We kind of know what to expect from the 90th Annual Academy Awards; after all, they’ve done this thing 89 times before.
However, a number of new and different aspects should also emerge at this edition of the movie industry’s self-love celebration. So much Hollywood-related stuff has gone down in the past 12 months, the only surprise this time would be if host Jimmy Kimmel, presenters and Oscar-winners don’t address what’s on everyone’s minds at the Dolby Theatre Sunday night.
Therefore, we’ve come up with a list of five topics that ought to get some attention at the ceremony, if all the time isn’t taken up thanking agents, parents and favorite pets.
#TIMESUP
That won’t refer to the length of acceptance speeches this year. The national, even worldwide outcry against sexual harassment and misconduct, which exploded in the movie business last fall and still roils it, will be in everyone’s thoughts and words. The attendant fed-upness with the lack of equity and opportunity for women in films should also be an issue, whether or not Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” wins any statuettes.
To avoid insensitivity and mortification on the show, accused harasser and last year’s Best Actor winner Casey Affleck has been asked not to fill the traditional
role of presenting this year’s Best Actress winner with her Oscar. James Franco, a likely Best Actor nominee before his Golden Globes win for “The Disaster Artist” triggered several misconduct accusations, subsequently failed to make the academy’s nomination cut. And these will be the first Oscars in decades without Harvey Weinstein, which comes with the extra benefit of the disgraced producer not manipulating voters into giving awards to his mediocre movies.
Though many will likely applaud such steps, what the academy will do if things come out about any of Sunday’s winners, or if clamor increases around previous winners with troubling sexual pasts, remains a mystery.
#OSCARSNOTSOWHITE ANYMORE?
Well, at least they’ve gotten past the issue of all-Caucasian acting nominees that triggered so much criticism for a few years. Or have they? While the actors’ winners circle will probably look like a NATO summit again, this may not be much of a concern for African-Americans this year. After all, “Moonlight” won the big prize last time around, “Get Out” is up for Best Picture and its producer-writer-director Jordan Peele is a rare nominee for all three of those top Oscars. And Daniel Kaluuya, Denzel Washington, Mary J. Blige and Octavia Spencer are all nominated for acting awards, if unlikely to win any.
OTHER PERSPECTIVES, THOUGH NOT SO INCLUSIVE
Ask U.S. Latinos in show business how they feel about Guillermo del Toro probably winning Best Director for his gorgeous monster fable “The Shape of Water,” and they’ll more than likely say yeah, great movie, but why weren’t any Hispanic actors in it (or in other great Mexican directors’ recent Oscar-winners). The Awards come on the heels of another outcry over the whitewashing of Asian characters from other media in movie adaptations, this time regarding the just-released sci fi thriller “Annihilation.”
There will be some Muslim representation. We have a Foreign Language Film nominee, “The Insult,” from Lebanon. The Syrian producer of the harrowing documentary “Last Men in Aleppo,” Kareem Abeed, finally got a visa to attend the ceremony a few days ago after the U.S. consulate in Istanbul had blocked him for the longest time. And “The Big Sick” co-writer Kumail Nanjiani is at least one recognizable American Muslim name nominated for a major award.
These Oscars are probably still too white, though.
BALLISTIC OVER TRUMP
Of course, like last year, outrage regarding Donald Trump being president could erupt at any time. This year, though, that could be tied to the tragic, yet again hot-button issue of mass shootings and what to do about them. Since the president seems to be either for against weapon restrictions depending on the time of day, this could complicate the mostly pro-gun control academy crowd’s feelings about him on the big night. But then, Hollywood’s already got to deal with the confusing fact that the film industry is built to some degree on its glorification of gunplay.
IT CAN’T HAPPEN AGAIN. WE HOPE.
Important as the political stuff is, perhaps the main thing a lot of people associated with Oscar will be concerned about is avoiding a snafu like the one that ended last year’s show. The academy was embarrassed like never before when “La La Land” was erroneously announced the Best Picture winner, and a producer of that film who discovered the mistake had to ask the folks from “Moonlight” to come onstage. You can bet AMPAS – and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm whose employees were blamed for the big screw-up – have put rigorous new fail-safe systems in place that are 100 times more dependable than Hawaii’s early warning system.
Now, if they can just prevent Harvey Weinstein from trying to sneak in disguised as an extra from the “Planet of the Apes” movie, things should be golden.
