The 94th Academy Awards (AKA The Oscars) took place this past Sunday. The hosts of the evening, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes, handled their duties with comedic flair. Each of them had their own time to shine, from Hall checking attractive actors for COVID by having them model and giving a personal pat-down, to Sykes visiting the Oscars museum. Schumer dangled from the ceiling in a Spiderman costume, and later brought attention to the war in Ukraine and her subtle callback to Will Smith and Chris Rocks’ altercation. When the three women came together, they made a show that will revolutionize how the Oscars are put on in the years to come. 

During the evening, Dune took home six Oscars with awards in film editing, cinematography, original score, production design, sound, and visual effects. The Apple TV movie, CODA, took home the big win of the night with the best picture and the best-adapted screenplay. In addition, the movie made history with one of the cast members, Troy Kotsur, taking home the academy award for best supporting actor, becoming a legend as the first deaf actor to win an Oscar. Other notable films that left with a gold statue were The Eyes of Tammy Faye, walking away with an award for best actress, awarded to Jessica Chastain, and best makeup and hairstyling. Encanto won the best-animated picture, and the cast performed a rendition of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” that had everyone on their feet.

Billie Eilish and Finneas took home another award to add to their shelf for their original song “No Time To Die,” featured in the James Bond film starring Daniel Craig. Best director was awarded to Jane Campion for her work on The Power of the Dog. This made her the third woman to ever win in this category. Other winners were Arian Debose for best-supporting actress in West Side Story, Belfast winning best original screenplay, Summer of Soul winning best documentary, Drive My Car taking home an award for the best international feature and Cruella with a well-deserved win in best costume design. The short film winners include The Queen of Basketball for documentary, The Windshield Wiper for animated, and The Long Goodbye for live action. 

Now, a highlight on the event that has everyone talking; Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. It’s safe to say that social media has blown up after Will Smith walked across the stage and landed a hit on the comedian. Videos, Tik Toks, and Twitter showed the occurrence from all angles and provided explanations for why it happened. The clash followed a comment Rock made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. The “joke” being, “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it, all right?” Viewers first saw Will Smith laughing at the joke, but Jada didn’t seem happy about what was said. The talented actress has been open with her struggles with Alopecia – a disease that causes hair loss. She recently decided to shave her head, take control of her body, and take a stand. When Smith saw his wife’s reaction, he took a course of action to defend his love. Rock and Smith exchanged words after the punch landed, and although it was muted, with adequate lip-reading skills, one can figure out that Smith had yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—— mouth!” After the altercation, the atmosphere seemed to settle. Smith in fact gave a heartwarming speech after winning Best Actor for his role in King Richard and did issue a general apology to Rock and the Academy. Chris Rock hasn’t said much on the subject, only that he wouldn’t be pressing charges. 

The 2022 Oscars were a great watch this past Sunday night. With just the right amount of drama to cause buzz for the Academy. The films represented are rightfully chosen to be given the honor of nominations; however, the hosts brought a needed change to the show, and this change will hopefully carry on to next year. This year’s award show will be one to remember.

Claire Arneson is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].