Yes that’s right, I don’t like the Oscars.
I’m not going to say “hate” because I don’t care enough about them to use that amount of effort.
As we are only hours away from this year’s Oscar nominations I felt it was about time to write a little post about why I dislike the Oscars and why I won’t be writing any Oscar Prediction posts for this year. (If The Oscars are your thing, then there are some great bloggers out there writing some posts that you’d be very interested in reading, check my Blog Roll).
I understand that award ceremonies are a big deal to the people working within that industry but to me they hold very little interest. I have my own opinions about which films in the past 12 months I thought were great and which ones failed to impress me but it’s all personal opinion.
Just because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, consisting of over 6000 industry professionals, cast their votes for their favourites films and actors, does this mean that I should now hold the nominated film or actor in higher regard? What happens if Tintin is nominated for an award? Should I then have to change my opinion from disliking it to liking it just because The Academy deems it to be a great film? Why should I care that they think it’s a great film?
Ok, now some of you may think that I should care because the Academy is made up of professionals who work in the film-making industry and therefore they should know what is a great film. They know what to look for in a great film. They can judge all the components that comprise a film, such as acting, directing, cinematography, sound, etc to determine if the sum total equals a great film. I’d argue that I consider a film to be “great” if it entertains me, challenges me, or affects me. Plain and simple. That is all I am after.
So by that token, Tintin, may indeed be a marvel of motion-capture and adventure however it did not entertain me, challenge me, or affect me so I would not consider it to be a great film.
Given that George Clooney won a Golden Globe for The Descendants (yet another film I didn’t like…wow I’m all kinds of fun at the moment) I’d say it’s a lock that he’ll be nominated as Best Actor. Now here’s my issue. Why should I care that his peers see him as one of the best actors of the year? What do I take away from that? Does it affect my decision to go see his next film? Why should I care either way about whether he wins the award?
Now what about the other actors he’s up against. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Michael Fassbender in Shame. What happens if Fassbender is not nominated? Is he any less deserving than Clooney? Didn’t they both give great performances? If Fassbender is nominated and doesn’t win, it will lead to weeks of endless discussion about how one was deserving and the other wasn’t. To this I go back to my original argument, who am I to say that one was deserving over the other? How could I possibly even know which one was a greater performance?
The answer is that it’s all subjective and personal opinion.
To make this point I go back to last year’s ceremony. The King’s Speech was the big winner taking home Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. I swear I am not doing this on purpose… but I didn’t really like it. (yeah big surprise) I mean it was ok but I wouldn’t watch it again. The story was strong and inspiring but I would hardly say that it was one of my favourites, especially when up against The Social Network which I thought was one of the best films I had seen in a long long time. So in my humble opinion The Social Network should have taken home the Best Picture Oscar.
I have read a few different articles and listened to a few different podcasts that mentioned that The King’s Speech was aimed at Oscar voters as it was a very “Oscar type movie”. Well well well, so a historical biopic was voted as the greatest movie of the year by people who liked historical biopics. Doesn’t that make the Academy fundamentally flawed if they are leaning to one type of movie?
Will this post ever end? Soon, I promise.
Another thing that I hate about the Oscars is that the Studios making the Oscar nominated movies throw bucket-loads of money on For Your Consideration campaigns specifically targeted at the Academy’s voting members highlighting their film/actors virtues in said nominated films. These campaigns generally appear in trade publications like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter and also online. I am pretty sure that I’ve seen a few on YouTube last year.
Here’s a For Your Consideration 2008 ad for Heath Ledger, nominated as Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight.
I think that Ledger’s performance was so brilliant he would have won regardless of the campaign.
Yes I understand that there are smaller films from smaller studios that need the extra profile boost when it comes to voting time but it all seems a tad too manipulative to me.
In short, the Academy Awards should be a closed event. An industry event. Closed to the public because they don’t add any value to the films we watch, decide to watch, and only encourages ongoing debate about who “should” have won…
But maybe that’s just me.
I don’t really watch them and quickly look at the results as there might be some movies that I hadn’t heard of (in the foreign cinema category for example), but in general I don’t care that much either. There are enough people who do however as it’s something to discuss. It’s another form of entertainment.
Thanks for the comment, Nostra.
Yeah I hear what you’re saying and I’m glad that we’re on the same page. I get why some people will have a passing interest in the awards, especially when foreign films are concerned.
