HOLLYWOOD—It’s here, the culmination of Awards Season transpired with the 98th Annual Academy Awards better known as the Oscars. “Sinners” led all contenders with 16 nominations, with “One Battle After Another” not too far behind with 13 nominations, but who would come out on top? More on that later.
Returning for his second go-around as host was comedian Conan O’Brien, who I thought did stellar last year, but for 2026, he really upped his game and delivered. I was so entertained and I mean entertained, which rarely happens. His spoof on the big films of the year, particularly taking on Amy Madigan’s Aunt Gladys in “Weapons” had me in stitches. He was spot on for the character, and it just worked so well.
His opening monologue was funny and swift as well, as he even addressed the controversy involving Timothee Chalamet. Conan was not afraid to poke fun at the stars in the crowd and did it without being wicked in his delivery. It was spot on and fantastic to witness. The first award of the night for Best Supporting Actress was presented by last year’s winner, Zoe Saldana to Amy Madigan for “Weapons.” It was indeed a nail-biter for this race, which had Teyana Taylor “One Battle After Another,” and Wunmi Mosaka “Sinners” winning the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards respectively in recent weeks.
Other winners of the night included: Best Animated Feature to “KPop Demon Hunters,” Best Animated Short to “The Girl Who Cried Pearls,” Best Costume Design “Frankenstein,” while Best Makeup and Hairstyling went to “Frankenstein.”
It was a moment seeing the very first Oscar be presented for Best Cast. It’s the first new category at the Oscars in quite some time. The prize was given to Cassandra Kulukundis for “One Battle After Another.” It is a interesting new category to say the least.
There was a tie for Best Live Action Short Film to “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” That was indeed an odd moment for the producers to cut the microphone, while the second winner was accepting their prize for this Oscar. I mean cutting to an awkward looking Conan O’Brien was the icing on the cake.
Another hotly battled race was Best Supporting Actor which was presented by last year’s winner Kieran Culkin. So who would be victorious Sean Penn, Delroy Lindo and Stellan Skarsgard? When the envelope was opened it was Sean Penn who won for “One Battle After Another.” Penn was not in attendance at the ceremony, but the actor now holds 3 Oscars: two for Best Actor “Mystic River” and “Milk” and his victory for Supporting Actor for “One Battle After Another.”
It was a reunion of Marvel superheroes as Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. presented the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay. I think I predicted these two quite some time ago with Paul Thomas Anderson winning for “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler winning for “Sinners.” It was nice to see Anderson win his first Oscar after being nominated countless times only to go winless until 2026. Coogler was overwhelmed with the standing ovation that he received, rightfully so because he created something that was amazing.
Photo courtesy of LaDale Anderson.
That tribute to actor, writer and producer, Rob Reiner was fantastic, led by actor and former Oscar host, Billy Crystal. Reiner’s career is more illustrious than people can actually imagine. Tributes to Rob, his wife Michele, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, and so many others in the industry that we lost over the past year, and recent months was definitely a heartbreaker to witness. It was a moment to see Oscar-winner Barbra Streisand take to the stage and honor Redford, her co-star in “The Way We Were.” I mean we got to see Streisand sing.
That bit by O’Brien trying to cater to the younger audience, i.e. kids with a game that is all too pinpoint on today’s generation had me chuckle out loud. The Oscar for Best Production Design was a victory for “Frankenstein.” When it came to Best Visual Effects, the Oscar was awarded to “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Late-night host and former Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel presented the prizes for Best Documentary Film and Best Documentary Short Film and drew some laughs from the crowd in the process, thunderous applause by the way.
“All the Empty Rooms” won for Best Documentary Short Film, while “Mr. Nobody Against Putin.” The ladies of the comedy classic “Bridesmaids” reunited on stage to celebrate 15 years of the iconic flick, as they presented for Best Original Score to “Sinners.” The Oscar for Achievement in Sound was a victory for “F1.”
The Academy Award for Best Film Editing went to “One Battle After Another,” while last year’s Best Actress nominee Demi Moore presented the Oscar for Best Cinematography to “Sinners.” Autumn was the first woman in Oscar’s history to win the prize for Best Cinematography. The Oscar for Best International Film was presented by Javier Bardem who made a political statement as he presented the Oscar with Priyanka Chopra Jonas to “Sentimental Value.”
Best Original Song was presented to “Golden” from “KPop: Demon Hunters.” That was no surprise considering how big that flick was and how popular the song was. Wow, I expected bigger names to present Best Director than Zendaya and Robert Pattison, not saying they aren’t big names, but… In the end it was ultimately, Paul Thomas Anderson who was victorious for “One Battle After Another.” I think Coogler had a strong shot, but it just wasn’t his year, it was Paul’s this time around.
Adrien Brody, last year’s winner for Best Actor presented the prize this year to a very competitive race. Would it be Timothee Chalamet for “Marty Supreme” or Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners” or that dark horse, Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent.” In a wild turn of events, when Brody opened the envelope, it was Michael B. Jordan who was brought to virtual teas when his name was called. I don’t think Chalamet lost because of those comments about opera or ballet, I think more people saw “Sinners” and they liked what they saw from Michael B. Jordan in the film.
I must say for a ceremony that clocked in over 3 hours and 30 plus minutes, it moved at a very good pace. It didn’t feel rushed for clunky in any fashion. Last year’s Best Actress winner, Mikey Madison presented this year’s prize to Jessie Buckley for “Hamnet.” She was the only sure win out of all the categories for the night.
The final prize of the night, Best Picture was presented by Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman and actor Ewan McGregor. “Sinners” Or “One Battle After Another,” who would come out on top? Who? When the envelope was opened it was “One Battle After Another” that reigned supreme. The night belonged to “One Battle After Another” which topped with a total of 6 victories, “Sinners” had some big wins for Score, Actor, Original Screenplay and Cinematography.
So that sums up the 2026 Awards Season, cannot wait to see what movies dominate or have the conversation for years to come. The ceremony did close out under 4 hours so that is always a great thing.
