Oscars cheer moment and fan-favorite polls leave viewers saying huh?
The producers behind this year’s Academy Awards hyped the notion of the Twitter-voted fan favorite and a top cheer-worthy moment ever since it was announced in February. The actual moment during the show left many scratching their heads as to why it was even there.
After the presentation of the Oscar for animated feature, an off-screen announcer simply said “Movie fans around the world have been voting for their favorite movie moments, the ones that make them stand up and cheer. Here are your top five.â€
Everyone saw Will Smith slap Chris Rock at the Oscars, but what did the actors say to each other when the broadcast was muted?
And then brief clips played from “The Matrix,†“Dreamgirls,†“Avengers: Endgame,†“Spider-Man: No Way Home†and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.†Many fans online seemed confused that a moment described as “The Flash Enters the Speed Force†was voted the most cheer-worthy moment in movie history. Live by the online poll and die by the online poll, apparently.
Later, another Zack Snyder film, “Army of the Dead,†was named as the fan-favorite film. The other films, in order, were “Cinderella,†“Minamata,†“Spider-Man: No Way Home†and “Tick, Tick … Boom.â€
As an incentive to potential voters, five people who took part will receive a “For Movie Lovers Only†prize pack, including tickets for a full year of free movies in their choice of theater, streaming subscriptions and exclusive items from the Academy Museum Store. Three Twitter users who participated in the contest will be randomly selected to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to present an Oscar at the 2023 ceremony.
Every moment of this year’s Oscars is being closely watched, with many wondering just how much time is being saved or lost by presenting eight awards before the live telecast. It seems to have confused some because of the addition of the two fan awards.
The feel-good family movie was viewed as an underdog but, in the end, its competition never stood a chance.
In an interview ahead of the show, producer Will Packer explained the idea behind the acknowledgments by saying “I’m excited about the opportunity to have that kind of a fan voice, which typically is not on a show like this. To have it on the show takes nothing away from people who have loved ‘CODA’ and ‘Belfast’ and all the other movies. That, to me, is a very kind of Hollywood perspective to say, ‘Well, we can’t celebrate ‘Spider-Man’ if we’re going to celebrate ‘The Power of the Dog.’’ I just don’t agree with that. As long as you’re talking about cinema, the love of movies, and you keep your audience centered in that conversation — that to me, is how you should be making the show.â€
Only good movies
Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
