98th Oscars: Political Epic Wins, Gothic Steals Show

I watched the entire 98th Academy Awards, and I would like that fact noted up front, because it feels relevant to my mental state, and the night will be remembered as the moment the “Gothic Takeover” collided with the “Political Epic.”

Paul Thomas Anderson Finally Wins and I Am Supposed to Act Surprised

For years, I have been told that Paul Thomas Anderson is “overdue – decades of redefining American cinema, and still no Best Director win – it had become a running joke, except no one was laughing anymore.

But this year One Battle After Another got itself fourteen nominations, so of course, this was the year, as his sprawling, multi-generational political saga won six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, which ended up feeling like more a full parade.

His speech was exactly what you’d expect from the man too – understated, and slightly awkward – where he joked that the Academy had made him “work hard for this,” which felt like the most polite possible way of saying, what took you so long?

Then he pivoted, as everyone does, to something sincere, where he dedicated the award to his children, apologized for the state of the world, and expressed hope that their generation might fix it – it was the kind of speech that makes you feel both inspired and vaguely guilty – and it felt like the Academy finally admitting, somewhat reluctantly, that he might actually be at the peak of his powers right now, which is a bit inconvenient for everyone else.

“Sinners” Didn’t Win Best Picture, but It Won the Night Anyway

If Anderson owned the prestige, then Ryan Coogler’s Sinners owned the energy.

Sixteen nominations, and while the film didn’t win Best Picture, it still picked up four wins, which seems meaningful since the Academy has spent decades pretending genre films are a side hobb – and then came the moment everyone will pretend they saw coming: Michael B. Jordan winning Best Actor.

He played identical twins – two full performances, one body, zero room for error – and his speech was emotional without being too theatrical – “God is good,” he said, more than once – like he was trying to convince himself as much as the audience, and he also thanked Coogler for giving him space, and then he invoked Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Chadwick Boseman.

It was one of those speeches where you can feel the weight of history being politely acknowledged in real time – bo grandstanding, no theatrics – just a quiet understanding that something important had just happened.

Also, and I feel this is important too: he deserved it.

The Academy Discovers “Firsts” Again

Every year, the Oscars rediscover the concept of “history” like it’s a new invention, and this year was no exception.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman – and the first Black woman to win Best Cinematography for Sinners, and this is one of those milestones that feels both monumental and slightly embarrassing, because you immediately start wondering why it took this long.

Her work was described as “blues-seeped,” which kind of sounds like something a critic says when they are trying to sound poetic, but in this case, it was actually accurate – the film looked like it had texture, it had atmosphere, and it had intent – which is something worth celebrating.

Then there was the introduction of Best Casting as an official category, and I have no idea why it took nearly a century to acknowledge the people responsible for assembling entire performances, with Cssandra Kulukundis picking up the win for One Battle After Another..

Progress, but make it late.

Jessie Buckley Wins and No-One Is Surprised

Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for Hamnet, and it was probably the banker of the evening, as I mentioned in my Oscar predictions.

Her performance was described as “visceral,” which usually means someone cried a lot, but in this case it meant something closer to emotional demolition, and her speech leaned into that, as she dedicated the award to “the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” which, conveniently, aligned with the fact that it was Mother’s Day in the UK – it felt sincere without being exhausting, and emotional without tipping into a full out performance, which, at the Oscars, is a delicate balance.

The Weird Wins Are the Ones I Remember

Every Oscars ceremony has its strange moments – the ones that don’t fit neatly into the narrative. This year had several.

Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor and simply did not show up, with no explanation, no video message, nothing – just absence, which is a bold strategy, but I respect the commitment.

Then there was Amy Madigan winning Best Supporting Actress for playing what can only be described as an unrecognizable, smeared-makeup oddball in the supernatural horror film Weapons – also, she waited forty years between nominations and wins, which is either inspiring or deeply concerning depending on how you choose to look at it.

And then, just to make sure no one felt too comfortable, the Academy announced a tie in Best Live Action Short, which ended up a ti, and host Conan O’Brien handled it with the appropriate level of confusion and mild sarcasm.

Which is to say, he handled it perfectly.

The Part Where We Remember Everyone and Try Not to Cry

The “In Memoriam” segment was heavy this year, and while we always say that, but this time it felt accurate.

Rob Reiner received a particularly moving tribute, delivered by Billy Crystal, and it was the kind of speech that reminds you cinema is, at its core, a collection of people trying to make each other feel something – sometimes it works, and sometimes it really works.

Then Barbra Streisand appeared to honor Robert Redford, which added another layer of legacy to an already nostalgia-heavy evening.

By the time it all ended, I was exhausted and a bit emotional.

Five hours is a commitment, but it is also, apparently, what it takes for the Academy to fully express its current identity crisis – and yet, I can’t say it didn’t work.

This was a night where a political epic and a vampire horror film coexisted at the highest level of recognition, where a long-overdue director finally won without it feeling like a consolation prize, where a major star redefined his career in real time, and where the Academy remembered, briefly, that craft matters.

Oh, I didn’t mention Timothee Chamalet and Marty Supreme?

Neither did the Oscars.

Simon Leasher

A lover of cinema for over 35 years, I have watched many films from around the world in many different genres, yet I still normally always come back to trashy slasher horror films when in doubt. More

And yes, The Godfather 2 is better than The Godfather.