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I on the other hand am unsurprised by FIRST MAN's underwhelming performance. It was my most eagerly anticipated movie of 2018 and yet I found it a grievous misfire. At some point the filmmakers seized upon the idea of turning the most iconic moment of the millennium into an intimate portrait of grief (filmed largely on hand-held 16mm at that). Combined with Gosling's mute performance, it made for a joyless, frustrating experience. Hurwitz's score, too, often sounded like a Philip Glass track played backwards (as did much of Zimmer's INTERSTELLAR score). (Those looking for the most influential film composer of the last 30 years might like to consider Glass, by the way.)
ROMA is the ne plus ultra of fashionably joyless, monotone fillmmaking. Against this, the hokey but thrilling BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY seems like an outlier -- a huge global hit that starkly illustrates the growing divide between the public and the critical establishment. Were it not for Singer's involvement I'd predict a surprise Best Picture win for BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, much as that would cause a meltdown in many circles.
I recently rewatched HOOSIERS, another hokey but thrilling film and another picture that was largely spurned by the critics at the time (I remember in particular some savage comments re Goldsmith's aggressive score). It nevertheless holds up very well, which can't be said for the largely forgotten critical darlings of the mid-80s.
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