So the Oscars were last Sunday, and for the first time I didn’t watch them. Every year, the Academy’s nominations reflect a lack of diversity as they constantly misrepresent the minorities working within the film industry. For this and many reasons that I am going to share with you, I decided that the Oscars suck, and opted to watch The Office Sunday instead.
One of the main reasons I’ve decided the Oscars suck is that they exclude some of the worlds most beloved films. Just as a small example, all of these films never received Oscar nominations: The Shining, Reservoir Dogs, Breathless, The Big Lebowski, and The Searchers. When classics such as these have never even been nominated, can a gold statue really mean anything?
Let’s not forget about the fact that the Academy picks favourites like your fifth grade teacher. I mean, John Williams has been nominated for an Oscar fifty-two times. Fifty-two. His work deserves praise, however by highlighting an already well known and decorated film composer like Williams, the Academy leaves out countless others that are unrecognized. With its large platform, the Academy should be inviting new and unseen voices from within the industry.
Meryl Streep doesn’t need to be nominated for a twenty-second Oscar in order for the world to know she’s a good actress. The Academy should give the award to an individual who not only deserves it, but offers a new voice to film, being more inclusive to both new and experienced artists. Films are an incredible art form that can often bring important stories to the forefront of the social conscious; to exclude new voices is to exclude new stories.
Another reason the Oscars suck? Oscar campaigning. This process entails a production company investing millions of dollars into advertisements, interviews and networking within the industry to get their film or the performer within it a nomination. This problem first became well known in 1999 when the critically panned Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for best picture over that year’s fan favourite Saving Private Ryan due to a savvy Oscar campaign by the Miramax production company. Campaigning for Oscar votes still happens today and shows that the Academy voter does not stay within the boarders of the screen, where they should when critiquing a film. Simply put, a movie doesn’t speak for itself at the Oscars.
If cozying up on the couch every Oscar Sunday is a long standing tradition for you as it was for me, you don’t have let it go. Just take the nominees of each category with a grain of salt, and keep an eye out for all those great films not recognized. Just a few from this year are: Hustlers, Booksmart, Midsommmar, Queen and Slim, and Honey Boy. Each of these films includes a variety of new filmmaking voices, and diverse stories worth your precious Sunday hours.