, and a whole lot of folks are probably just looking for where they can see the 10 films nominated for Best Picture (we got you covered on that as well). Still, all the prognostication, horse race reporting, and second-guessing over the snubs and surprises has a bad habit of obscuring why folks care about these things in the first place.

The movies. If you’ve ever cared about the Academy Awards, or simply felt the urge to express your lack of care for their selections, it is because deep down we all share an affection for stories told by flickering images in the dark. And whatever your thoughts on last year’s cinema as a whole, there were still many great movies, moments, and memories made by pictures in motion. So without further ado, here are some of our favorite moments from this year’s Oscar nominated films.

More than a few folks have told me they thought they were getting a new version of Pretty Woman when they walked into Anora. This always seemed odd considering the Ivan character (Mark Eydelshteyn) was so callow and immature that he proposed marriage to Anora Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) like he was asking her to go to prom with him (albeit with a four-carat signing bonus).

Still, the first act of the movie is swooningly romantic if you ignore the details and red flags, something Ani herself does when she “hits the jackpot,” as a fellow exotic dancer suggests. But that’s what makes the turn in the second act so delightful. After an extended “fools rush in” opening, writer-director Sean Baker takes an agonizingly hilarious 24 minutes to show his hand. In a sequence that might be frightening in any other film, supposedly tough Armenian and Ukrainian dudes show up to warn Ivan he’s in a heap of trouble. The kid runs, abandoning his bride. Luckily, Ani can stand her ground—and ruin these guys’ whole week.