By JAKE COYLE (AP Film Writer)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The metaphysical multiverse comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once” wrapped its sizzling canine fingers round Hollywood’s high prize Sunday, successful finest image on the ninety fifth Academy Awards, together with awards for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Though worlds away from Oscar bait, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s anarchic ballet of every little thing bagels, googly-eyed rocks and one messy tax audit emerged as an inconceivable Academy Awards heavyweight. The indie hit, A24’s second best-picture winner following “Moonlight,” gained seven Oscars in all.
Fifty years after “The Godfather” gained on the Oscars, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” triumphed with a a lot completely different immigrant expertise. Its eccentric story a few Chinese immigrant household – simply the second characteristic by the Daniels, because the filmmaking duo is thought – blended science fiction and alternate realities within the story of an abnormal lady and laundromat proprietor.
“Everything Everywhere,” launched all the best way again in March 2022, helped revive arthouse cinemas after two years of pandemic, racking up greater than $100 million in ticket gross sales. And regardless of initially scant expectations of Oscar glory, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” toppled each blockbusters (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water”) and demanding darlings (“Tar,” “The Banshees of Inisherin”).
Yeoh turned the primary Asian lady to finest actress, taking the award for her lauded efficiency in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The 60-year-old Malaysian-born Yeoh gained her first Oscar for a efficiency that relied as a lot on her comedian and dramatic chops because it did her kung fu abilities. She’s the primary finest actress win for a non-white actress in 20 years.
“Ladies, don’t let anyone ever tell you you’re past your prime,” mentioned Yeoh, who obtained a raucous standing ovation.
In successful finest director, the Daniels — each 35 years previous — gained for simply their second and decidedly un-Oscar bait characteristic. They’re simply the third directing pair to win the award, following Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (“West Side Story”) and Joel and Ethan Coen (“No Country for Old Men”). Scheinert devoted the award “to the moms of the world.”
Best actor went to Brendan Fraser, culminating the previous motion star’s return to heart stage for his bodily transformation as a 600-lb. reclusive professor in “The Whale.” The best-actor race had been one of many closest contests of the night time, however Fraser ultimately edged Austin Butler.
“So this is what the multiverse looks like,” mentioned a clearly moved Fraser, pointing to the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” crew.
The former little one star Quan capped his personal extraordinary comeback with the Oscar for finest supporting actor for his efficiency within the indie hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Quan, beloved for his roles as Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and Data in “Goonies,” had all however given up performing earlier than being solid in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
His win, among the many most anticipated of the night time, was however one of many ceremony’s most shifting moments. The viewers — together with his “Temple of Doom” director, Steven Spielberg — gave Quan a standing ovation as he fought again tears.
“Mom, I just won an Oscar!” mentioned Quan, 51, whose household fled Vietnam within the struggle when he was a baby.
“They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe it’s happening,” mentioned Quan. “This is the American dream.”
Minutes later, Quan’s castmate Jamie Lee Curtis gained for finest supporting actress. Her win, in probably the most aggressive classes this yr, denied a victory for comic-book followers. Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) would have been the primary performer to win an Oscar for a Marvel film.
It additionally made historical past for Curtis, a first-time winner who alluded to herself as “a Nepo baby” throughout her win on the Screen Actors Guild Awards. She’s the uncommon Oscar winner whose dad and mom have been each Oscar nominees, one thing she emotionally referenced in her speech. Tony Curtis was nominated for “The Defiant Ones” in 1959 and Janet Leigh was nominated in 1961 for “Psycho.” Curtis thanked “hundreds” of people that put her in that place.
The German-language WWI epic “All Quiet on the Western Front” — Netflix’s high contender this yr — took 4 awards because the academy heaped honors on the craft of the harrowing anti-war movie. It gained for cinematography, manufacturing design, rating and finest worldwide movie.
Though Bassett missed on supporting actress, Ruth E. Carter gained for the costume design of “Wakanda Forever,” 4 years after changing into the primary Black designer to win an Oscar, for “Black Panther.” This one makes Carter the primary Black lady to win two Oscars.
“Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman,” mentioned Carter. “She endures, she loves, she overcomes, she is every woman in this film.”
Carter devoted the award to her mom, who she mentioned died final week at 101.
