Oscars 2023: 10 Ups & 5 Downs
Ups...
10. The Hugely Satisfying Winners
On the balance of all 23 categories, this might well be one of the most satisfying Oscar ceremonies ever, considering how many thoroughly deserving nominees won awards.
Beyond the obvious success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, which won more above-the-line awards than any film in Oscar history, and is only the third film to win three acting Oscars, Academy voters made smart and inspired choices in the majority of categories.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinnocchio was the first stop-motion film to win the Best Animated Film Oscar in almost 20 years, Navalny took home a well-earned Best Documentary Feature Oscar, Avatar: The Way of Water scooped Best Visual Effects, The Whale beat out Elvis to win Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and All Quiet on the Western Front won four awards, for Best International Feature, Cinematography, Original Score, and Best Production Design.
There was desperately little to get worked up about here - just a lot of great work getting rightly recognised.