Academy Awards adding a "Best Popular Film" category. Good or bad idea? Academy walks it back, won't be presented this year

[Samarus]

5 minutes ago, Valonqar said:

@Samarus

 

 

 

 

They always deemed it unworthy and now gloves are off...except that fools thought someone would buy this shit as a sign of respect. 

Hate me for it, but they didn't. Maybe The Dark Knight deserved recognition in the BP category but other than that, I don't know of any other blockbuster in the last few years that deserved that honor and didn't get it.

They were willing to nominate blockbusters and did it (Avatar, The Martian, etc.), but all the superhero movies everyone wants to get nominated just weren't good enough imho. Critics seem to agree, because no single one got more than 80% on metascore since TDKR, except for Black Panther.

[MrGlass2]

Could the MCU finally win its first Oscar?

 

Unless...

[CoolioD1]

🤔

[Barnack]

It seem to have some lack of distinction between the Academy administration/leadership and is voters.

 

It is probably not the people never voting for those movie that are suggesting that category.

 

1 hour ago, Lordmandeep said:

If the superbowl saw such a crash in ratings there would be mass panic at the nfl.

In 2018 the superbowl had a 10% crash in the 18-49 demo and a 7% in general drop, despite the help from the growing streaming viewership. But arguably they had a bit of a panic and it caused them to set up some no kneeling during the national anthem rule.

 

1 hour ago, Lordmandeep said:

In the past the oscars were more about escapism and celebrating the most buzzed about films of the year.

In the past most buzzed movies was linked to quality, now not so much you can predict the most buzzed film a year in advance before anyone saw them and without looking at the director name.

 

There is almost no big successful movies (that are big not because of a franchise pre-awareness but by their quality) that did get nominated in the best picture category in the 2010s, it is almost automatic to get in for them.

Edited August 8, 2018 by Barnack

[Valonqar]

6 minutes ago, Samarus said:

Hate me for it, but they didn't. Maybe The Dark Knight deserved recognition in the BP category but other than that, I don't know of any other blockbuster in the last few years that deserved that honor and didn't get it.

They were willing to nominate blockbusters and did it (Avatar, The Martian, etc.), but all the superhero movies everyone wants to get nominated just weren't good enough imho. Critics seem to agree, because no single one got more than 80% on metascore since TDKR, except for Black Panther.

TDK deserved to win because it's not only the movie from that year that stood the test of time but it became influential, unlike that year's winner and nominees. Granted, AMPAS cannot predict what will stick and what won't but there signs are there if you award by merit and not by whatever is the timeliest flavor of the moment (which is why many BP winners fall by the wayside after the win cause they don't work outside of time they were made in). 

Edited August 8, 2018 by Valonqar

[stephanos13]

Academy let's be honest this is the category you really want...

 

"And the Oscar for best virtue signalling goes to..."

[aabattery]

 

[IronJimbo]

We need to do a 2009 redo but with this award

[CoolioD1]

2 minutes ago, IronJimbo said:

We need to do a 2009 redo but with this award

agreed would love to have seen The Blind Side win another oscar.

[MCKillswitch123]

24 minutes ago, Samarus said:

 Hate me for it, but they didn't. Maybe The Dark Knight deserved recognition in the BP category but other than that, I don't know of any other blockbuster in the last few years that deserved that honor and didn't get it.

They were willing to nominate blockbusters and did it (Avatar, The Martian, etc.), but all the superhero movies everyone wants to get nominated just weren't good enough imho. Critics seem to agree, because no single one got more than 80% on metascore since TDKR, except for Black Panther.

Inside Out or Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015 both deserved it.

Edited August 8, 2018 by MCKillswitch123

[MikeQ]

I echo so many of the other comments in this thread that the addition of a Best Popular Film category is terrible.

 

First, the category itself doesn't make any sense, as it suggests popular film cannot also be great 'Best Picture' worthy film, among the best of the year. It's own history says this isn't the case, as past nominees and winners have been box office blockbusters. Other awards organizations already have these kind of cheap categories - I don't need the Oscars to do it too. (And at least with Best Animated Film you can say that it is a different medium - a 'Best Popular Film' category isn't actually a meaningful designation by medium or genre, as a bare minimum.)

 

Second, it does cheapen the Oscars, which, for all its faults, has always branded itself as the organization that strives to award the best in film. And it has been uncompromising in awarding the full slate of 24 categories, including categories for film tech/crafts that are less acknowledged (barely even recognized by some of the other awards bodies, save the industry guilds).

