“Academy Builds Surprise Into Best Picture Rules.” I Dislike Surprises.
SURPRISE!
A few sources have linked to a press release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, or AMPAS, announcing that instead of ten Best Picture Nominees, the number of nominees will be between five to ten and the exact number, differing from year to year, will be announced on the same day when the nominees themselves are revealed. Specifics of the rule include:
“After much analysis by Academy officials, it was determined that 5% of first place votes should be the minimum in order to receive a nomination, resulting in a slate of anywhere from five to 10 movies.”
The release also expresses ideas and analysis from members including retiring Academy executive director Bruce Davis and quote “If there are only [ for example] eight pictures that truly earn that honor in a given year, we shouldn’t feel an obligation to round out the number.”
I tweeted that if us lowly bloggers and other real critics can constantly come up with a top ten list every year, so should the Academy. Others either talked about how this affects our speculation of which movies will be nominated, expressed cynicism about the quality of the nominees despite the change, greet the news with humor or express that they actually liked the idea. I’m calmer now, thinking about both sides of the argument. I believe that more than half of last year’s Best Picture nominees sucked, but it’s an improvement from 2009 and I can see what other might like in those ten movies. I also thought of the ten rule as a way from the Academy to introduce great movies to the public instead of just letting us remember the ones we did see. But even if this rule exist, I still hope that they still come up with ten, because I’m an idealist and crap like that.
So what do you guys think?
12 Comments
I’m sorry but any film critic, who goes to plenty of films a year, has a hard time creating a list of 10, than they should stop writing or in some cases open their eyes and see better films, that can be found.
- As for the Oscars .. really? Make it 10 .. keep it, going back on your word is only loosing you 1.) Viewers 2.) Most importantly, creditability.
There were definitely 10 pictures that deserved nominations last year .. surely that can’t get them all right. But they did a pretty decent job landscaping the year of 2010.
Good article.
Critics might have a hard time creating a list but they still succeed with a list if not the perfect one. It’s the critics who would recommend obscure stuff like Meek’s Cutoff. Although I’d understand that they might run into problems of amnesia, consensus, overload, etc.
But there’s still the ‘top 10′ versus ‘truly great and deserving’ debate. Developments in the story reveal that the Academy defended The Blind Side and wanted Winter’s Bone out. I’m not a traditionalist, but you’re right in that rule changes might be more frustrating for film lovers/’lay’ viewers than getting the nominees right themselves.
More foreign films should be able to slip in the BP category – not only the ones that get picked for Foreign, but the foreign films that get released in theaters commercially – *cough* Mother *cough*
Critics and bloggers have a hard time making their Top10 because they don’t have silly rules like “release date” or “foreign language only in the foreign language” – or… you know, we take it too seriously – something the Academy should do, it’s their thing.
I’m not mad at the “surprise” – I wonder how many films the voters are required to watch. Personally, I set out to at least watch 48 films a year.
This is a really strange announcement. The 5% amount just seems really arbitrary. I’m not saying that the 10 choices were perfect the last few years, but it did allow for some smaller films to slide in that would never make it with the original five. It’s a good way to sell all types of films to the public, even if they don’t really have a shot to win Best Picture. This is just an odd way to try and create suspense, but it comes off as a dumb way to try and salvage declining ratings and interest.
I wish the number of nominees had never changed from 5 in the first place! Now that we have up to 10 movies nominated, directors who’ve in fact created a crappy or sub-par movie that’s been nominated have what should be a privilege to slap on their DVD cover or poster: “Nominated for Best Picture.” Seeing those words on a poster or cover should be a nice rarity to stumble across while surfing Netflix or a DVD rental store, instead of a label that’s constantly taken advantage of.
10 was a good experiment but what i think happens is that they run out of films that they felt worthy of the distinction. it also creates the interesting (and strange) dynamic of 10 BP nods and 5 Director ones.
that said i did like the idea that some films that would not have (and deserved to ) get recognized got a little shine.
i guess the academy is in a no win. the cat is out of the bag – can’t put it back in.
I thought the whole point of expanding to ten was to give recognition to audience favorites and attention to smaller films mainstream audiences might have missed. I say stick to what you said. I really don’t want it changing from year to year.
Not sure what to think about this. While I would love to see the list stay at 10 films, if this means that movies like The Blind Side don’t make it in, I’m all for it. Though, I’m still shocked that was #1 on any voter’s ballot that year, so it could have gotten 5% I guess.
Another thing that I recently remembered is the discourse between me and my multiple circles of cool movie friends in the 2008 Oscar season. We all remarked that we could all come up with 5 movies better than the ones chosen by the Academy. When the expansion of the Best Picture nominees were announced, we were perplexed just as we are now but the change made sense. I guess it depends on what we’ll be thinking a few years later if it works or not.
Also, with the Blind Side, I’m still perplexed why members of the Academy are attacking movies like Winter’s Bone. The latter has at least two more noms than the former.
Actually I am a purist and wish we would just go back to 5 nominees. Yeah yeah, I know, way back when we had 10 nominees (and even 12 one year) but the standard is 5 and I think that is what makes those 5 so special (even when some of them may seem rather crappy choices).
Perhaps the Academy’s new plan is to “switch up” the Best Picture category every year just to keep people talking in the off season?
If they’re gonna do this, I sure hope more animation and foreign films get nominated.
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