FEBRUARY 12, 2020
A&E 11
‘Parasite’ wins Best Picture, makes Oscars history HANNAH DUFF hduff@luc.edu
The 92nd annual Academy Awards, which aired Sunday, featured significant wins, notable snubs and captivating performances. “Parasite” made history as the first foreign-language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. It also won Best Original Screenplay and International Feature Film, while director Bong Joon-ho won the award for Best Director. Brad Pitt and Laura Dern took home the Oscars for their supporting roles in “Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood” and “Marriage Story,” respectively. Renée Zellwegger won the Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in “Judy,” and Joaquin Phoenix won for Actor in a Leading Role in “Joker.” “Parasite” racked up four awards during the ceremony, more than all its competitors. It was followed closely by Sam Mendes’ “1917,” which won for Best Sound Mixing, Visual Effects and Cinematography. The rest of the awards were distributed relatively evenly among the nominated films. Taika Waititi became the first person of indigenous descent to win the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, which he won for his film “JoJo Rabbit.” This also makes him the first person of Māori descent to win the Academy Award for that category. Despite garnering much praise during the lead-up to awards season, Martin Scorcese’s “The Irishman” was the only film in the Best Picture category not to win an award. Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” only took home the award for Best Costume Design, despite having been nominated in six other major categories.
Gerwig was one of many female directors snubbed for a directing nomination, alongside “The Farewell” director Lulu Wang and “Hustlers” director Lorene Scafaria. To commemorate them, Natalie Portman’s red carpet outfit featured a cape with the names of eight snubbed female directors embroidered in gold on the hem, with Gerwig, Wang and Scafaria among them. The Oscars went without a host for the second year in a row, with the show instead flowing smoothly between a star-studded list of presenters including Kelly Marie Tran, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Mahershala Ali. Comedians Steve Martin and Chris Rock poked fun at the controversies that have dogged the awards show in recent years, including the tweets that cost Kevin Hart his hosting gig for the 2019 Oscars and the dearth of nominations for female directors and people of color, with the exception of Cynthia Erivo, all nominees for acting roles were white. The show featured several musical moments, including a performance of “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II,” sung by Idina Menzel. She was accompanied by a host of international vocalists who dubbed the film’s soundtrack in their native languages. Erivo gave a powerful and moving performance of “Stand Up,” her original song which featured in the Harriet Tubman biopic “Harriet.” Erivo received a nomination for both her song and for her role in the film. During a segment dedicated to the songs that shaped films, rapper Eminem made a surprise appearance to perform his Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself ” from his 2002 film “8 Mile.” Though he received a standing ovation, his performance left some attendees looking lost.
Courtesy of Walt Disney Television
The 92nd Academy Awards, which were held Sunday, featured performances from artists such as Billie Eilish and Sir Elton John.
Courtesy of NEON
Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” took home 4 awards, including Best Picture, Orignal Screenplay, International Film and Best Director.
Billie Eilish sang a mournful and heartfelt rendition of the Beatles’ “Yesterday” for the “In Memoriam” segment, accompanied on piano by her brother and collaborator, Finneas. The segment honored the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kirk Douglas, Peter Mayhew, Anna Karina and
Diahann Caroll. Noticeably absent, however, were Disney star Cameron Boyce and “Beverly Hills, 90210” star Luke Perry. Perry, who died of a stroke in March 2019, made his last onscreen appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood,”
which was nominated for 10 awards. Though they weren’t included in the video shown during the awards ceremony, both Boyce and Perry are honored in the Academy’s online gallery. A complete list of the 2020 Academy Award winners can be found online.
