By Miriam Elder, CNN
(CNN) — Hollywood’s biggest stars gathered in Los Angeles on Sunday to honor some incredible movies and celebrate the power of film, while giving in to the fact that putting the world’s troubles aside, even for a night, is impossible.
There were indeed some happy moments, including history-making wins and uplifting musical performances. But there was also an element of sadness — much time was devoted to honoring those legends we lost this year, and even host Conan O’Brien took time to acknowledge that we live in “very chaotic, frightening times.”
How will this year’s Oscars stand the test of time? Coming amid turmoil both at home and abroad, maybe its lesson is that difficult moments can lead to incredible art, and that celebrating together is all the more important.
On with the show!
A ‘Battle’ won but not lost
Raise your hand if you thought this time would be different and that the buzz for “Sinners” — a creative and cultural achievement in the horror genre and at large — would lead it to unmitigated glory. Womp.
In the end, “One Battle After Another,” another deserving film in so many ways, came out on top. But: “Sinners” is in no way a loser here.
With 16 total nods, the movie entered Oscar night making history, as the most-nominated movie ever in 98 years of the Academy Awards. To have a project that is not only critically acclaimed and culturally significant, but also a powerhouse at the box office, is rare. To have that film be a horror film, written and directed by a Black man and featuring a mostly Black cast, felt like a whole other level.
While trophies are nice, the movie did it right in the ways that matter most. That feels like the biggest win of all.
A decisive best actor win for Michael B. Jordan
Going back to those “Sinners” triumphs…
With no clear frontrunner, all eyes were on the best actor race this year and the top award went to Michael B. Jordan for his performance playing twins Smoke and Stack in the film.
The actor appeared stunned when his name was read and the theater erupted in thunderous applause as the former child actor accepted his first-ever Oscar.
After thanking his family, who were all in the audience, Jordan thanked the film’s director, Oscar-winner Ryan Coogler, who has cast Jordan in every film he’s made.
“You gave me the opportunity and the space to be seen,” he said.
Jordan called out Black Oscar-winning actors who came before him, including Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx and Halle Berry, among others, saying how proud he was to stand “amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors.”
The “Devil Wears Prada 2” promotional stunt we welcomed
Note to future Oscars bookers: If you’re going to put what is essentially a commercial in the middle of the ceremony, it better be this good.
Anna Wintour made a surprise appearance on the Oscars stage — even dropping her signature sunglasses, at least for a while, for the occasion.
The legendary Vogue editor appeared alongside Anne Hathaway to present two awards — for costume design and makeup, and for hairstyling, both of which went to “Frankenstein.”
Wintour and Hathaway walked out to “Vogue” by Madonna, a song that famously appears in “The Devil Wears Prada,” the film in which Hathaway stars alongside Meryl Streep, who plays Miranda Priestly, a character believed to be loosely based on Wintour. A sequel to the beloved 2006 film will be released in theaters on May 1.
The duo nodded at the film while presenting, with Wintour jokingly calling Hathaway “Emily” at one point, a reference to the assistant character played by Emily Blunt in the movie.
Uplifting musical performances that truly felt global
While there were only two musical