You’re right, it is another form of entertainment but I’d rather watch a movie instead
I read this earlier, yet failed to comment. so, here we go:
I understand your sentiments! It seems that the Academy Awards continue to be now a popularity contest as opposed to a true tribute to the art of motion picture and those that have given of their time, lives, and efforts to do so. So many deserving films that do not receive attention.
It is still fun to see some of the reactions of those that truly deserve the award yet are humble enough and excited when they do.
On another note, I’ve never seen that Heath Ledger poster before. I like!
Thanks
Thanks for coming back to leave a comment, sir. It is greatly appreciated!
You are spot on, it is definitely like a popularity contest! I mean whenever there is a great actor who gets snubbed one year and then goes on to win the following year for a relatively minor role it reeks of a popularity contest. An example of this is Dame Judi Dench who was snubbed in her wonderful role in ‘Mrs Brown’ but then won the following year for a smaller role in ‘Shakespeare in Love’. Hardly a fair reward for such a minor role.
Oh and I’ve linked the Heath Ledger poster back to the original source and I am pretty sure there is one more For Your Consideration there which looked pretty cool too.
I don’t care so much about the Oscars as I do about the debate swirling around them. As a film fan it’s fun to see the reactions of people to the nominees, how they rage, applaud and dissect the whole thing. There have been winners I have loved, hated and were completely meh about. I also watch the telecast because I love to see the spectacle and have since I was a kid.
At the end of the day who gets a nom and who ultimately wins doesn’t change my opinion of people’s performances or films. I still like what I like and hate what I hate.
I have to say this was most interesting read as I have already seen the list of noms and Tintin was not on the list.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving another great comment Mel!
I understand what you’re saying and I agree that no other award ceremony generates more discussion than the Academy Awards! Everywhere I look on Twitter and on blogs there are discussions taking place! I agree that it’s a good thing to be talking movies but where I lose interest is when some conversations turn to how one film should have been nominated over another…
I used to enjoy the spectacle of the event but I’ve grown tired of the whole celebrity thing, the red carpet fashion thing, and the inane conversations along the carpet into the theatre…man I do sound old and grumpy LOL!
I do like your line about how it doesn’t matter who ultimately wins you’ll like what you like and dislike what you don’t, I couldn’t agree more.
Aww Tintin wasn’t acknowledged…I’m heartbroken ;p
Very interesting Article Russell.
You make some very good points. The Oscars are a bit of a farce if i am honest. I mean the NOMS this year seem so political and biased. Ah well I will still be up all night watching them!!
Thanks man
I hear you. They are so subjective it’s hard to take them seriously. In a universe where Jonah Hill gets a nomination but Albert Brooks doesn’t, I often find the snubs more interesting than the wins. Good for conversation sometimes, but ultimately I like to decide what’s great and what’s not on my own.
Hey Brent! Thanks heaps for stopping by and leaving a comment! Really appreciate it!
You are spot on! I have seen some pretty good conversations happening on Twitter re the snubs and nominations but for the most part that’s really all they’re worth. It’s driven by money and popularity and definitely not an inidication of the best films of the year…
Great write up Russell. I to an extent agree with you and Oscars don’t have that much of a meaning for me now. Earlier, some 10-15 years ago, when cable was not available and there was no internet, oscars were good to find out movies, but now they are just an award show. Although since it is professional I do enjoy watching it.
Great article, Russell! The repulsive behemoth that is ‘celebrity culture’ has unfortunately seeped into every last crevis of society. Watch your Twitter timeline during an awards ceremony and people who call themselves film lovers and critics spend more time ‘loving’ dresses and ‘criticising’ haircuts than they do the wonderful world of film. Sad to see. Take care, dude!
Thanks for the comment mate.
You are spot-on, it is a little sad to see. I just don’t have the time to sit there and argue with other people about why some films gets nominated and others don’t. I have my own opinions on what I like and what I won’t see regardless of the nominations or awards won.
As usual, you speak the (movie) truth.
I am completely and utterly with you. I’m very blah about the Oscars. There was a time, years ago, where they’d always light some sort of excitement in me. But now? I guess I’ve become more jaded and probably a bit more filmic-ly educated. I know what I like and I have a better understanding of how the whole award season/oscars work. So much of it has to do with politics and campaigning. It’s all a load of bullsh*t to me. Pardon my French. It’s people patting their favourite people on the back almost regardless of the real truth of whether it was really all that deserving.