‘To All the Boys’ sequel has one too many subplots ‘Men Are From Mars’ is a back, Lara Jean has to face old feelings as if she were in a music video. This that never fully went away, resulting in could’ve been playful and clever if this comedic take on relationships
MARY GRACE RITTER mritter3@luc.edu
In his directorial debut, Michael Fimognari takes on the sequel to the hit Netflix rom-com “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” Premiering on Netflix Feb. 12, the high-school romance film takes on too much trying to live up to the charm and creativity of its predecessor. Based on the book by Jenny Han, “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” returns to the love story between Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). After months of fake dating in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” the two decide to take on this whole relationship thing for real. While navigating her first relationship, Lara Jean learns about all the complications that come with her “happily ever after.” She struggles with self-doubt and comparison to Peter’s ex-girlfriend and her ex-best friend, Gen (Emilija Baranac). When one of the five love-letter recipients, John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher), writes her
a classic rom-com love triangle. This main plot, while simple enough, comes with a series of subplots to liven it up and engage the side characters. But with none of the subplots getting the time or attention they deserve, they become mere afterthoughts to Lara Jean’s love life. Lara Jean’s dad jumping back into the dating scene is barely explored. Her newfound friendship with the wise and sassy older woman Stormy (Holland Taylor) goes largely untapped. Even Lara Jean’s closest friends are left on the back-burner. Each has the potential to become a strong plot in its own right, but instead, they leave the viewer with more questions than answers. Aspects of the cinematography were equally perplexing, pulling the viewer out of the immersive movie-going experience. In one scene, Lara Jean roams the high school halls down in the dumps. She stares into the camera, mouthing the words to the background song
style was established throughout the film, but that’s the only time the characters break the fourth wall. Despite some odd choices, “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” remains a wholesome look into a typical high school relationship (that started in a not-so-typical way). The film takes on a young relationship’s issues with lighthearted humor that’s still honest and open. Condor (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” “X-Men: Apocalypse”) handles Lara Jean’s world of firsts — her first real date, first real kiss, first awkward conversation about sex — with innocence but not naivety. She captures Lara Jean’s maturity and willingness to be vulnerable without neglecting the fact she’s still a teenager. The film leaves the audience with what they came for — feel-good romcom satisfaction. “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” will be available to stream on Netflix Feb. 12.
Courtesy of Netflix
“To All the Boys; P.S. I Still Love You,” the anticipated sequel to “To all The Boys I Loved Before” is set to premiere Feb. 12.
JULIA BUTCH jbutch@luc.edu
“Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus LIVE!” is a theatrical one-man comedy show with a fresh take on love just in time for Valentine’s Day. After performances in more than 50 cities across 30 states, it’s now coming to what star Amedeo Fusca describes as “one of the best theater towns to perform in’’ — Chicago. The show, taking place at Broadway Playhouse (175 E. Chestnut St.) beginning Feb. 11, is a comedic take on relationships and romantic tendencies. Originally based on a book of the same name by relationship counselor John Grey, the show is an “amalgamation of stand-up, storytelling, playing some characters and improv with the audience,” Fusca said. Fusca describes the show as a great date night and explains his goal is to “reaching the guys who got dragged to the show and don’t want to be there.” He aims to make the show memorable with conversational aspects, mainly “talking to the guys in the room throughout the show.” Fusca said he tries to get the audience as involved as possible because it creates for “a more fun and entertaining experience.” In addition, he makes a conscious effort to adapt to audiences and make it “as punchy as possible.” “We want you to fill in your own personal jokes or your own personal style of humor throughout,” Fusca said. Starting off as “a Pittsburgh kid with a knack for theatrics,” Fusca moved to New York 10 years ago to pursue his passion for comedy, the-
ater and storytelling. He said he enjoys making people laugh and likes the freedom that comes with a oneman-show. Fusca said he’s not trying to do serious commentary or analysis on relationships. “It’s not rocket science,” Fusca said. “I am trying to create a nice two hour date-night-out for couples that are coming or anyone that is coming.” He said his goal is to put smiles on people’s faces and make them laugh, something he’s successful at. “When I talk to them after the show they’re so happy they came out and that’s kind of the point,” Fusca said. Just as he gleans material for the show from observing everyday life, Fusca encourages aspiring actors and comedians to do the same. “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus LIVE!” will be playing through Feb. 23 at Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St.). Tickets start at $69.
Courtesy of Grace Valtos
