The 96th Academy Awards

Max Markowitz of moviecritic.today shares his thoughts on the 96th Academy Awards!

The 96th Academy Awards were a delight to watch. I sensed a nervousness in many of the crowd, perhaps that's just the nervous energy that comes with a night with so much at stake. What was most apparent was how genuinely humbled everyone seemed to be by just being there, there in the moment, and just how much they wanted to be there amongst their colleagues and fellow collaborators. The Oscars have always been about celebration and the majesty of 2023’s cinematic achievements were bathed in applause. I had no favorite moment. It would be impossible to pick just one. I thought Jimmy Kimmel did a very nice job as the Host. I loved his acknowledgment of all the workers behind the scenes who held down the fort and for their contribution during the strike. The presentations of all the categories went down humorously and confidently but the speeches were the true highlights of the night.

Seeing the beautiful angel of Alexy Navalny deliver words of wisdom from his Oscar-winning documentary completely paralyzed me. I loved Billie Eilish’s angelic performance and speech, her sibling bond with Finneas O’ Connell is so evident and the two of them were just adorable. Of course, I loved the speeches of Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey, Da'Vine, Joy Randolph and Emma Stone. Christopher Nolan finally got his year's awaited moment and that was truly wonderful to see!

The fashion was bold and strange and full of pride. I thought Anya Taylor-Joy was the best dressed, Sandra Huller and Emma Stone were also impossible to look away from and Ariana Grande was adorably hilarious in her pink cupcake of a dress, a true Glinda the good witch!

2024 may be a frightening year. Hopefully, one that we can look back on and be proud of if we maintain our passion for bringing a world of human decency into reality’s orbit. Now is when it counts more than ever. Art is always crucial in times of chaos. I proudly and eagerly look forward to the cinema of 2024. I’m so proud of all the artists who were just celebrated this year and whose artistry I look forward to seeing continue to flourish. Congratulations 96th Academy Awards recipients!!! You did it!!!! Take a bow but don’t rest too long, we need you!

Read more by Max Markowitz on moviecritic.today!