The 2025 Oscars

To open the 97th Academy Awards, there was an opening tribute to Los Angeles, due to the recent fires, performed by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo with songs from The Wizard of Oz and Wicked. Ariana Grande even wore an entirely ruby red dress with an actual heel at the back for Dorothy’s iconic shoes. Personally, this was the best part of the entire award show, but I am also a die-hard fan of Wicked the musical and may lean in favor of anything to do with it.

There were certainly many chaotic bits and speeches that went into the Oscars. This included Conan O’Brien—this year’s host—starting the show by crawling out of a Demi Moore skin suit, in a very strange homage to The Substance. Although, it does seem fitting for the body horror that makes up that film. Adam Sandler also was included in a very Adam Sandler core outfit, showing that you can roll up to the red carpet in baggy sweat shorts and a hoodie. There was even a recurring joke throughout the show of a sandworm from Dune: Part Two during several breaks in the show.

Despite the quirky inserts, there was a bit of outrage at the Oscar winners, as there almost always is, with Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist. More specifically, the frustration lies with the speculation that these two films used generative AI to enhance Adrien Brody’s accent in the film and to increase the vocal range of Karla Sofía Gascón. Is AI the next step along the lines of “movie magic” or are actors now being rewarded for roles that AI helped them with? At least to me, I don’t think AI used on actors should be permitted within the academy, especially not giving them awards in a field strictly focused on their performances. Not only was Adrien Brody a controversial winner for the use of AI, he also gave a very entitled speech that sat wrong with many. He gave the record-breaking five minutes and 36 second speech after winning “Best Actor” for his performance in The Brutalist. He even stated, “please turn the music off, I’ve done this before. Thank you” four minutes into his speech which frustrated the general public who didn’t believe he earned the award to begin with.

It was a great night for Anora with five Oscar wins, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director." Sean Baker, the director of the film, is now tied with Walt Disney himself for most wins in one night for one film. Anora did get its flowers, but Wicked did not. The most upsetting loss was with Cynthia Erivo missing out on fulfilling her EGOT. However, there is a second movie this year, so there may still be a chance.

Even though the awards took place in early March, the Oscars has quite recently made a new rule. Voters can no longer vote in a category unless they have seen all nominations… Now, I am no professional in the arts, but that seems to be a “duh” sort of requirement. That is in the same vein of the Recording Academy allowing voters to pick artists without listening to all nominees, and they may be doing so. Regardless, this luckily feels like a step in the right direction to giving a fair shot to future nominees and may avoid future “snubs” as well. Aside from the red carpet, the most chat-inducing part of the Oscars is that everyone feels their favorite films were more deserving.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch this year’s Oscars, here is a compiled list of all winners:

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Kieran Culkin, Best Animated Feature Film: Flow, Best Animated Short Film: “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell (Wicked), Best Original Screenplay: Anora, Best Adapted Screenplay: Conclave, Best Makeup & Hairstyling: The Substance, Best Achievement in Film Editing: Anora, Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña, Best Production Design: Wicked, Best Original Song: “El Mal” (Emilia Peréz), Best Documentary Short Film: “The Only Girl in the Orchestra,” Best Documentary Feature Film: “No Other Land,” Best Sound: Dune: Part Two, Best Visual Effects: Dune: Part Two, Best Live Action Short: “I’m Not a Robot,” Best Cinematography: The Brutalist, Best International Feature Film: I’m Still Here, Best Original Score: The Brutalist, Best Actor: Adrien Brody, Best Director: Sean Baker (Anora), Best Actress: Mikey Madison, Best Picture: Anora.