The Oscars - Artistry or Popularity?

It has been ten years since the Academy Awards faced one hell of a backlash by snubbing The Dark Knight in 2008-2009, accused of being out of touch, elitist, and favouring only certain types of films. Now, it seems a decade on, they are trying to resolve these issues. Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences informed its members that the annual Academy Awards would be undergoing some changes. The first is that the televised event will be shortened to two hours. The second is the introduction of a new category – “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film”. Many people in the film industry have regarded this announcement with distain.

Why is the Academy doing this? Well, as the new category is described – to give popular films a chance – i.e. popcorn or mainstream films that rake in the money at the box office, critical acclaim or not. This conjures up the age old idea that the Academy is snobbish towards genres that aren’t dramas, biopics, or musicals. Only nine non-English language films have ever been nominated in the category, and even less so for those produced outside of the United States. The snubbing of The Dark Knight comes off as elitist on part of the Academy, disregarding a superhero film as a serious contender based on the fact that is a comic book film.

It took them nearly seventy years to nominate an animated film, Beauty and the Beast, in 1992. Snow White might be an exception, since it granted Walt Disney a special achievement award. Beauty did not win the Best Picture that year, but The Silence of the Lambs, a horror film, did succeed. And the Award for Best Animated Picture was made in 2002. The Academy may be getting better. The Return of the King won the nomination in 2004, and this year’s awards gave the award to The Shape of Water, a fantasy-romance film directed by Guillermo del Toro. They may be improving in their ways, but this new announcement kinda feels like a kick in the teeth.

See, guesswork and rumours abound hint that Black Panther may be a nomination for Best Picture next year, and with good reason. It isn’t just a superhero film, but one with a near-all-black cast, an afro-futuristic setting, and a heavy politically-charged villain, and a great story, whilst also being a massive, positive representation for black communities, culture, and history. Of course it deserves such a nomination. So did The Dark Knight. In the past couple of years, Suicide Squad wowed everyone by winning Best Makeup, and then Logan even managed to get nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. I say it is time for Black Panther to show the Academy that superheroes can be and are artistic, and not just, well, popular claptrap.

But, does this new award for popularity shoot such a belief in the foot? If say Black Panther and other genre films are selected for the “popularity award” and not “Best Picture”, does that mean the Academy does not view such movies as artistic, or worthy of Best Picture? Will this be an excuse to shut out genre films that aren’t limited-released-based-on-a-true-story film from the headline awards. Filmmakers can work extremely hard to make a film that could be “worthy” of the nomination.

And, then, you have the Oscar bait. Which is basically what I just described above. Films made not for any artistic quality or recognition, but to simply earn whoever is producing it an Oscar for their shelf. These films are commonly released mere months or weeks before the ceremony, often in limited release, and are period dramas based often on tragic events or figures, and contend for both the headliner awards, and the non-technical awards (makeup, costuming, cinematography, etc.) Other, better films that are hugely popular, successful, and fit within the requirements of the nomination are ignored – i.e. Brokeback Mountain.

Still, a lot of these “bait” films are actually quite good. If only they weren’t released so close to the Oscar season, perhaps they wouldn’t look so dodgy. Anyway, if Black Panther and other “popular” films are placed within this new category, does this omit them from becoming Best Picture nominees. This could be seen as ostracizing a vast amount of films from being nominated. That the “popular award” is for the “rabble” and popcorn movies with no apparent prestige and artistic quality to them, while the Best Picture is strictly for the elite members of the Academy and their restrictive views on what counts as a good film of artistic value. Black Panther, The Dark Knight, and Brokeback Mountain are all great films that are both artistic and popular – mainly because they are good films that tell good stories.

The winner of Best Picture can change the world and get critical acclaim for being great and impactful. That’s what the Oscars are all about – celebrating greatness through artistry. Genre films like fantasy, horror, and science fiction are often treated as stigmas in the Oscars, often limited to technical awards like special effects. And why in the world hasn’t Andy Serkis ever received a nomination from the Academy yet? Is it because he uses motion capture in his performances? And instead of creating a very idiotic award for what is to please the populace, why not introduce an award for say best stuntwork, motion capture, or voice acting?

This new popularity award will become the “ghetto” for all genre films, regardless if they are excellent films. I wonder had this award been introduced years earlier, would The Return of the King and The Shape of Water been dumped in this new, unneeded category. This allows the Academy to grant popular films a place in the Oscars, whilst keeping their views on what clarifies as a Best Picture nominee continuously restricted. The Dark Knight, again, did not fall into this category, because it was a superhero film, despite being well-written, well-directed, well-acted, etc. Speaking of which, did anyone else get the inkling that Heath Ledger’s nomination was strictly because he was both deceased, and his role as the Joker was hugely praised – something which the Academy could not ignore and dismiss.

How exactly is the Academy going to nominate films that are considered popular? Solely based on the box office? Critical acclaim? What if a film becomes hugely popular based on an internet meme? Will all fantasy films, horror films, sci-fi films, superhero films, etc., be dumped into this category, and restricted from the Best Picture nomination? If Black Panther is nominated for Best Picture, it would be a landmark achievement. A sign that the film industry, and thus the Academy, supports and recognises the diversity in both cinema and humanity. But, if it is instead restricted to the popularity contest, than it shows the Academy still only regards it, and all others of its kind, as a vapid popcorn movie with no integrity to it. It makes the whole awards feel superficial and unfair.

But, there is another rather obvious reason why these changes are being implemented. Because the Oscars’ ratings have been dropping faster than an Elvis fangirl. The 2018 ceremony had the lowest viewership in the Oscars’ history, and it’s not a surprise. Two-time host Jimmy Kimmel isn’t funny and most of his jokes seemed to be trying to make light of the huge sexual scandal going on across Hollywood recently, and any attempts to sound serious were unbelievable. It was ridiculously long, and rather than celebrating the films and people who made them, it was mostly about being a soapbox for everyone to express their politicial views and hatred for the numpty in the White House.

That and along with the dragged out attempts to be humourous, the set-up gags at the start of every nomination, musical numbers, and endless, endless montages, plus the advert breaks, it is no wonder the Oscars are becoming so long. Just focus on what people actually come for: Seeing who won the damn awards!

The winners also barely have time to give acceptance speeches, usually only about a minute or two, before some obnoxiously loud music starts playing as the cue to get the winners off the stage. I wouldn’t surprised if they use a bulldozer or a police SWAT team to get them going. We are here to watch these people earn their awards and listen to what they have to say about their success. How their dreams and hard work have paid off. How they wish to thank those who helped them along the way. Unfortunately, they are given so little time to express themselves, cause there are a few more commercials and unfunny jokes Jimmy has to get around to.

Anyway, the Academy, their lords and masters, ABC, need to fix these plummeting ratings. This popularity award seems to be the answer. Perhaps instead of cutting the pointless meandering would’ve been the better idea, instead of this cheap move to try and attract those who watch superhero films and the like. In truth, very few people are really going to care. If this new award is simply being introduced as a stunt to get more ratings, but in turn could kill the spirit that the Oscars has slowly been losing over the years. This might just bolster the sense of elitism and biased views that the Academy has built over the awards. This does not solve a problem, it might just be making things worse.