And the Oscars go to…College Ave Rewinds!! Something I look forward to each year is the Academy Awards, or, as they are more commonly known, the Oscars. I love everything about the movies. In my family, we make a concerted effort to see most if not all of the nominated movies. Best pictures, documentaries, shorts, all of it. Since the pandemic has kept us away from seeing our beloved films on the big screen, now renting or sometimes even buying a movie is our go-to. We watch it from the comfort of our couch with our hot air-popped popcorn loaded with butter and salt, or a personal favorite of mine, hot sauce. We are, however, still missing the artificially flavored and most delicious movie theater popcorn. Last year’s Oscars were a bit rough to watch. It was livestreamed, those in attendance had to be socially distanced making it very awkward at times, and I, as well as much of the Oscar-faithful population, thought a number of the final awards were rigged. A lot was definitely off. Luckily, this year, the 94th Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, Mar. 27 at the Dolby Theatre in a setting like the “before times.”
Ninety-three years have passed since the first Academy Awards were held in 1929 to an audience of less than 300. Only 15 categories were awarded for the directors and artists of the 1927–1928 film period. Today, it’s over 20. The fabled Oscar statue is made out of gold-plated bronze and depicts a knight holding a sword standing on a black reel of film. The black reel contains five spokes, each representing the branches of the Academy Awards — the Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians. These are the many individuals, teams and in some cases magicians who bring the magic of storytelling through film to life.
The Academy Awards are set to be super exciting this year. Loaded with tons of firsts and surprises, it will be one to remember. The world-renowned director Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the 1961 movie West Side Story has been added to the list of the many movie musicals over the years that have received the coveted Best Picture nomination. One of the film’s stars, Ariana Debose, known for her role as “the Bullet” in the original cast of Hamilton, is a nominee for Actress in a Supporting Role. West Side Story is also a contender for Costume Design, Directing, Production Design and Sound. In an amazing chain of events, the actress Rita Moreno, who starred in the original film, is in this version as well. All in all, West Side Story is predicted to take home many awards, but not as many as the 10 Oscars they walked away with years ago.
Another Best Picture and Best Screenplay nominee, CODA, also includes the actor Tony Kotsur as a nominee for best Actor in a Supporting Role, making him the first deaf male actor to be nominated for an Oscar. Music and lyric genius Lin-Manuel Miranda has a chance to win an EGOT this year, which would mean he has been awarded an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Miranda is nominated for the Best Original Song, “Dos Oruguitas,” from the Disney animated film Encanto. If you haven’t watched it yet, then what are you doing?! I hope you are able to catch some of these flicks before the awards show! Happy viewing!