won Best Costume Design for her work on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. 

Worst – Lack of Clips and Trailers – There were barely any clips shown when nominees were announced, making it dull to look at them sitting down when scenes could have been shown. Plus, only three trailers were debuted for new films during the one night that entirely celebrates it: The West Side Story remake (shown below), In the Heights, and Summer of Soul. What missed opportunities!

Best – Fabulous Fashion – While Amanda Seyfried’s (supporting actress in Mank) puffy red gown and Regina King’s (director of One Night in Miami) gorgeous blue dress both were stunning, Carey Mulligan’s gold two piece outfit was the true hit of the night. 

Worst – Slow Pacing – Speeches were solid (check out Chloe Zhao’s below!), but some of them lasted forever. The three hour show could have benefited from a few cuts in the script. After all, who wants to watch lots of filler and Questlove jamming out for such a long time?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hagrJurgOqU

Best – Alan Kim – The nine year old star from Minari strutted down the red carpet and brought his mom as his “date”. Plus, he made the most fabulous pose ever. 

Worst – In Memoriam – Thought the Grammys did a terrible job with their tribute? Think again. The Oscars honored performers, producers, and more with a pathetic slideshow that viewers complained to be effortless and too quick to leave an impact. 

Best – Glenn Close – The Best Supporting Actress nominee for her work in Hillbilly Elegy performed “Da Butt” dance on live television. What a pleasant surprise!

Worst – Hot Mess Finale – In a shocking turn of events, Best Picture was not presented last. Instead, the slot was given to Best Actor, which many believed would be a perfect tribute to the late frontrunner, Chadwick Boseman. But when Joaquin Phoenix (last year’s winner for his portrayal of the title character in Joker) opened the envelope, it showed that the award was for Anthony Hopkins’s role in The Father. Plus, adding onto the pain, Mr. Hopkins was asleep in Wales during the show, so he could not even accept his award and give an official speech! 

The Oscars proved to be a slight improvement from the Grammys, but there were plenty of flaws, especially with what some Twitter users called “the worst TV ending since Game of Thrones“. Fingers crossed there will be a bigger and pandemic-free celebration in 2022!