Thank the Academy...for Narrowing Your Mind

The 84th Academy Awards are upon us, with the nominations due to be released tomorrow, January 24th. If previously aired award shows like the Golden Globes are any indication, movies like "The Artist" and "The Descendants" are bound to eat up all the awards. The Best Picture category has expanded its number of nominees to between 5 and 10, hopefully giving exposure to little-seen films like "Drive", "Tree of Life" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene".

But with Billy Crystal returning to host for his NINTH time, and Best Picture most likely going to a silent film, it just seems like Hollywood is going backwards. The Oscars, pretty much the highest achievement a film can receive, are supposed to represent the best of the best that Hollywood outputs. But all the categories are voted on by their respective professions (actors vote for actors, directors vote for directors, etc).

The trouble with this system is that these people are usually too busy to be watching everything that comes out, and instead rely on a few screeners of the big award baits that are released in December (that's why mainly bad movies are released in January - the Academy doesn't like to remember that far back). While there are organizations composed of movie critics who's job it is to see EVERYTHING, they have none of the prestige or clout that the Academy Awards do.

So whatever's nominated/wins, remember it's all Hollywood politics. Go to the arthouse theaters to see something that's compelling, that scares you, or heaven forbid, has subtitles. Then decide for yourself what deserves Best Picture.