We are barreling towards the Oscars next weekend and there are still some categories as tumultuous as ever! I don’t know if I’ve personally ever been so unsure of what or what is going to take home the big prizes next weekend! And the SAG and Film Independent Spirit Awards did nothing to help!
At this point, the SAG Awards are like a well-oiled machine. Sure, now there is a host, which makes it a touch more personable, but I still think this show would be a fun one without. Not that Kristen Bell did a bad job – she was great! Some gags fell flat, but almost no one bats a hundred in a hosting gig. She did get to use her Frozen pipes while singing about some of the nominees’ very first acting roles. But the show started before that, with a really strong bit using Hacks and The Substance – I’m here for that crossover! And of course, it wouldn’t be the SAG Awards without the “I’m an actor” bit, and Jessica Williams with Harrison Ford butting in unintentionally was so dang cute.
Kieran Culkin was probably the perfect person to take home the first award for the night. He kept the vibes fun and loose with his off the cuff speech. That groove was immediately thrown into a funk when they switched over to a television category. I couldn’t quite get used to that. Nor was I a fan of them sometimes showing the nominees – I want to see all of the reactions dammit! Most of the wins for the night shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. Jean Smart, all of Shogun, all of Baby Reindeer. Though I am still surprised that now that The Penguin has aired that Colin Farrell is feeling the love (and he apparently gave Jamie Lee Curtis COVID at the Golden Globes a couple of years ago!). The biggest surprises to me came from Timothee Chalamet winning for lead actor and Only Murders in the Building for comedy series. What?
Jane Fonda’s Lifetime Achievement Award was well deserved, and she continues to prove to be an awesome person when she says things like, “empathy is not weak or woke, and by the way, being woke just means you give a damn about other people!” Take note orange buffoon! Aside from the acting wins, the genre packages were neat little homages, and the Challengers bit with some of The Good Place cast had me cackling. And nothing gave me more joy than seeing the chaos of the Anora cast introducing their film and the sassiness of the cast of Conclave doing the same. These are for sure my favorites of the whole awards season race, so I really hope they get some love next weekend.
The Film Independent Spirit Awards, by comparison, always feel a bit more homegrown and unpolished, but I think that’s a good thing. It makes the ceremony seem more genuine given that they honor “cheaply made” films. Yes, it’s an awards show, and while some well known performances are recognized, this one in particular pays mind to the “small guys” in the industry turning out some amazing work. The whole atmosphere of this particular awards show always seems to be buzzing with pure joy and the presenters and winners alike always look so happy and accept awards so graciously.
I think I’ll always be a little salty that there are fewer awards to give out due to the combining of gendered categories into neutral ones. Just give out two awards for each in the category! No one is saying it has to be both an man and a woman! It’s also odd to me how there are so few television categories here, which, unsurprisingly, Baby Reindeer and Shogun took home the wins for. I was so happy for the love that Didi and Anora got here, both really well deserved. Sean Wang’s Didi is a true success story of being brought up in the independent space, and Sean Baker gave an excellent speech about how much he loves being an “indie lifer.” I hope these guys, and many others, keep making independent films and that producers and distributors are smart enough to keep giving them a chance!
Overall, an excellent awards weekend, and it’s just got me more antsy and excited for the Oscars this weekend. Crazy to think how soon it will all be over!