David Pierdomenico
There’s a tendency to think that the Oscar nominees (particularly those for Best Picture) somehow magically represent the absolute best works of cinematic achievement from the previous year. And while all the nominated films are genuinely good, in an age where thousands are released a year and the art of filmmaking is so subjective, are we really to believe that their nomination method is the best? Are we really to believe that every film that didn’t get nominated is somehow inferior to those that did?
Politics, Politics, Politics…
“Please give us an award” may seem like an awkward thing to say to a member of The Academy. But with “For Your Consideration” campaigns, it’s practically the only way to get noticed. One of the biggest open secrets in Hollywood is that studios need to pander directly to Academy members to get their films at the top of the list of finalists for Oscar nominations (Adam Ruins Everything even did a segment on it!).
We often see independent films nominated and while we may think they’re underdogs, they never would have made it without some studio behind them spending a great deal of money for the campaign. And because of this films can often be overlooked simply because they didn’t campaign. Sorry To Bother You was without a doubt one of the most unique films of 2018. It was creative, bold, and really had something to say.
And while many expected it would at least get a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, it was snubbed completely by the Academy. When the nominees were announced, its director Boots Riley took to Twitter and explained that they didn’t provide screener copies for Academy members, and they didn’t take out “For Your Consideration” ads in the trade magazines. And given the film’s strong “stick it to the man” attitude, that’s not really surprising. But why should that have mattered? Only 8 films were nominated for Best Picture, and they allow up to 10, which means it could have been nominated. Did Sorry To Bother You really deserve to get snubbed just because its filmmakers wouldn’t play politics?
Past Stigmas
When it comes to awards shows, horror has always had it rough. Because of its often graphic, gratuitous and titillating nature, the genre is often seen as the same type of “garbage” that literary snobs would say about pulp fiction from the early 1900’s. And to be fair, for every one good horror film, there are about 20 that are terrible. But that doesn’t mean the ones that are good don’t deserve praise. And when films like Hereditary, A Quiet Place, and Annihilation get completely ignored (except for a technical nomination for A Quiet Place), one can’t help but wonder if it’s because there’s just a stigma against the genre.
Sure, they nominated Get Out last year, but that film had a pretty vocal campaign of public opinion almost a year before the nominations were announced. Had it not been for that, it probably would have been ignored as well. They’re finally coming around on superhero films as Black Panther marks the very first time that something from that genre has been nominated for Best Picture. Admittedly there’s been some backlash from fans, stating that it didn’t deserve it. And while that’s up for debate, the issue isn’t so much that it was nominated, rather it’s that all the equally good superhero films put out before were ignored completely.
Awarding “Safe” Films
One would think that the criteria for Best Picture would be the films that were the most profound, groundbreaking, or had the most to say. But after two years of a controversial lack of diversity (referred to as the “Oscars So White Era of 2014-2015”), it seems that they prefer to nominate films that have good messages, but aren’t necessarily reflective or insightful enough to be considered profound achievements in filmmaking. We saw Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody win the Golden Globes for Best Picture Comedy and Drama respectively.
Now they’re both nominated for the Oscar and are considered front runners to win. Green Book tells an interesting story, but it’s far too simplistic in its approach. Its theme of tolerance, while noble, feels heavy handed without an ounce of subtlety. And while no one is denying that Rami Malek deserves his nomination for his complete immersion into becoming Freddie Mercury, is Bohemian Rhapsody itself worthy of Best Picture? It’s an entertaining experience to watch, but the film honestly feels more like Queen’s greatest hits than an actual in depth and dramatic look at Mercury’s life.
Vice is extremely well acted, and the film does have a lot to say. But its narrative structure treats the audience like uninformed children who need their information spoon fed to them. These were all good films, but are they really the best of 2018, or were they just the ones that had the best award campaigns?
Films Being Made Specifically to Win Awards
In fact, it’s because of this whole process of campaigning that an entire subgenre of film has emerged known as “Oscar bait”. These are films that were clearly made to win awards and feel like they’re trying very hard to, sometimes too hard. They’re often melodramatic and fall flat. Films like Welcome to Marwen, On the Basis of Sex, The Mule, and The Front Runner all had Oscar gold in their sights, but received mixed reviews upon release. Most unfortunately for them, Oscar bait films tend to be forgotten within a few years.
Is there a better way for the Academy to decide who gets nominated? Probably. But is there a realistic way for that to happen with it being a group of people who all have their own biases? Probably not. In the meantime, this is the only system we have. And while these award shows may not always recognize the very best in cinematic achievement, they are good way to learn about films that most people otherwise wouldn’t have heard of. Perhaps that’s reason enough to stay tuned.
