Last week, the Academy Awards decided to expand the best picture nominations from five films to ten. Instead of weakly camouflaging this as a throwback to the days when ten pictures were the norm (it last happened in 1943), I would have appreciated a more honest explanation: the economy is killing everybody. Studio execs need to fill the tanks on their Bentleys, ya know.As a guy who watches an obscene amount of movies, I’m a bit miffed. Here’s the only positive aspect I can find to this whole thing, delivered via sports analogy: it sure did benefit Major League Baseball and the NFL when wildcard teams were added in the last decade. Seasons now have meaning down to the very last games. Movie-wise, this could help often-overlooked independent films, whose teeny budgets don’t allow for award-show promotion.
And now, the cons:
• The year is already half over, and in my humble opinion, only one film has been worth seeing, and it was a raunchy, non Oscar-level comedy. Does this mean that ten incredible films will be released between now and the end of the year? Doubt it. So the field is already looking weak.
• The expansion lowers the value of a nomination, in much the same way that every Little League kid gets a trophy nowadays. It’s just an honor to be nominated? Nah.
• Quick, off the top of your head – name one film that should have been nominated from any year but was overlooked. Now name five from every year. It ain’t happening.
• Here’s the real kicker: more nominations are only going to expand the length of the show. Which increases the number of Hugh Jackman song and dance numbers. Hand me my Glock 23, will you?
By the way – my streak of never having seen a Hugh Jackman film – proudly still intact. Gimme a damn trophy for that.
