Didn't feel like watching all three-plus hours of the 88th annual Academy Awards? Here's what you missed: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) won the Academy Award for Best Actor, while Brie Larson (The Room) won Best Actress, and Spotlight won Best Picture.
Other winners include: Alejandro Iñárritu, Best Director (The Revenant); Alicia Vikander, Best Supporting Actress (The Danish Girl); Mark Rylance, Best Supporting Actor (Bridge of Spies); Inside Out for Best Animated Feature Film; Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Best Original Screenplay (Spotlight); Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, Best Adapted Screenplay (The Big Short); Amy for Best Documentary Feature; and Emmanuel Lubezki, Best Cinematography (The Revenant).
Mad Max: Fury Road may not have won for Best Picture or Best Director, but the acclaimed blockbuster dominated in the technical categories, scoring trophies for Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Film Editing.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
And here are the biggest and buzziest moments:
1. Chris Rock's fiery opening monologue
The controversy over the lack of diversity in this year's Oscar nominees overshadowed the Oscars themselves, and many hoped host Chris Rock would address the issue during the show. He didn't disappoint:
"Is Hollywood racist?" asked Rock in the midst of his pointed, fiery opening monologue. "Is it burning cross racist? No. Is it 'Fetch me some lemonade' racist? No. It's a different type of racist. [...] You're damn right Hollywood is racist. Hollywood is sorority racist. It's like, 'We like you, Rhonda. But you're not a Kappa.'"
"It's not about boycotting anything. We want opportunity. We want the black actors to get the same opportunities. That's it! And not just once. Leo gets a great part every year. What about Jamie Foxx?"
2. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs challenges Oscar attendees to push for diversity
Chris Rock wasn't the only person channeling the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs took the stage to challenge the industry to "talk about the future" of Hollywood. "The Oscars celebrate the storytellers who have the opportunity to work in the powerful medium of film, and with that opportunity comes responsibility," she said. "We have a role to play in bringing about vital changes the industry needs so we can accurately reflect the world today."
3. Lady Gaga's stunning "Til It Happens to You" performance
Following an introduction from Vice President Joe Biden, Lady Gaga took the stage to perform the Oscar-nominated song "Til It Happens to You" from the documentary The Hunting Ground, which chronicles incidences of sexual assault on college campuses. As Gaga performed, she was joined by a group of sexual assault survivors, with phrases like "SURVIVOR" and "NOT YOUR FAULT" written on their arms in black marker:
4. Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins his Oscar
Five-time nominee Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his first Oscar, for his lead performance in The Revenant. DiCaprio, who was first nominated all the way back in 1994 for What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, received a standing ovation. He used his acceptance speech to highlight the dangers of climate change.
5. Spotlight upsets The Revenant in Best Picture victory
In a surprise upset that defied the predictions of many Oscar prognosticators — including this one — Spotlight won Best Picture, topping the widely favored frontier drama The Revenant. But don't feel too bad for The Revenant; its director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, also won his second consecutive Best Director trophy, after winning his first for last year's Birdman.
For a full list of this year's Academy Awards winners, click here.
