After the debacle caused from last year’s Oscars ceremony, where films like The Dark Knight, which grossed over 1.4 billion and was seen by hundreds of millions of people, was beat out by a limited-release, Milk, for best picture, things have not been looking too good for Hollywood’s most prestigious award.
Naturally, if all the movies, actors, and directors that people know about aren’t in the running for an award, then people aren’t going to watch the ceremony. That’s exactly what has happened for the decade since Titanic swept through the awards in 1998.
It seems like those tightwad ‘film buffs’ are finally seeing the light, but it had to come after a good punch in their wallet. The general public almost always likes the opposite of what so-called film critics like. I figure that being a film critic for The New York Times or <Insert Newspaper Here> to be the equivalent of paying someone to diss everything that appeals to the common man. The Dark Knight or Milk? That’s not a very difficult question for about 98% of the population!
However, Avatar is shaking things up. James Cameron’s last film was coincidentally one of the last good years to watch the Oscars. Can Avatar save the Oscars? With 9 nominations, it could run the tables for sure!
Maybe things will be better this year. I am willing to watch and find out. How about you?
