By Halle Brindley – Contributor

The 96^th Academy Awards ceremony – what a show! If you saw the video of Martin Scorsese beaming during the “I’m Just Ken” performance, then you would agree. Let me give you the rundown.

I watched seven out of ten movies nominated for Best Picture, so I was in it for the long haul this year. Without finishing Killers of the Flower Moon, my best picture guesses were between Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer and Poor Things. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer took the win for the biggest category of the night. Although actress Lily Gladstone from Killers of the Flower Moon did not win the award for Best Actress, their presence in this category was the first time in history that a Native American was nominated for Best Actress. Gladstone grew up on the Blackfeet Nation in Montana and is of Siksikaitsitapi and NiMíiPuu heritage.

The Academy decided to implement a new award beginning for movies released in 2025: achievement in casting. It is not yet clear if the award itself will be applauding movies that have great diversity in casting, like Killers of the Flower Moon, or movies that have cast renowned, popular actors, like Little Women (2019) or Oppenheimer. Nonetheless, this award will bring attention to the work of casting directors, giving more crew members recognition for their impressive contributions. 

Actor Emma Stone was awarded Best Actress for her extraordinary performance as Bella Baxter in Poor Things, a woman brought back to life with a brain transplant from a child. Stone’s well-deserved award was followed up with a speech that brought tears to my eyes and then down my face. I did not think that any compliment could top Andrew Garfield describing Stone as being like “a shot of espresso,” but Stone may have topped it by saying that her three-year-old daughter has turned her life into technicolour. 

The emotions do not stop there. Stone winning best actress on the same night that Ryan Gosling starred as one of the musical performers for the Oscars gave me the closure I have needed since watching La La Land three years ago.

If you’ve only seen Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in La La Land edits and are itching for a full cinematic experience, do not fret! You can treat yourself to top-tier films on Friday, April 5 at the Canadian Oscars – excuse me, I meant at the Bishop’s University Film Festival. The film festival will consist of several short film screenings and awards. This event will be accompanied by food and drinks, with the option of purchasing alcoholic drinks if you want to feel like you are in a Don Julio promotional bit. See you at 7 p.m.! Or, if you are like Wes Anderson, I will not see you at all.