Tems is stunning, then blocks
At the Oscars on Sunday, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” won the coveted best picture award as Hollywood accepted a surreal tale of a Chinese-American family resolving their issues across various dimensions.
Seven honours were given to the film altogether, three of which went to the actors Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis, who won three of the four acting Oscars. Yeoh portrayed the protagonist character, a frazzled laundrette owner who discovers she has superpowers in different realities.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” the 60-year-old Malaysian actress said on stage. “And ladies, don’t let anybody ever tell you you are ever past your prime.”
“Everything Everywhere” was an unlikely winner as a movie that deviated significantly from conventional storytelling to present a story about a divided family. A chef had a raccoon hidden under his hat, and there were others with hot dogs for fingers in the kung fu adventure. A gigantic everything bagel and plastic googly eyes also had substantial influences.
Quan, a former child star who gave up acting for two decades, was recognised for his depiction of Yeoh’s resentful husband in a family dealing with a tax audit that jeopardises their company and earned the award for best supporting actor.
Vietnam-born Quan kissed his gold Oscar statuette on stage in front of the biggest stars in entertainment as he sobbed.
“My journey started on a boat,” Quan said. “I spent a year in a refugee camp. Somehow I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage.”
Quan appeared as a child actor in “The Goonies” in 1985 and an “Indiana Jones” film from 1984. The 51-year-old actor claimed he had given up acting for years since there weren’t many opportunities for Asian actors in mainstream media.
“They say stories like this only happen in the movies,” he added. “I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This is the American dream.”
For her role as a dowdy tax agent named Deirdre Beaubeirdre, Curtis, who made a name for herself in horror movies like “Halloween,” received best supporting actress.
The 64-year-old Curtis addressed her late parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, who were both nominated for Academy Awards. She sobbed, “I just won an Oscar,” as she spoke.
Brendan Fraser, known for 1990s appearances in “The Mummy” and “Encino Man,” won best actor for his portrayal of a morbidly obese man attempting to rekindle his relationship with his daughter.
“All Quiet on the Western Front,” a film about World War One, was remade in German, and it won the award for best foreign film. The film, which was available to watch on Netflix (NFLX.O), shows the horrors of trench warfare through the eyes of a young guy who is first eager to enlist. It received four Oscar nominations, which is second-most after “Everywhere.”
Felix Kammerer, the movie’s young star, joined the director Edward Berger on stage, and they exchanged thanks.
“This was your first movie, and you carried us on your shoulders as if it was nothing,” Berger said.
The best feature documentary Oscar went to “Navalny,” a film about the poisoning that came dangerously close to killing Alexei Navalny, the most prominent opposition figure in Russia, and his imprisonment since his return to Moscow in 2021.
“Alexei, I am dreaming of the day when you will be free and our country will be free,” his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, said on stage. “Stay strong my love.”
The award for best original song went to “Naatu Naatu,” a song from the Indian film “RRR” that started a worldwide dance craze.
The Whale and “Everything Everywhere” were produced by the independent studio A24, which won nine awards overall.
Nigerian songstress, Tems, who was up for Best Original Song for “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” wore a fluffy white gown that encircled her head.
While she looked stunning on the red carpet, the Dolby Theatre audience members behind her were perhaps less enamoured with the stunning gown.
Immediately going viral on Twitter, pictures of the “Crazy Tings” hitmaker standing out in the crowd received hundreds of thousands of views.
She received criticism on social media, however, for obstructing other attendees’ views of the Academy Awards on Sunday night with her ornate attire.
