The show’s producers had said that a live audience of 500 would have plenty of elbow room in a tented room at the LA Live complex in Los Angeles. It appeared, as the show went on, that that would be the night’s only contentious moment, unless you counted Scott Frank’s visible irritation as the producers tried three times to play him off during his marathon acceptance of a directing award for “The Queen’s Gambit.”There was little in the scripted portions of the ceremony to draw us in. The good moments were more off the cuff. “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” was responsible for a couple, with a reference to Oliver’s mock crush on the actor Adam Driver that was one of the evening’s few genuinely funny bits, and an affecting tribute by Oliver to the comedian Norm Macdonald, who died five days before the awards. (Lorne Michaels of “Saturday Night Live” also celebrated Macdonald.)

Source: New York Times September 20, 2021 03:33 UTC