DiCaprio and Spotlight won the big Oscars, but Mad Max was the Academy Awards’ real winner
Leonardo DiCaprio finally got his Oscar, but—surprisingly—that wasn’t the only thing that happened at the Academy Awards. Long before DiCaprio enjoyed what was probably his happiest moment since the last time he absconded with the Russian ballet on one of his sex cruises, Chris Rock took the stage to make the first of many comments about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. The topic of race hung over almost the whole ceremony, from a pre-taped segment imagining the roles black people could’ve had in Oscar-nominated films (Tracy Morgan’s Danish Girl looked especially fantastic), to a Black History Month tribute that honored the work of Jack Black.
Other memorable Oscar moments included the addition of Matt Damon’s computer-generated beard in The Martian’s visual effects clip, Room’s Jacob Tremblay leaping out of his seat to see the droids from Star Wars, and of course that fabulous new Samsung phone, which can wirelessly charge, has expandable memory, and is even waterproof. Really, that new Samsung phone has the real best picture.
Then there were the actual awards, most of which went to Mad Max: Fury Road. This year, the Academy decided to present the Oscars in an order that referenced the process of making a film. First up was Best Screenplay, which went to Spotlight (setting up a Spotlight sandwich), followed by Best Adapted Screenplay (The Big Short), and then Best Actress In A Supporting Role (Alicia Vikander), because casting your supporting actress is the first thing you do once the script is done, but casting your supporting actor doesn’t happen until well after the editing and sound mixing is done. Anyway, DiCaprio won for Best Actor, Brie Larson won for Best Actress, and Spotlight took home Best Picture.
You can see the full list of winners below, and make sure to check out The A.V. Club’s liveblog for more detailed commentary on the night as a whole.
Best Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
Best Actress In A Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Best Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road