I still don't understand how The Grand Budapest beat out GoG for best makeup??? :confused
Because the Oscars are bulls**t, basically. Stuff that -- on merits alone -- ought to win gets beaten by stuff that has better political connections or more credibility. The Academy has clear and very pronounced biases, especially against certain genres (non-"heartfelt" comedies, science fiction, fantasy, action, etc.).
The
Tropic Thunder "Full Retard" thing, as well as the introduction of Robert Downey, Jr.'s character is so funny precisely because it directly calls out the Academy's well-known, blatantly obvious biases.
Sometimes they give an award to something that everyone agrees "ought" to get the award, but just as often, they blow it. Scorcese didn't get the Best Picture or Best Director in 1990 for
Goodfellas, but they gave him one for
The Departed? Really? That was just an example of the way the Academy deals with its internal politics.
They're bulls**t. Occasionally they get it right (and often for reasons other than merit), and they very often get it wrong. I stopped watching decades ago.