Not even in my top ten Silence (Scorsese), Lion (Davis), Fences(Washington), Manchester by the Sea (Lonergan), Allied (Zemeckis), La La Land (Chazelle), Hacksaw Ridge (Gibson), Neon Demon (Refn), Tower (Maitland),Moana.
Okay. But Moonlight is still my favorite. And maybe it was also the favorite of those who voted in the Academy. Just like Gladiator was the favorite when it won. And Braveheart was the favorite when it won.
And the notion that Moonlight is a noteworthy example of bad taste at the Oscars, when it is at the very least a film that doesn't pander to its audience, and is considerably more contemplative a film than is usually recognized for the award, I think is unfortunate. For me it is giving movies that are smaller, and more personal, and are willing to take there time to just let us observe the characters, more visibility. And I like this. My preference is for the Academy to try and prop up the art of filmmakers and individual voices in the community, not to generate business. Not just pat the same ol' shit on the back for being the same ol' shit. Like Gladiator. Or Braveheart.
Now this is just my taste. And I don't begrudge fans of either Gladiator or Braveheart (I actually don't mind Braveheart that much). I just don't get why it is such an affront when every best picture winner doesn't end up conforming to the same metrics of worth. Moonlight is a different type of film, and in the field of similar type films, it is beautifully made and conceived.
Animal House, Grease, Superman and Halloween all came out that year. Those are generational classics, I saw 2/3rds of those films I would say they were good not great. Frankly it wasn't even the best Vietnam film of the year Coming Home was.
I like all those movies you listed well enough. Love some of them, even. But what is your point? That you liked some movies more than Deer Hunter? Again, okay. But to what end am I supposed to be taking this information? What does Animal House have to do with Deer Hunter. Oh, it's generational? Well yeah and so is The Deer Hunter. That's not like some footnote of cinematic history. It's a legitimate classic film that is still highly regarded by both passive and obsessive movie fans.
About the other Cimino films, you think they were good. I think they are great. This alone is enough for me to think of him as more than just a director of 'a bunch of flops'. He may have never had another box office smash again, but he is rightfullly considered now as one of the best directors to come out of new Hollywood. Because of those four films, in particular.
Is Coming Home Better? I don't think so, but I think it's arguable. It's also another great film about Vietnam. I would have been happy if it had won as well.
If you are going to argue the central thesis of my post than yes you do have to list the generational directors...because that's the point.
But I wasn't arguing against your post. I wasn't actually responding to you as much as the comment a couple above me complaining about how they want movies they find entertaining to be winners, instead of the movies they don't find entertaining. And my point to that is, how are we determining what other people find entertaining. It's already hard enough to agree on what makes something good, now we are questioning what makes a film entertaining? People are entertained by all sorts of things. It shouldn't be mystifying when it turns out some of us find worth in things we personally might not.
As for your ultimate point, I don't really 100 percent know what your ultimate point is, so I can't argue with that. But I did see you put a list of top 10 directors who you insisted had to be included on a top 10 list, and I don't agree with that, even though I probably would have included many of the same names. What directors someone thinks are good or important are going to intrinsically depend on what that person is looking for in movies. And thankfully, we all have different ideas about this, otherwise I wouldn't be able to argue with everyone I believe to be terribly, terribly wrong in regard to their personal taste.