But It's A Good Parasite, I Swear

Well now, that was something. I’m genuinely, genuinely thrilled for “Parasite.” South Korea in the house! It only took 92 years for a foreign-language film win best picture. Yet somehow it became the night’s biggest, and most deserving, winner (taking home best picture, best director, best original screenplay and best international film) without earning a single acting nomination. Crazy how that works.

But, it was that kind of night for the Oscars. A night with more jokes/references to #OscarsSoWhite than there were non-white nominees. An Oscars where Natalie Portman wore the name of snubbed female directors on her literal collar – cape collar no less, but they were still nowhere to be seen in the directing category. So, yeah, the white guilt was palpable. And, WTF was up with Eminem singing an 18-year old song for no good reason?

The good news is the night had some deserving winners and a couple fairly gay moments. Like when self –described “black queer artist” Janelle Monae opened the show as a gender-swapped Mr. Rogers and then proceeded to cosplay a movie where a man gets burned alive in a bear costume and dueting with the supercalifabulistic Billy Porters.



The other was, of course, Laura Dern winning her first Oscar. Now I’m sure you’re thinking, but Laura isn’t gay and didn’t play a gay character to earn her best supporting statue for “Marriage Story.” No, she didn’t. But she did play Ellen’s love interest in her historic coming-out episode, “The Puppy Episode,” and then later struggled to find work and was essentially blacklisted in the business. I know, liberal Hollywood and all. Well, look what happens when you do hire her.



So, thoughts? My other favorite film of the year, “Little Women,” was absolutely robbed in the adapted screenplay category (and, you know, freaking directing). Oh, and don’t worry, the SLAGG is coming later this week. I promise.