Mike's Musings: The New Problem with Oscar

The big conversation in Hollywood these days is the decision that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made to hold a new category for "Best Blockbuster."  Most think it's a joke, or a pathetic attempt to stay relevant.  It makes sense.  Viewership is down, the Academy has never been free of scandal, and more than anything, it's a popularity contest rather than an award for excellence.  When the winner is decided by who ran the best campaign or whether they've been passed over enough times rather than the skill of the performance, its significance is going to be hard to take seriously.  Plus, there's a disconnect between the multiplex audience and the art houses.  The former prefers special effects and expressive storytelling while the latter prefers acting, character development and so on.  All of these are broad generalizations, mind you, but you get my point.

Creating a new Oscar category for "Best Blockbuster" is a terrible idea.  To be quite honest, it's one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.  The Academy has been infamous for being a popularity contest in many respects (how "Shakespeare in Love" beat "Saving Private Ryan" for the top honor is something that still baffles everyone...but that was when Harvey Weinstein was one of the most powerful men in Hollywood rather than the pariah he is now).  For one, it is completely redundant.  And second, it's rewarding marketing rather than quality.

The idea that a movie can't be worthy of "serious" awards and still be suitable for "mass entertainment" (whatever that means) is absurd.  "Quality" and "blockbuster" are not mutually exclusive.  Anyone who believes otherwise is a moron.  Movies like "Titanic," "The Lord of the Rings," "Star Wars" and "Avatar" were, and still are, highly praised by both critics and audiences.  They cost a lot of money and were all bonafide blockbusters in every sense of the word, but they were still quality movies.  The Oscars they were considered for and won were justly deserved.  The problem is that the studios aren't making them.  They are becoming less and less interested in telling good stories than trying to make their money overseas.

However, many are still stung by the fact that "The Dark Knight" was passed over for a Best Picture nod in 2008.  I agree; Christopher Nolan's superhero epic should have been nominated, and considering the weak competition, it should have won.  But just because a film is popular doesn't mean it's that great of a movie.  Look at the "Transformers" franchise.  They're dismissed by critics and audiences (those who aren't diehard fans), but they make a killing at the box office (mostly overseas).  Rewarding movies that no one thinks are any good but were so obsessively marketed that they became a "must see" for anyone who didn't want to feel left out is going to come back and bite the Academy...hard.  In fact, it already has.

But what about action movies that have wowed critics and audiences?  Like "Black Panther," "Logan" or "Jurassic Park?"  That's where the debate comes from.  Movies that are entertaining but not necessarily artistic.  Such an argument is pointless because, by definition, even a film as inane as a "Transformers" movie is art because it is a form of expression.  But these movies, like all others, should be evaluated on their own merits.  Some movies, even superhero movies, are excellent and of undeniable quality.  Some "art" movies, despite being the director's true vision (or not), are absolutely terrible.  After "The Dark Knight" debacle, the Academy increased the amount of nominees, but that's missing the point.  The Academy needs to remember that big budgets or sequels aren't necessarily "less than," and uber fans need to realize that great entertainment for fans predisposed to liking a movie doesn't mean it's great art.

Like with everything that is based on merit, people have to accept the fact that everyone has a different opinion.  And they also have to accept that just because they like something, doesn't mean it should get every award possible.  Films should speak for themselves, and judged based upon quality and nothing else.  It's a pipe dream, but that's my opinion.

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