The award isn’t only misguided ― what makes a film popular, and why reward something on those grounds? (Never mind that “The Shape of Water,” a dreamy sci-fi romance with $195 million in worldwide grosses, scored this year’s Best Picture trophy.) “First Man” can’t tout the same rah-rah sensation that made “La La Land” so endearing, but it is a character study with more than enough technical flourishes to appeal to the academy’s below-the-line branches. This is the Best Picture contest we deserve: one that braids old-fashioned craftsmanship with soaring entertainment. (We haven’t even discussed February’s “Black Panther” here, which still looms large in the Oscar conversation, likely to become the first superhero flick to land a Best Picture nod.)

Source: Huffington Post September 15, 2018 13:06 UTC