Ah, the Oscars. The one Sunday a year where we spend our evening rooting for the four movies that we've actually seen. It seems that something ridiculous happens each year at the Academy Awards, so even if you're not the expert film critic — it's definitely still worth the watch.
Jimmy Kimmel returned to the Oscars stage, hosting this year's Academy Awards on a gorgeous set with crystal decorations surrounding the stage. The show began with an old-Hollywood style opening in all black and white, followed by an opening monologue with subtle humor and important social issues.
Kimmel mentioned throughout his monologue the importance of the #MeToo movement, calling out Harvey Weinstein in particular, and discussing women's rights overall. As he recapped the nominees, he put the spotlight on women nominated for certain roles — who are far too underrepresented in the Oscars — and film in general. Some of those presenting awards also made tributes to the #MeToo movement and commended the vast representation we're beginning to see in films.
"This is a night for positivity," Kimmel said at the beginning of the awards.
Apart from the serious notes, Kimmel didn't forget to mention the terrible envelope mix-up of 2017 as the cameras focused on Emma Stone. He assured the audience that this year, the Oscars' main focus was making sure the envelopes were correct, jokingly asking what the Academy's focus has been for the past 89 years.
Some of the highlights of the first hour of the show included Sam Rockwell winning his first Oscar, Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogen winning best documentary after receiving their first Oscar nomination and a powerful performance by Mary J. Blige. The show also featured a montage of iconic movie scenes, ending with a thank you to audience members for going to the movies for 90 years, as the familiar music from the film "Love Actually" played.
As the show went on, "Dunkirk" swiped the award for sound editing, sound mixing and film editing, and "The Shape of Water" won the first of the film's many expected awards for production design. We saw a colorful and bright performance of a song from Pixar's "Coco," "Remember Me," which later won best song, and a surprising win by Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, with BB-8 from "Star Wars" presenting it to him.
Some of the big wins included "Coco" winning animated feature film, which was followed by a powerful speech about the importance of representation in film. Jordan Peele won best original screenplay for "Get Out," becoming the first African American winner for the category. Best actor and actress in a leading role went to Gary Oldman and Frances McDormand. Guillermo del Toro won best director for "The Shape of Water," which won best picture as well shortly after to conclude the evening.
Here's a list of all of the awards received Sunday night, in order:
Actor in a Supporting Role
Sam Rockwell - "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Makeup and Hairstyling
Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick - "Darkest Hour"
Costume Design
Mark Bridges - "Phantom Thread"
Documentary (Feature)
"Icarus"
Sound Editing
Richard King and Alex Gibson - "Dunkirk"
Sound Mixing
Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo and Mark Weingarten - "Dunkirk"
Production Design
"The Shape of Water"
Foreign Language Film
"A Fantastic Woman"
Actress in a Supporting Role
Allison Janney - "I, Tonya"
Short Film (Animated)
"Dear Basketball"
Animated Feature Film
"Coco"
Visual Effects
John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover - "Blade Runner 2049"
Film Editing
Lee Smith - "Dunkirk"
Documentary (Short Subject)
"Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405"
Short Film (Live Action)
"The Silent Child"
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
James Ivory - "Call Me By Your Name"
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Jordan Peele - "Get Out"
Cinematography
Roger A. Deakins - "Blade Runner 2049"
Music (Original Score)
Alexandre Desplat - "The Shape of Water"
Music (Original Song)
"Remember Me" from "Coco" - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Directing
Guillermo del Toro - "The Shape of Water"
Actor in a Leading Role
Gary Oldman - "Darkest Hour"
Actress in a Leading Role
Frances McDormand - "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Best Picture
"The Shape of Water"