Oscars 2020: 10 Ups & 6 Downs

3. Joaquin Phoenix's Fantastic Best Actor Speech

Though many had mixed feelings about Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) winning the Best Actor Oscar over Adam Driver (Marriage Story), it's ultimately tough to feel especially bad about it given Phoenix's illustrious career of terrific performances, and how thoroughly he deserves one of the gold statues.

But what truly made Phoenix's win memorable was his fantastic acceptance speech. Far from the eccentric and rambling diatribes the actor has launched on throughout Oscar season, this was a shockingly coherent monologue, making a rallying cry for animal rights and calling out "cancel culture." In his own words:

"I have been a scoundrel all my life, I’ve been selfish. I’ve been cruel at times, hard to work with, and I’m grateful that so many of you in this room have given me a second chance. I think that’s when we’re at our best: when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for our past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow. When we educate each other, when we guide each other to redemption. When he was 17, my brother [River] wrote this lyric. He said: 'run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.'"