DVD Corner

12 Thoughts On The 2026 Academy Awards

It seems like Awards season gets longer and longer each year, but at long last Hollywood’s Big Night is here. Read on to find out my thoughts on this year’s Oscars.

1. It’s no secret that horror is rarely recognized at the Oscars which makes Amy Madigan’s win for Best Supporting Actress for “Weapons” that much more special. It’s always great to see a longtime acting vet get their due too.

2. The live performance of “I Lied To You” from “Sinners” was an extravagant show stopper. Easily one of the ceremony’s best moments.

3.  Cassandra Kulukundis winning the debut award for Best Casting for “One Battle After Another” was well deserved. A long overdue category.

4. Who expected a tie to happen? Well, it did when “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” won for Live-Action Short Film. 

5. It’s wild that PTA had never won an Oscar up until this point given that he’s been one of the very best filmmakers since he broke onto the film scene with 1996’s deeply underrated “Hard Eight.” He won 3 tonight even!

6. The different approach to the In Memoriam was profoundly moving. It’s truly tragic how many great artists we lost in the past year.

7. Presenter bits tend to be VERY hit-and-miss, but the Jimmy Kimmel and “Bridesmaids” cast reunion moments were memorable.

8. Conan O’Brien did another fine job hosting his second time. Could he become a new regular ala Billy Crystal and Bob Hope? Who knows after that end zinger.

9. After Chalamet put his foot in his mouth on more than one occasion it was clear he was never going to win. It was nice to see a new face win Best Actor with Michael B. Jordan who was fantastic in dual roles in “Sinners.”

10. It’s always great to see history being made. Tonight we got to see Autumn Durald Arkapaw become the first woman to win Best Cinematography.

11. There were far too many speeches being cut short. Maybe when the Oscars air on YouTube this can be avoided?

12. My prediction was that voters would split the honors between Best Director and Best Picture to PTA and “Sinners,” but shockingly “One Battle After Another” won Best Picture too! A lot of people loved “Sinners,” but for me ‘Battle’ was the best film of 2025 by a large margin.

March 15, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | List | 12 Thoughts On The 2026 Academy Awards, 2026 Oscars, Amy Madigan, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Cassandra Kulukundis, Conan O'Brien, Michael B. Jordan, One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sinners