Posted by Mike Pampinella | Posted in | Posted on 5:17 PM
The Academy Award Nominations have been announced. The Best Picture category, the category that pretty much determines what will be nominated in most other categories, has swollen from five films to ten films this year. The idea was that films that might be on the cusp, like 2008's The Dark Knight, might stand a chance at the coveted award.
Instead of shining the light on critically acclaimed films like Moon or (500) Days of Summer, the Academy has chosen to spotlight box office successes like The Blind Side and Up. Don't get me wrong, Up was a fantastic film, and wouldn't it be a real coup if it did take Best Picture? Really though, animated films have their own category, where Up also happens to be nominated, so does it really need to take a spot from a live action film?
Having missed The Blind Side (on purpose) I can't say whether it truly deserves its nomination or not. I will say that if I had to guess, the nomination has more to do with box office take and all of the press Sandra Bullock has gotten for her films this year. It seems like everyone is awfully forgiving when you release two box office hits and only one major dud (that's right folks, the one Sandra Bullock film I saw this year was All About Steve).
Ultimately, what I'm aiming at here is that the Academy has blown a real opportunity here. The major complaints tend to be: the wrong films get nominated/awarded and the production is a little lengthy/boring. The Academy has decided to fix the tedium issue by increasing the size of the Best Picture category (if you thought it was long before...) and manages to alienate the community of moviegoers that appreciate films without all the bells and whistles (I liked Avatar too, but Best Picture...I think not). Even if the smaller budget, indie films don't win in the end, don't they at least deserve a spot?
Regardless of the posts title, I'll probably wind up watching the awards anyhow, so this isn't really a call to arms or a boycott plea. I will, however, wait for the outcome, and if it goes the way I think it will, then my battle cry will be heard.
Either way, Independent Spirit Awards here I come.
The Spirit Awards are way smarter than the Oscars, even though they did nominate Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords. And did you see the British Independant Film Awards picked Moon as Best Picture over An Education? There's a coup for you!
Also, I did see The Blind Side (The Proposal too). It's not that good, although I did enjoy some of the writing.
To me, The Blind Side is a film that they settled for.
On the podcast I Love Movies, Leonard Maltin said The Blind Side was likely nominated in order to attract a different set of viewers that might have felt alienated previously. Makes sense, but doesn't make it right.