We all know that the average Joe’s favorite movie of the year probably wasn’t nominated. It’s disappointing but okay. There is definitely a place for these artsy films in the box office. But this year we learned Hollywood insiders don’t like that. The Help grossed just under $170 million according to boxofficemojo.com. War Horse, The Descendants and Moneyball all made over $60 million each. But the nominations of obscure films and performances are included to let us (the public) know that we are outsiders and don’t understand the way their artistic minds work. Demian Bichir, nominated for best lead actor for his performance in A Better Life is one such example. I keep a close eye on independent theaters and movie houses to catch the small films and this never showed up anywhere near me. But that’s because the film only played in 216 theaters and grossed under $2 million. No wonder some in the viewing public have a difficult time getting attached to the award shows.
The big Oscar winners, The Artist and Hugo back up that same insider sentiment. Both deal heavily with the difficulties of evolution in early film. They show great film minds suffer when the uneducated and fickle public move on to the next thing. No one understands them. Let me say that I am actually a big fan of both these films. I think they are innovative and fun. But are you kidding me, Hollywood? If only one of these two had been a big winner, we may not have noticed. But when you give most of your biggest awards, Oscars, to films about film it shows how self-centered the voters are.
This year’s show was fun. Billy Crystal did a good job. He wasn’t offensive or dull. But the award moments were the typical people who we’ve seen win all season. There’s really no way to change this process unless you put the Oscars before those other shows. (Not going to happen.) So basically we will have to deal with award season the way it is. Maybe we can hope that next year will be a little less self-serving than the one-two punch of The Artist and Hugo. Oh and Harry Potter got snubbed again…
