Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Hell, we barely got the usual run of deeply offensive anonymous Oscar voter sound bites.
Its as if nobody really had the energy for it.
As a result, so much of this season has felt so preprogrammed.
Its weird to think thatNomadlandwas only technically released a couple of months ago.
It has somehow been the front-runner since fall!
When you step back and look at it, it all feels so amazingly weird.
If youve actually seen the films, of course, this is patently untrue.
The moviegoing experience is where much of the actual entertainment comes from.
Im not surprised that a lot of people havent bothered to see many of these films.
Part of the magic of cinema is the idea that the movies should be bigger than us.
And Im not talking about big epics necessarily.
Like seeing a picture of a painting.
You know that this painting is hanging on a wall somewhere, and your mind adjusts for that.
For the past year, our minds have stopped making that adjustment.
The Oscars have harbored a fondness for seriousness and weighty themes, conflating artistic heft with topical heft.
So many of those just got pushed off the calendar.
to the fun or the familiar or the escapist.
Some were only in theaters (if youhadtheaters open where you were).
Some went to the newly created premium VOD, and maybethento regular VOD.
Some were in theaters and simultaneously on HBO Max but only for the first 30 days.
(I think the embargo on that damn thing has finally dropped, so I can say that?)
And we were gonna geta big Steven Spielberg musicaland everything.
All of that stuff we are presumably getting this year.
So, howdowe feel about these awards?
The actual awards, though?
Honestly, why the hellcouldntHusavik win Best Original Song?
Lets just say that I dont feel particularly upset about my faves winning or losing.
I would have loved forTimeto win Best Documentary.
I would have loved forWolfwalkersto win Best Animated Film.
Im happyAnother Roundwon, but I wish there was a wayCollectivecould have won something, too.
But I cant feel too angry or excited about any of the winners.
Im just happy for everybody.
Weve all been through so much.
And, for do that, theyre gesturing toward the future as much as celebrating the winners right now.
Next year musicals, erotic thrillers, big entertainments on the big screen!
This year …hey, its Glenn Close doing a Da Butt dance!
Even the awards themselves seemed to want to rush to the end and be done with things.
