by Chris Eaton-
A day late and a buck short for Dark Knight, and possibly a dozen other movies that should of been nominated but didn’t.
Variety is reporting that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, the people who put on the Oscars if you will, are bumping the category count for the Best Picture Nomination from 5 to 10! for this coming year.
What dose that mean?
Well, seeing last year that there were a few films that didn’t get nominated or were thrown in to another catagory (Dark Knight, Wall-E, The Wrestler), this means that there is now room to grow, if you will. By upping the count, more films will have a crack at getting a “BEST” picture nomination, and thus, a better chance at winning best picture.
Commenting on this fact from the article: “And one pundit said that with 10 nominees, a pic could win with only 11% of the vote.”
None of the other categories will be affected. The Doc, animated, and foreign film category will remain the same, as will the director category. Which is more interesting as now there will be 10 pictures, but only 5 directors that can win!
Though this is not new to the awards, from the 1931 to 1943, the academy had 10 best picture nominations before going to the 5 picture system employed now.
Personally, I think this is more or less a stunt to appease both the network that airs the awards and the people bitching about how the Academy is out of touch with the people. The last few shows have been ratings bummers, and some have cited its due to the choices for best picture! So to bring back ratings and people, more is, well, more.
Overkill? Maybe. But at least now, more genre friendly films that are actually “GOOD” movies will get a crack at that converted Oscar statue and not just fall into the wayside of, just another decent film.
