The Shape of Water Floods the Oscars

The+Shape+of+Water+Floods+the+Oscars

Brandon Schroh, Reporter

Records broken, tears shed, and audiences around the world watched in awe as cinema’s most coveted award ceremony was celebrated for the 90th time. With comedian Jimmy Kimmel returning as host for his second-consecutive year appearances from Ansel Elgort Gal Gadot, Tom Holland, Eva Marie Saint and even BB-8 as presenters.

As expected by its 13 nominations, “The Shape of Water” swept by winning four academy awards including the award for Best Picture making it the first science fiction film to win the award. Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” followed not to far behind with three awards for its film editing, sound editing and sound mixing. Comedian Jordan Peele was also rewarded for his magnum opus “Get Out.” This terrifying race relations film was completely original from Peele and as such, was rewarded with Best Original Screenplay.

Similar to many Oscar ceremonies, those who are often forgotten in the filmmaking process were rewarded. Cinematographer Roger Deakins was rewarded for making the visually stunning “Blade Runner 2049” and costume designers Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick were rewarded for transforming Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour.” Actors giving there breakthrough performances such as “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”Sam Rockwell received compensation for their efforts. Even film audience members were thanked when Jimmy Kimmel and company greeted an unsuspected audience of “A Wrinkle In Time.”

So another year of film has come and gone and as always the Oscars celebrate everything we love about movies and honor those who bring those to us. This ceremony featured and praised all of the people and things that matter in Hollywood. The actors, the directors, the composers, the singers, the cinematographers, the makeup artists, the costume designers, both veterans and newcomers, remakes and completely original movies, the old and the new. Many may think Hollywood is all black and white when it comes to these things, but is the mixing of the old and the new that makes Hollywood spectacular and by showcasing all of these aspects in a new era of film, we are provided with a glimmer of hope for the future.