It is no surprise that the Academy Awards is an event that is out of touch with the educated opinions of critics and film viewers everywhere. Instead the show is concocted to cater to the masses, ruled by the studio execs profiting off of the bought nominations in their Hollywood mansions. Still, the nominees, though formulaic and biopic, are usually good, if not great pictures. And though the nominees this year are not as problematic as the nominees in the past years, (for example, Jennifer Hudson's win for Dream Girls-- acting is not singing) the independent films that were critical darlings were largely ignored.
Shame, Drive, Melancholia, and Take Shelter were all withheld from the nominee list. These films were loved by all, and rewarded with awards and nominations at Cannes, Sundance, BAFTA, Critics Choice Awards, and even the Austin Film Critic Awards.
Perusing through my friend's Facebook newsfeeds I've come to find that my peers in my Master's program in Cinema studies, were equally disappointed with the announcement. The general consensus among film lovers, is that the Academy Awards is no longer the conclusive opinion on what constitutes being the best that the medium of cinema has to offer. Instead, it is regarded for what it is, a lavish carefully crafted, super-hyped event, that is nothing more than a joke at the average film viewer's expense. It is a mass marketed show staged to achieve high ratings, just like every other show on television.
By regurgitating the notion that these Hollywood films are the only good films, the profits find themselves back in the hands of the big studio. The extra revenue aided by the mention of this awards show that could have gone to the indie studios, would have helped to create future works of art. Instead the mediocre is rewarded and the independents are ignored, just like always.
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