With an impressive 11 Oscar nominations and 7 wins, no one should debate thatEEAAOisnt a good film.
It is just that.
It is very good, even.
Top Gun: Maverick
Major award nominations will do that for a film and are part of the Hollywood game.
Then one movie came along and single handedly resurrected the silver screen experience:Top Gun: Maverick.
Do small choices change who you are as person even though your life may end up drastically different?
Are we products of our environment and upbringing, or can we escape those predeterminations?
These are complex subjects thatEEAAOcovers with fun and craziness and makes beautiful.
As far as strange and memorable goes, its hard to imagine odder movies thanTriangle of SadnessorTheBanshees of Inisherin.
You cant watch either of those films on first try and guess where they are ending up.
1995 had winnerForrest Gumppitted againstThe Shawshank RedemptionandPulp Fiction.
How do you pick a winner out of those three?Impossible.
2006 had winnerCrashagainstMunich,Good Night and Good Luck,Capote, andBrokeback Mountain.
From first frame to last,Top Gun: Maverickis a thrill ride.
By comparison, the first half ofEEAAOis a mess.
Its fun but sloppy at times.
In 2021 and 2022 Nicole Kidman was begging people to go to the theaters via ads.
Attendance was at an all time low, save a few Marvel films.
No one was going to watch standard non superhero, non CGI laden films of any sort.
Then theTop Gunsequel came along.
In summer 2022 it dropped into theaters and had an incredible run.
People were going back to theaters to rewatch it on the big screen.
In hindsight, when choosing a Best Picture, does the Academy take fun and enjoyment into consideration?
Its usually artsy or moving films with messages that get nominated.
Does the Academy care if the film is ever watched again after the awards?
No, of course not.