 

The change to broadcast some categories during commercial breaks and then edit them to show later in the ceremony is also a terrible idea, which again goes against how the organization has always branded itself, and it designates some categories as the "lesser than" achievements. Obviously, none of the acting categories, for example, will be done during commercial breaks and edited for later. 

 

A ceremony that actually better highlighted some of the technology and crafts inherent to making film, and that the Academy recognizes in its awards, would be more entertaining and even better distinguish the Oscars as the awards ceremony that is committed to honouring film in all its facets. Years in which the ceremony incorporated more visuals - showing clips of the nominees, documentary type clips showing how aspects of film are created, actors describing their nominated peers, etc - were more interesting and watchable ceremonies. Would love to see studios, or filmmakers, make short clips for the tech categories that break down how they managed to edit the sound for a particular scene in their nominated film (whether a quiet or loud scene - show us, the viewers, the work that goes into this craft), or that visually break down how difficult it was to create the visual effects for a particular scene or character in the big action/blockbuster films that are often nominated for Best Visual Effects, etc.

 

Still have a funny and quotable host, but keep their work to a minimum (their main focus being to keep the show running smoothly). Cut musical numbers (unless relevant to a nominated musical that year) and extended gags that don't have a big payoff. Cut down the fake banter from the presenters - it is usually stilted and unfunny. The presenters should be cut to the basics. Would love to see the ceremonies have better producers focused on a clean show that highlights the arts/crafts of film or creating a ceremony that tells some kind of overarching message about film that year, given the particular nominees.

 

Make the broadcast available ONLINE. Consider locking up one good host (or pair of hosts) to do the show for a 3 year stint and to be the face of the Oscars for that stretch. Consider having the category winners voted on ONLY by the members of that branch of the Academy (similar to how the nominees are voted on already), or some combination where winner voting is only open to all members for certain main categories that are deemed to be categories that can be appraised by all members.

 

I dunno, 'tis just my opinion, and maybe I'm asking too much.

 

The only change I do like is the earlier broadcast.

 

Peace,

Mike

 

 

[dxmatrixdt]

I wonder if the vote tendency drops/spreads for the animated films when they got their own category.

 

would Wall-E have made it in the top 5 best pictures minus the existence of best animated category?  did that affect the nomination voting, and spread out a subjective bias amongst the non-A.I. voters?

[dudalb]

31 minutes ago, AJG said:

 

No. In the past people actually used to watch the films that got nominated. Dramas had more of an impact at the BO, they could be huge just off star power alone, they made at the BO what a successful action blockbuster would make today, now we wait and watch Dramas at home on TV.

 

Shit just changed.

 

EDIT: Goddamn Jerry McGuire made $253m DOM adjusted.

One of the harshest things I could say about the film industry today is that there is no way a "Jerry McGuire" or "Saving Private Ryan" could make today the kind of money they made when they were released.

Irony is when the Oscar winners did tend to be big box office succeses, they were all the  time blasted for ignoring smaller films in favor of big films.

But the "popular film award" in incredibly stupid. It will soon get a stigma of "a film that was not good enough to win BP, but the academy gave it an award for making a lot of money".

I have not watched the Oscars for about 15 years, Only thing worth seeing was when somebody really screwed up, or made an fool of themselves, or some controversy happened on stage. Nowdays I can just go to you tube to see those moments without sitting through the rest of the crap.

Also hate that they put the technical awards during the commericals. IMHO a technician deserves public attention for doing outstanding work as much as a big star does.

[Ozymandias]

Somewhere LOTR is laughing at this new category.

 

Haven't read shit about this(just saw this thread), but I'm assuming this is for scifi/fantasy/CBMs/comedies, and because soon there will be more people at the Academy Awards than actually watching it.

[DAR]

I was fine with the category not being there.   And I'll be fine with it going forward.

[Barnack]

13 minutes ago, dmatrixfilmdx said:

I wonder if the vote tendency drops/spreads for the animated films when they got their own category.

 

It must, at least after a while.

 

In hockey for example, goaltender and defenceman have their own best of the year at their position trophy, forward does not, forward almost always win the annual MVP award.

 

In baseball pitcher almost never win MVP, remove the CY young maybe they would win more often (almost certainly).

[divinity83]

I don’t mind it. As long as they turn “Best Picture” into “Best Unpopular Film”.

[DAR]

What if you're not certain Black Panther was actually worthy of Best Picture?

[Lordmandeep]

10 minutes ago, DAR said:

I was fine with the category not being there.   And I'll be fine with it going forward.

Oscar relevance is in a nosedive.

 

How are they fine

[CoolioD1]

Just now, Lordmandeep said:

Oscar relevance is in a nosedive.

 

How are they fine

never mind reading comprehension you've got a point to make and nothing can stop you!