Connor Cable: Hello everyone. Welcome back to the Mercer entertainment review, and I am here again with Daniel Tolbert and… What happened at the Oscars?? Well if you’re unaware the Oscars, Were pretty astounding. It is the Tuesday after the show which was Sunday, so two days ago and… What? If you’re unaware, “green book” won Best Picture. Green Book was probably fifth on the list of films that we thought might win or deserve to win, it was probably the biggest upset in 15 years. Yeah. Since crash, since crash over Brokeback Mountain. People all over were blown not just us. Yeah. So what happened?

Daniel Tolbert: Well I think it was just a very safe pick by a lot of people who had “green book” probably third or fourth in the list and it just had enough people to get it…. probably over “vice” would be my guess in terms of the preferential voting system that they do, to bump it up from you know sixth on the first round to probably third in the second round, second and the fourth like third and fourth round, and then first by the end of it just to get that 50 percent. I think a lot of people actually enjoyed the film but probably didn’t have it as their number one, would be my guess. And so they just had it in their top four which is why that preferential voting system kind of splits that vote up a little bit, but it’s a very safe pick. I mean all the content is pretty straightforward. It’s very simple conflicts simple interpersonal relationships and everything. But a lot of people have criticized the movie because it kind of shrinks the you know massive issue around race relations down to, you know, if you can solve it by driving across the country with somebody of the other race and it’s it’s very simplistic kind of look on the entire problem as a whole.

Connor Cable: The politics of the Oscars, we understand like people campaign for these things, and like you said it’s a very safe movie, it’s it’s Oscar bait. And that’s not to say some of the other ones weren’t, like the favorite and black clansmen to an extent, but it just it wasn’t to post to win in my head it was it was good but it wasn’t… I cannot see it winning in any other scenario. It didn’t win at the Golden Globes, it didn’t win at the Screen Actors, it didn’t win at any of the other awards shows, made maybe a couple. And so we understand these politics and it just doesn’t add up. And so with that preferential voting system like you said, it was probably hanging at the bottom the entire time until it just got first, probably over a Roma or the favorite, maybe even black in which one of those three should have won. Now backing up a little bit, aside from that travesty, the Best Actor winners Rami Malek, very well deserved in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Olivia Colman in “the favorite”.

Daniel Tolbert: Which she beat out Glenn Close who was a close second…

Connor Cable: So both those very well deserved, even though Glenn Close also very well could have won that one and then supporting actors Mahersheal Ali and Regina King in “if Beale Street could talk” all wonderful like, 100 percent deserved in my opinion, and some of the other shockers… Maybe “Bohemian Rhapsody” for sound like you were talking about.

Daniel Tolbert: I personally I thought sound editing sound mixing for “Bohemian Rhapsody” was kind of just a crap shoot. Putting a Queen song in a movie about Queen is very easy to do. It doesn’t make it any more, You know… It’s long stretch or any more innovative than some of the other movies had done like that. They had a quiet place on there, I think it was either some mixing or sound editing I can’t remember which one, but I thought that that movie since the entire narrative is driven by the idea that there is no sound, they had to do so many things to make sure that the narrative was still Driven by the sounds around them since they had little to no dialogue throughout the movie. I would have loved to see that one win but they kind of went a little bit I think closer to the nostalgia region of picking a movie about Queen, which is why I think Bohemian Rhapsody I honestly got the best picture nominations list as well. But yeah I was just a little bit upset by that but I know the rest of it was pretty much understandable from my point of view.

Connor Cable: One of the highlights of the night was probably Spike Lee getting his Oscar finally. It wasn’t for directing which was a funds Cuarón for Roma, also well deserved but Spike Lee got it adapted screenplay I believe, and that was so it was such a good moment to see him up on stage, it was long overdue well-deserved. And then Black Panther also won a good couple awards.

Daniel Tolbert: Production design, costumes, and soundtrack…

Connor Cable: And all the other very well deserved. So, as a whole the Oscars were really good without a host, with the shorter run time. It was very smooth, just just a nuclear bomb at the end with “Green book” which blew everybody’s mind…

Daniel Tolbert: Second year in a row where everybody has the controversy towards the end.

Connor Cable: Gosh, and again “green book” is not a bad film, but it should not have won best picture. It should have been “Roma” “the favorite” or “black Klansman,” at the least.

Daniel Tolbert: I think it carries over the “moonlight” “la la land” situation where everybody was like “moonlight’s” going to win, and they called “la la lan” and it was like “What,” And call it back. And then last year with “the Shape of Water winning” that was just kind of like up in the air, and a lot of people were a little bit surprised by it…

Connor Cable: But that was the right choice!

Daniel Tolbert: It, again and that is where its understandable. I mean this year is just like nobody.

Connor Cable: Yeah no. Last year and last year it’s like the opposite. That was the right choice but people were confused. But this year it’s the wrong choice and everyone’s like OK. So it doesn’t make sense this year Academy maybe next year. That’ll do it for 2018 and movies and awards season. It has been Daniel Tolbert, I’m Connor cable for the Bears beat. Have a great day!