The telecast, airing reside on ABC, opened historically: with a montage of the yr’s movies (with Kimmel edited right into a cockpit in “Top Gun: Maverick”) and a prolonged monologue. Kimmel, internet hosting for the third time, didn’t dive proper into revisiting Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock eventually yr’s ceremony.
The late-night comic struggled to search out classes from final yr’s incident, which was adopted by Smith successful finest actor. If anybody tried any violence this yr, Kimmel mentioned, “you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech.”
But Kimmel, internet hosting for the third time, mentioned anybody who needed to “get jiggy with it” this yr should come by way of a fearsome battalion of bodyguards, together with Michael B. Jordan, Michelle Yeoh, Steven Spielberg and his present’s “security guard” Guillermo Rodriguez.
After landmark wins for Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) and Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), no ladies have been nominated for finest director. Sarah Polley, although, gained finest tailored screenplay for the metaphor-rich Mennonite drama “Women Talking.”
“Thank you to the academy for not being mortally offended by the words ‘women’ and ‘talking,’” mentioned Polley.
Daniel Roher’s “Navalny,” in regards to the imprisoned Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, took finest documentary. The movie’s win got here with clear overtones to Navalny’s ongoing imprisonment and Vladimir Putin’s continued struggle in Ukraine. Yulia Navalnaya joined the filmmakers on the stage.
“My husband is in prison just for telling the truth,” mentioned Navalnaya. “Stay strong my love.”
Some massive names weren’t in attendance for different causes. Neither Tom Cruise, whose “Top Gun: Maverick” is up for finest image, nor James Cameron, director of best-picture nominee “Avatar: The Way of Water,” have been on the ceremony. Both have been forefront in Hollywood’s efforts to get moviegoers again after years of pandemic.
“The two guys who asked us to go back to theater aren’t in the theater,” mentioned Kimmel, who added that Cruise with out his shirt on in “Top Gun: Maverick” was “L. Ron Hubba Hubba.”
After final yr’s Oscars, which had stripped some classes from being handed out within the reside telecast, the academy restored all awards to the present and leaned on conventional tune and and dance numbers. That meant some show-stopping numbers, together with the elastic suspenders dance of “Naatu Naatu” from the Telugu action-film sensation “RRR,” an intimate, impassioned efficiency by Lady Gaga of “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” and an Super Bowl follow-up by Rihanna. Best tune went to “Naatu Naatu.”
It additionally meant a protracted present. “This kind of makes you miss the slapping a little bit, right?” Kimmel mentioned mid-show.
The night time’s first award went to “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” for finest animated movie. That handed Netflix its first Oscar within the class.
After final yr’s slap, the academy created a disaster administration crew to raised reply to surprises. Neither Rock, who not too long ago made his most forceful assertion in regards to the incident in a reside particular, nor Smith, who was banned by the academy for 10 years, attended.
The Academy Awards is making an attempt to recapture a few of its previous luster. One factor working in its favor: This yr’s finest image discipline was stacked with blockbusters. Ratings often go up when the nominees are extra well-liked, which definitely goes for “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
Neither gained a lot, although. “The Way of Water,” with greater than $2.28 billion in field workplace, gained for finest visible results. The “Top Gun” sequel ($1.49 billion), took finest sound.
Last yr, Apple TV’s “CODA” turned the primary streaming film to win finest image. But this yr, 9 of the ten finest image nominees have been theatrical releases. After the film enterprise cratered throughout the pandemic, moviegoing recovered to about 67% of pre-pandemic ranges. But it was an up and down yr, stuffed with smash hits and anxiety-inducing lulls in theaters.
This yr, ticket gross sales have been sturdy due to releases like “Creed III” and “Cocaine Bear” — which made not one however two cameos at Sunday’s present. But there stay storm clouds on the horizon. The Writers Guild and the main studios are set to start contract negotiations March 20, a looming battle that has a lot of the trade girding for the potential for a piece stoppage all through movie and tv.
The Oscars, too, are looking for steadiness. Last yr’s telecast drew 16.6 million viewers, a 58% improve from the scaled-down 2021 version, watched by a file low 10.5 million.
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AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed to this report.
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For extra protection of this yr’s Academy Awards, go to: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards
Source: www.bostonherald.com”
