The Preliminary Award Show Review

Every year on a Sunday night in February, the movie going population parks it in front of their TV to see which films a selective group, made up of insiders, think are the best of the year. The Academy Awards, or Oscars, is the main event. They’re the headliner of an award season that sees movies judged by critics, writers, actors, directors, the British, and some organization called the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

What must get old for some of the nominees is that very often the same films and individuals win all of those awards respectively. For example, using a core group of award shows that includes the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) as a lead up to the Oscars, Argo has won the top award in all four instances. Now much more learned film historians than I could tell you what certain wins mean for a nominee’s chances for an Oscar, but it should be noted that if entering any kind of wager on this Sunday’s broadcast, the winners are all but decided. This isn’t like the Superbowl, some underdogs really don’t stand a chance.

From watching the four awards show listed above, this season’s storylines have already been dissected every which way. Expect more of that on Sunday. Ben Affleck’s massive snub as a Best Director nominee for Sunday’s show has turned his many wins during the preliminaries into a victory tour, which calls into question how important the Oscars should be viewed if they leave off the consensus best director of the other guilds and groups. The guy is a great director and actor who was definitely treated unfairly when the critics weren’t fans of his career choices, but his Oscars snub has turned him into a sort of cult figure. The attendees and interviewers at these award shows have been laying it on a bit thick regarding Affleck.

Those who have been watching all these shows along with me will probably be equally tired of hearing Anne Hathaway and Daniel Day Lewis’ unfocused, blabbering speeches, and the excessive praise Hollywood bestows upon itself. However, it has been nice to see Hugh Jackman cement his position as nicest person on the planet. If that’s acting, give him an Oscar for that. Never mind his on screen work. The award shows that split their comedy/musical and drama categories have given some exposure to other deserving nominees that are outsiders for the big award like Les Miserables and Silver Linings Playbook. When I say outsiders, I’m referring to any movie that doesn’t have Ben Affleck’s face featured prominently on the poster.

Ultimately, this year has been a very successful movie season regardless of how much Seth MacFarlane offends everyone on Sunday. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted a Golden Globes broadcast that was one the best award shows in recent memory. They were funny and there was a sense of relatability to it that the audience could really get behind. With the fact that the Oscars has missed the boat on Affleck’s nomination and the Globes’ dynamic showing, it’s possible that the two have temporarily switched places as the award show to watch.