This seems to be most problematic part of the new award. It just seems like a dumb throwaway award as a token for the “plebs”. If They had introduced a “genre” category for scifi/fantasy to go alongside drama and comedy categories, that might broaden things up a bit, but “popular” is just so nebulous.
Doubt it’ll actually make a difference to the problem at hand: that people just don’t care anymore.
I guess when you’re so out of touch with what makes something popular, this is one way to rectify it?
In general, that’s the main issue. The Academy voters are not like you and me. They’re not even like Tom Chick or well-versed critics of film. There are also way too many movies produced in a year for all of them to be well-versed enough to make good decisions on what’s truly great.
Ultimately, the Awards show is there to simply promote movies and make people talk about them, as we’re doing now, so maybe it really doesn’t matter what they do.
I still don’t understand why they want to bring in big box office hits into the awards other than the technical categories. That’s what they’re for, right? To reward amazing cinematography in the new Mission Impossible, or the amazing sound mixing on that movie, etc. I always viewed the rest of the Oscars as a good way to find out what smaller or indie movies to watch.
I will be forever grateful to the Oscars and other award shows for making me aware of movies like Whiplash. One of my favorite movies of all time, and I would have never have heard of it if it hadn’t been for award shows.
Everyone loved Infinity Wars this year. Best picture will probably be some lame drama about raising millennials.
Yeah, but we had so many avenues to find out about Infinity Wars. That really entertaining drama about raising millennials is going to be overlooked unless it’s nominated. That’s always where I saw the value of the Oscars as a movie fan.
I don’t need the Oscars to tell me I should be seeing Infinity Wars. I watched that already.
Not with Linklater on every talk show in America saying “Twelve years!”
You want to reward Mission Impossible?
Best Stuntwork Oscar. There’s been a push for it forever.
Hell, Tom Cruise could finally get his Oscar!
If Tom Cruise was such a great stuntman, he would have done the stunt without breaking his goddamned ankle!
(/s? Smiley emoticon?)
This needs to happen.
What was/is the resistance to it?
This is very insightful, and I haven’t thought of it this way. But then again, the “Best Picture” category isn’t really accurate then, is it? It’s a marketing stamp to raise awareness.
Perhaps we need to bypass or change the marketing game altogether. How would this be done? The big studios have a stranglehold on marketing right now. They also have all the operating budgets tied up so talent goes to them almost exclusively.
I guess I see movies a bit more as business ventures now, but I appreciate them as an audience. The thing is it’s sooooo expensive to make a big budget action movie now, it’s extremely risky to not shoot for giant hits. It’s all or nothing. Avatar is the last new IP big ROI I can think of. The studios mine from existing comics, novels, children’s stories, and other proven IP that’s sold well. None of them even accept unsolicited scripts without insider introductions. Most of the ones accepted are proven IP already.
Bunch of reasons in there. But also a photo of Cruise sitting atop (literally) of the Burj Khalifa, nary a safety cable in sight.
You have to wonder how many other Hollywood stars would be going, “No way. Greenscreen.”
Why stop at Most Popular Film? Let’s also have:
Best Fight Choreography
Best Product Placement
Best Use of Profanity
Best Give-It-All-Away Trailer
Achievement in Disparity Between Music/SFX Volume and Dialogue Volume
Best Use of the Bass Drop WHOOOMP in a Trailer
Deadwood: The Movie would win this every time.
“SWEARINGEN! COCK-SUCKA!” in booming surround sound.
Yeah, I’m sure glad I taught you that word.
This is a great idea.
Oh I see, you’re being sarcastic.
But I think a best stunt work oscar and a best fight choreography oscar are great ideas.
1.) Money (GGI is cheaper, why highlight Stunt work).
2.) Image (lets still pretend the stars do their own Stunt work). Which is money again.
I guess before CGI the resistance was all #2.
Great article, Thanks Woolen.
If all that you enjoy are big-budget action movies then the Oscars have zero hope of ever appealing to you.
While most of the time I disagree with the movie that ends up being voted as the best film, I can at least respect the fact that the ideal is to find the film that is of greatest artistic merit from those who work in the industry. Regardless of how much box office the film made, who was cast in it, or whether it was well funded. The end decisions often really frustrate me (i.e. shape of water wtf? PTA being awardless wtf?), but at least they aren’t picking the latest Marvel movie every time because that’s what was the most popular that year.
I think you’ll find that’s not the case.
Well, it’s sure to have an actual plot, and some acting, if that’s what you mean.