I've wanted an Oscars like this for a long time now. It hasn't been the most approachable awards ceremony for a while, and so a lot of casual movie fans have turned against it. This year though it managed to keep the prestige while extending a hand out to audiences everywhere. The winners were, in a lot of ways, very typical Oscar winners (though atypical in some others), so nothing about the ceremony felt like pandering or attempting to be 'cool' or 'hip'. Instead, it was the same celebration of movies it always was, but this time it was open to all. I hope this is the start of a new trend.
The obvious place to start is Best Picture, which was won by Everything Everywhere all at Once, the second greatest honour the movie could receive after being crowned TheGamer's 2022 Movie of the Year. The movie wasn't released to much fanfare in early 2022, but quickly became a cult hit off the back of impressive word of mouth. Its originality, universal themes, and unique mixture of tragic depth and unbridled silliness made it a smash hit, grossing over $100 million - the first A24 movie ever to do so. Having released so early in the year, some feared it would be loved by the internet but ultimately fade in favour of dry and dusty Oscar bait by the time award seasons rolled around.
It's an understandable fear, given that movies with hot dog fingers and talking racoons don't tend to be nominated for Oscars. You only have to look at the previous few winners to realise that CODA, Nomadland, Green Book, Moonlight, and Spotlight suggest that movies everyone loves tend to be snubbed. Even Parasite and The Shape of Water, though more popular with the general public than CODA and Nomadland, would not have been the audience choice in their years. That's not to say they're wrong (even if I disagree with many of them), but it suggests the Oscars have snubbed popular choices to retain a sense of elevated sophistication, that the Academy knows better than the yokels.
This isn't just a shock win for EEAAO, either. Looking at the list of nominees, it's clear that popularity no longer counts you out. The two highest grossing movies of the year (Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water) were both nominated, the first time in 40 years that has happened - the last ones were E.T. and Tootsie. We also see Elvis, which walked away empty handed but received a lot of recognition for what was a Spring blockbuster looking to attract a huge audience, while the likes of Living, Causeway, and Aftersun missed out. Babylon over Elvis would have been the snob's choice for a brash, loud nomination, but it was the more popular and less 'love letter to cinema' stylings of Elvis that won over what might have been the more typical pick.
There's reason to think this will remain a trend too. Superheroes are no longer dominating the box office, and we're seeing different types of movies return - No Hard Feelings has scored huge buzz as a mid-budget comedy with a major star in Jennifer Lawrence, and we sorely need a return of these sorts of movies. Audiences are getting turned off by franchises spinning their wheels and perfect execution of the formula is now held in higher regard than the 2010s' penchant for deconstruction.
Anecdotally, I've also noticed cinemas getting full again, with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:M3GAN kicking off the year strong as Avatar: The Way of Water had the legs to take it almost to the original's level. Then in February, even though the big gun of An𝓡t-Man and the Wasp🍬: Quantumania misfired, others picked up the pieces. When I saw Scream 6 last weekend the lobby was as busy as it was for 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Spider-Man: Far From Home, not because of any one movie but because Scream, Creed 3, Cocaine Bear, and Ant-Man together are combining for a packed box office. Even though 65 will flop, it's no longer a disaster because post-pandemic and in the dip of superheroes, we're seeing studios try new things more often. Cocaine Bear won't be up for Best Picture next year, but it tells studios that audiences are prepared to see new💖 IP🌜s with strong hooks.
Then of course there's the actors. Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan were the frontrunners for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, and were warmly received when they picked up the awards - Yeoh being the first Asian Best Actress is also an important first step. It was strange that when Parasite won Best Picture, none of the cast were even nominated, and hopefully the Academy will think less narrowly in the future. As for Best Actor, everybody loves a comeback arc, especially for a man as respected as Brendan Fraser. Rounding out the foursome is another EEAAO star in Jamie Lee Curtis, whose eternal career was rewarded with an Oscar shock. Curtis is always a fan favourite no matter what she's in and when the dust settles, you'd hope few would begrudge her the award.
Of course, you can't please everyone all of the time. Curtis' win was controversial after many called it a three-way shootout between Angela Bassett, Kerry Condon, and Stephanie Hsu. But then, that's probably why it went to Curtis - some voters take longevity of career into account more than others, and Curtis would only be matched by Bassett on that front. Those who vote entirely on performance were likely split between the three favourites fairly evenly, and Curtis' general popularity tipped her over the edge. I personally don't like voting based on careers, but I don't think it's a major conspiracy and I think it's difficult to spin Jamie Lee Curtis: Oscar Winner as an unpopular, out of touch decision made by old men in suits.
The Banshees of Ini🎀sherin too can probably feel hard done by at leaving empty handed, but again, it lost out in most cases to Everything Ever𒈔ywhere, and what you have there are two very popular original movies, that succeeded almost entirely by word 🐽of mouth, that featured great performances that were given copious nominations for their efforts. Unlucky to miss out, but not emblematic of any major problems with the Oscars itself, as it perhaps felt when Avengers: Endgame was ignored in all but Visual Effects.
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Looking ahead to next year's ceremony, there are already some hints that we might get another special year when the general public and voting committee see eye to eye on things. I'd expect Dune Part 2, Oppenheimer, Barbie, Wonka, and Air to all gross well and challenge for the awards, while there's hope for Across the Spider-Verse, The Colour Purple, and a Zendaya-powered The Challengers to steal a march too. It's hard to call what the surprise, Everything Everywhere all at Once-style hit will be, but with audiences flocking to cinemas to see killer dolls, cocaine-fuelled bears, and gearing up for a prestige flick about a children's toy, maybe the Oscars can win our hearts again.