Oscars 2025 Recap & Takeaways: A Night of Historic Wins & Conan Antics

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The Oscars 2025 provided an unforgettable spectacle – filled with record-breaking victories, side-splitting jokes from Conan O’Brien as the first-time host, and unexpected moments that left the Dolby Theatre abuzz. Highlights included saluting the LA firefighters and a breathtaking James Bond tribute, making for an exceptional broadcast.

After the winners exited the stage, our ComingSoon film reporter Jonathan Sim was stationed in the Press Room to capture their raw, post-victory responses – even securing an exclusive statement from the creators of The Substance, who clinched the Oscar for Best Makeup & Hairstyling. Let me share with you a summary of the night’s most significant triumphs and unforgettable highlights, straight from the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Oscar winners

Who were the major victors of the evening? Anora amassed five Oscars, four of which went to Sean Baker personally for Directing, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Picture. In a surprising turn of events, Mikey Madison was crowned Best Actress, outshining predictions that Demi Moore would win for her role in The Substance. Despite expectations, The Substance did secure the award for Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

As an ardent admirer, let me share that The Brutalist proudly added several Oscars to its collection, including awards in Cinematography, Original Score, and once again for Cinematography. In a remarkable twist of fate, our esteemed star, Adrien Brody, was honored with the Oscar for Best Actor – his second gold statue, having previously won in 2003 for The Pianist. His speech, extended as it was, even momentarily hushed the music when they attempted to cut him off during the ceremony.

In the awards ceremony, Dune: Part Two won in both Sound and Visual Effects categories. The only movies not to win Best Picture were Nickel Boys and A Complete Unknown. As anticipated, Kieran Culkin was declared the Best Supporting Actor for his performance in A Real Pain, and Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez. By the way, Conan made a quip about Karla Sofía Gascón’s recent questionable tweets related to Anora, saying it had more F-words than Gascón’s publicist following the tweets.

For a full list of winners and nominees, click here.

Oscar performances and sketches

This year, with Conan’s comical flair at the helm, the Oscars broadcast turned out to be one of the most entertaining in recent memory. His humor was palpable right from the start with an engaging opening monologue full of amusing anecdotes. He occasionally popped up throughout the show with clever quips and even staged a funny sketch where he introduced viewers to a novel way of experiencing movies (that seems remarkably like going to a movie theater).

The performance commenced with the Oscar-nominated artists, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, taking the stage jointly. Their captivating voices spellbound spectators anew, particularly their mesmerizing interpretation of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, a number that has since gained renown.

As a devoted fan, I must admit one standout moment from the night’s event was the James Bond tribute that unfolded. Margaret Qualley seemingly auditioned for a Bond girl role, while Doja Cat, Raye, and Lisa delivered captivating covers of iconic Bond songs. With recent news about longtime producer Barbara Broccoli stepping down and handing creative control to Amazon MGM Studios, this performance seemed to arrive at a time when the Bond franchise was on our minds. After all, it’s been over three years since the last Bond movie graced our screens.

The Substance makeup

In the climax of the 2024 movie The Substance, Sue attempts to enhance herself by injecting a substance, leading to the creation of a monstrous being called Monstro Elisasue due to the dangers inherent in creating copies of copies. This gripping finale elevated an already exceptional film to one of the best of the year, surpassing even ComingSoon’s list of top films for 2024.

Makeup artist Pierre-Olivier Persin discussed his creation process for this character with ComingSoon. Coralie requested a strong, tragic appearance rather than monstrous, which reminded Persin of David Lynch’s The Elephant Man. To achieve this, he subtly incorporated some of that aesthetic on her face, while the body design came from an early maquette created during preparation. Coralie found it appealing. As written in the script, Elisabeth was described as Demi’s head atop Monstro’s back with a frozen expression. However, Persin aimed to create an intriguing design that looked compelling from all angles, avoiding direct copies of existing designs.

Conclusion

At the 97th Oscars, the event was truly remarkable. While the spotlight was primarily on the movies that gathered us all, there was also a heartfelt recognition given to the first responders who bravely battled the destructive wildfires in California this year. In an unusual and respectful way, only Conan chose to honor them by having them read out humorous jokes he had written.

As the curtain falls on this year’s awards ceremonies, a single query remains: what impact will these wins have on the movie world’s tomorrow? Tonight alone hints that the upcoming phase of cinema promises to be equally captivating.

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2025-03-03 17:13