The Oscars came as one of the most monumental awards seasons we’ve seen in a while. From Timothee Chalamet’s press run for Marty Supreme, to all the buzz Sinners has received, most notably Michael B. Jordan as the lead actor. Here is a deep recap of the 98th Annual Academy Awards.

Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the Oscars, taking place at the Dolby Theatre, were nothing short of entertaining. To kick off the ceremony, Amy Madigan took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Weapons. Many saw this as a shock, myself included, as Horror films don’t get the recognition they deserve. We’ve seen this with films like It, Smile, Us, and Get Out. Nonetheless, she still snagged the award. Although it was Weapons only win, I would’ve loved to see Wunmi Mosaku take it home. She won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress and, in my opinion, had the strongest supporting actress performance in the lineup. Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value wasn’t bad either, another unwanted opinion, but I’m glad Teyana Taylor didn’t take it home. I love Teyana, but her performance was over acclaimed, I think Regina Hall and Chase Infiniti had better, more rangeful performances than Taylor.

Best Animated Feature Film going to Kpop: Demon Hunters was expected. It truly was the highlight of the year’s animated films, and its soundtrack went viral. I know I’ve streamed it at least a dozen times. Though I would’ve loved to see it go to Elio or Zootopia 2, Disney and Pixar did their big one with these films. But nonetheless, I enjoyed Kpop: Demon Hunters, and was glad to see it walk away with a few Academy Awards.

Casting going to One Battle After Another was just wrong, and many agree. This is a new category at the Oscars. A new category hadn’t been added in more than 20 years. This was one of those awards where it had a clear frontrunner, and it was Sinners. Many critics and publications agreed that this was a clear win for Ryan Coogler’s genre-blending film. Inevitably, it walked away without the trophy, and it saw One Battle After Another. Though if it wasn’t Sinners, I definitely see it going to One Battle. I liked the casting in that film, but I do think it could’ve been stronger in other areas. I won’t stop talking about how the industry needs to stop giving Sean Penn roles. DiCaprio was pretty good as Jim, but I do think we could’ve gotten a more well-rounded character if they casted someone else.

I’ve said this before, but Sean Penn winning Best Supporting Actor really pissed me off. That award should’ve gone to literally anyone else in that category. Delroy Lindo was my personal favorite, but I also saw Jacob Elordi receive critical acclaim for this role in Frankenstein, and it was amazing. Then he wasn’t even there to accept the award, as if this wasn’t an Oscar. I don’t know, the whole thing with him winning, not being there, his history, his role in One Battle After Another, everything about Sean Penn is off-putting and, in my opinion, not Oscar-worthy.

Cinematography rightfully went to Autumn Durald Arkapaw for her work in Sinners. This was a clear win and a fully deserving one at that; it also made Arkapaw the first woman to win an Oscar in this category. Frankenstein winning both Costume Design and Makeup and Hairstyling was expected; those were locks for that film. One Battle After Another snagged Best Film Editing, which was expected and deserved. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sinners or Marty Supreme won it either. International Feature Film had one film to go to, and it was correct, Sentimental Value was the clear winner for this award.

Original Score went to Sinners, thank god the music on this film was amazing. Some of, if not the best of the year. No other nominee was on Sinners’ level in this category; this was another lock. Ludwig is a renowned musician who has been recognized before for his work. He’s won 2 BAFTAs, 2 Golden Globes, 2 Critics’ Choice Awards, 2 Emmys, and a Grammy so far, not to mention he just won his third Oscar. Production Design for Frankenstein was another choice by the Academy. One I wasn’t happy about, but it was my second choice (behind Sinners). I personally think Sinners should’ve walked away with this award, but I do see why they gave it to Frankenstein, so I’m not 100% upset.

Sound is the only award I think F1 should’ve won, and it did. No further comments on that film. Visual Effects was clearly for Avatar: Fire and Ash; this was a lock for them. If not F1, then Jurassic World walking away with it wouldn’t have been terrible. Adapted Screenplay again went to One Battle After Another. It had wild acclaim and positive criticism, so I expected it to win. I’d rather Bugonia take it, I personally enjoyed it as an adaptation better, but with the industry behind One Battle, I would’ve been surprised if it didn’t win. But unfortunately, I’m not on the Academy’s voting board. Original Screenplay went to Sinners, rightfully so. It was objectively the best film on the nominations list. It was one of the best original ideas for a movie we’ve seen in the last decade. This was another lock for Ryan Cooler.

Actress in a Leading Role went undoubtedly to Jessie Buckley for Hamnet. I was sad to learn that this was the only award Hamnet walked away with. The film was more deserving and should’ve won at least three. Nevertheless, I was glad to see Jessie Buckley bring it home for best actress. Also, a controversial opinion, I wouldn’t have been upset to see Emma Stone win a third Oscar for Bugonia. It was a beautiful performance and an amazing film.

Actor in a Leading Role, or better known as “Best Actor,” thankfully and most deservingly went to Michael B. Jordan for his dual performance as Smoke and Stack in Sinners. Jordan had the best performance in the category and was a clear frontrunner to win his first Oscar and nomination. I haven’t seen a Black actor execute as flawless a versatility and creativity as Jordan in recent years. The performances he gave as the twins were amazing and, in my opinion, what made the film so great. Paul Thomas Anderson finally took home the big Directing (Best Director) Award, a long-overdue win. He had previously been nominated several times including in categories like Best Original Screenplay (Boogie Nights 1998, Magnolia 2000), Best Adapted Screenplay (There Will Be Blood 2007, Inherent Vice 2014), Best Picture (There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread 2017, Licorice Pizza 2021), Best Director (There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread, Licorice Pizza). I’m glad to see him finally being recognized because Anderson knows how to direct.

The biggest award of the night went to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, a truly deserved win. I would’ve loved to see Sinners take it home, but it going to One Battle After Another was my second pick, so I’m not mad. I think One Battle After Another was an amazing film and was well deserving of the acclaim it received in most aspects. I was a bit shocked that Sinners only took home 4 awards, whilst being the most nominated film of the night with 16. I don’t know, I feel like for it to be that nominated, the Academy should’ve done it better justice.

Nonetheless, I was glad to see this awards season. We had some amazing films and some amazing press tours, and I can’t wait to see what 2026 brings in film, media, and pop culture.