To members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
Early Tuesday morning, my alarm woke me from a deep sleep. But instead of groggily pressing snooze and going back to bed for an unforeseeable amount of time, I immediately scrounged for my glasses and TV remote to witness one of my favorite events of the year. Of course I’m talking about the announcement of the Academy Award nominations.
This year, Academy president Tom Sherak and Katniss herself, Jennifer Lawrence, read the list of nominees to much shock from both industry experts and casual fans alike.
Best Picture, this year, was always guaranteed to be hard to predict since new rules guaranteed anywhere between five and ten nominees. There were nine nominees announced this week, seven of which surprised next to nobody. Favorites like “The Artist,” “Hugo,” “The Descendents,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Moneyball,” “The Help” and “War Horse” were considered to be locks far in advanced. The two shockers in the category have sparked much debate between critics and journalists. “The Tree of Life” was released this spring to much critical love but left others confused. I myself have attempted to watch the film three times and have yet to finish it. Although it’s undeniably beautiful to look at, I also found it much too experimental, artsy and pretentious.
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” was also nominated for Best Picture this year and has left many extremely livid and incredibly confused. Critical reaction was extremely lukewarm for the film, with many calling it overly sentimental, and others even labeling it offensive to 9/11 victims. I have yet to see the movie, but many experts are saying the nomination could have been bought by Academy favorites Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Stephen Daldry and Scott Rudin.
Even more controversial than what was nominated, has been what wasn’t. I was severely disappointed to see two of my favorite films of the year not on this list of the nominees: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Bridesmaids.” It would have been nice to see these two movies, which are as far as possible from your usual Oscar-bait, nominated for the most prestigious of prizes. At least “Dragon Tattoo” star Rooney Mara was awarded a nomination for Best Actress, a ballsy choice for the conservative Academy.
My message to the Academy is this: don’t be afraid to let your tastes change over the years! There are dozens of great films and performances each year that are not nominated just because they are not the Academy’s taste. This is absurd. Why nominate Meryl Streep and Glenn Close for boring performances that pale in comparison to their older, better work when you have the chance to show love for real, lived-in performances like Charlize Theron in “Young Adult” or Elizabeth Olsen in “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”
The more the Academy nominates older, already-established stars, the fewer young faces are invited to become voters. More young voters could shake up the entire institution for the better, giving us more inspired nominees and shocking wins.
I’d be willing to bet good money that the winners in the big five categories this year will be “The Artist” for Best Picture, Meryl Streep for “The Iron Lady,” George Clooney for “The Descendants,” Christopher Plummer for “Beginners” and Octavia Spencer for “The Help.” While some of these might actually be deserving, namely Plummer and Spencer, the lack of suspense this year leaves me already bored, and the actual ceremony is still a month away.
If by the off chance that any members of the Academy actually read this, please step up your game. As a longtime Oscar freak, it pains me to say that the awards are getting boring.
With Love,
David Adams