The Final Chapter
Courtesy of CBS News
Back when the Academy Awards were right around the corner I decided to take on all the major nominees and write about them, and eventually tell what I had learned via a YouTube video. After several months of consideration I have decided to eschew the video route, because like everyone else knew (including family and friends) it would take way too long to finish all the films. Instead I am going to write about what I have learned in a short essay.
For the past couple of months I have been watching all of these films, and reviewing them on my site in an attempt to form an informed opinion about who I thought deserved to actually win the awards. I covered everything from “Selma’s” controversial shutout, to lackluster inclusion of issue films, to my love of Linklater’s “Boyhood,” and general surprise that it didn’t win more awards.
What surprised me most when I endeavored to watch these films, was how difficult it was to watch all of them before the ceremony. I thought it would be difficult to get my hands on two or three films, but it was actually closer to ten. Some of these films were still in theaters, but many were in limbo between theaters and DVD release. It took me months to find each of these films, watch it, form an opinion, and write a review for each. This is a common problem for any Oscars lover: trying to find and watch them before the ceremony. A common refrain of those watching the Oscars is, “They didn’t deserve the award,” or “They won? Seriously?” but often people haven’t seen all the films, an issue I was trying to circumvent.
This problem stems from the fact that most of these films are released around December. This occurs so these films are fresh in people’s minds when they vote for them in the early part of the next year. For the longest time I thought this practice was ridiculous, but then I started this project. I was trying to get my opinions straight, but it was difficult since I had seen these films months ago. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” was a huge surprise at this year’s awards, because it was released in March, nowhere close to the December cutoff of many of its contenders. Compared to other, newer films, my interest in Wes Anderson’s wasn’t quite as high, as “American Sniper” was crazed with controversy, and “Selma” was breaking hearts everywhere.
In that time I was surprised by many of the films that I saw. I probably wouldn’t have seen films like “Two Days, One Night,” “Wild,” or “The Imitation Game” if it hadn’t been for their nominations, not because I wouldn’t like them, but because I didn’t know they existed. There really isn’t enough press devoted to films featuring female, LGBT, or minority voices, and there definitely aren’t enough awards given. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is only the second Latino to ever win Best Director; for “Birdman.”
Why are awards important, at all, you ask? There are countless directors who have never won an Oscar, including Robert Altman, Jane Campion, and the biggest snub of all, Orson Welles. Those who actually have pull in the box office usually don’t win or are nominated including Joss Whedon, Christopher Nolan, and George Lucas.
They’re important because there are films that don’t get enough attention. Take “Winter’s Bone,” “Philomena,” “Amour,” and “An Education,” all films that I have seen because they have been nominated for an Oscar, and yet they’re female stories.
What conclusions did I come to now that I have reviewed all of these films? Several things:
1. A normal person cannot watch all these films.
a. Between the price of the average theater ticket, the cost of transportation, or rentals on On Demand, it’s not going to happen. In all I probably spent about $105 on this project, which would have been more if it hadn’t been for friends paying for theater tickets and rentals.
2. The Oscar brand carries weight.
a. People are more likely to see films that carry this brand because it’s a guaranteed good watch. Big winners are generally sellable commodities that do well in rentals. This made me even more surprised when “Birdman” won, over its tamer counterparts. As it was an impressive arthouse film I didn’t see it as being in the same league as “Boyhood” or “American Sniper.” Right now most video rental sales are attributed to Oscar nominees, as people are just now catching up, much like I did.
3. The Oscars are political.
a. The awards are voted on, so most members are swayed by advertising, the private lives of those involved, and past nominations, like in Julianne Moore’s case. It’s not that she didn’t deserve her award, but because she had been nominated four times previously, that meant her award was basically guaranteed, as she had paid her dues.
4. The Oscars are emotional.
a. How things are nominated is based on pure emotion. “Foxcatcher’s” Bennett Miller wasn’t nominated for Best Director, but his film was for Best Picture. Rosamund Pike got a Best Actress nomination, but the film didn’t. Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair, how they dole these nominations out, but that’s because they’re based on emotional responses, as is all forms of art.
5. There are tons of films nominated who don’t get enough exposure.
a. Films like “Ida,” “Citizenfour,” and “Mr. Turner” were each nominated, but aren’t being talked about much outside of the film community, which is totally lame, because each has their own unique artistry and entertainment value.
So yeah, awards are important. They’re also unimportant. It took this adventure for me to admit the latter of the two, as someone who valued the Academy’s recommendations above all else. Most of the films I have watched in my quest to be a better informed, knowledgeable person, have some award cred. If anything, I got to watch the ceremony, with all those smiling faces and loving tributes, and felt a deep commiseration in loving film. Everyone can agree, at least, that point matters most.
