Da Fuck? I thought the point of being an oscar voter was to watch all the films! That they were all huge filmbuffs! They either need to fix this or end the damn Oscars via boycott. How is it fair to anyone involved from the grips to the actors to the dircectors. WATCH THEN VOTE!
I noticed that sexually explicit young women are winning their categories. Once upon an Oscar, it used to be afflictions and transformational acting, but now it's nubile titillation.
In the end does it make any difference? An Oscar doesn't make a mediocre movie good, or a good movie great. Most of my favorite movies didn't win any awards.
Does it make a difference if Olympic judges sit in their chair playing Candy Crush and just hold up a random score card? Same concept. Might not make a difference to you if you don't care about the awards, but makes one hell of a difference to nominees and viewers.
The Olympics to Oscars comparison is not apples to apples.
The Oscars are given on based solely on voters' opinions, whereas Olympics (& other judged sport competitions) use specific criteria their judges must follow.
Also, sport judges are physically present, witnessing each event in real time.
For those receiving the awards, it's a valid comparison. To claim there's nothing arbitrary in Olympic scoring would make any more than a single judge redundant. The point is, people who vote/score for major awards should pay attention and know what they're voting on. It's about accountability.
I don't claim there is nothing arbitrary in sport judging.
Subjective criteria like "artistic interpretation" are only part of the score an athlete can achieve. The other parts of the score are quite strict, & tend to follow a yes/no formula (ie. # of turns, jumps, distance, etc.).
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Many film awards have no such guidelines for their voters, making their voting entirely subjective.
I do agree with your point that judges/voters should be both present & accountable, which is why I put more weight in film festival awards where you can only vote on films you've actually seen.
It's okay to say you don't want to engage in a part of culture, it's not for everyone. I'm not even trying to be snarky here, spend your time doing things that matter to you. Just don't yuck people's yum either.
Back in the early 90s, I was a nanny for an entertainment lawyer, so I knew nannies of people in entertainment. One told me that her boss asked her to watch a couple of the movies on VHS and let him know what she thought of them.
It pretty much explains why they keep picking movies that I have no interest in seeing and then decide one year that they don't want to be seen as racist so they only vote for black actors up for things... (yes, they did this one year).... I stopped watching a long time ago.
Knowing this, the strange Oscars now make a whole lot more sense. I wonder how many years the Oscars have been effectively sabotaged by faithless voters.
I was done with The Oscars when it lost the Best Picture win it deserved. Up until that point I had watched EVERY Oscars broadcast, attended Oscar parties most years, etc. Since that year, nothing. Don't watch. Don't care. I was and am done.
Dear George, If capitalist, Doctrine of Discovery $ is involved it's always rigged. Actors are so emo over this while Afghanistan women & children are in the dark like a Sally Field reality show. The majority of the population doesn't have ratified rights/privileges while being forced to birth. Clue
How many people have been passed over because Academy voters are not even bothering to watch their movies?
If you cannot do the easiest job on the planet - sit on your ass, watch movies and give your opinion - then you shouldn't be among the voters. Give the job to people that would LOVE to do that.
This justifies my not being interested in watching some
movies despite having
won Oscars. If the people awarding them don’t want to watch them, why should I?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve watched and enjoyed some Oscar winners over the years, just their winning didn’t factor into me watching.
Laziness of course, though the app they use could do with a randomised "Are you still watching?" popup to make sure they are actually doing so, kind of like how things like netflix assume people who leave the remote alone have wandered off into the woods on a whim... 😂
Not defending this practice, it's part of the deal for academy members, but just imagine watching every film submitted "for your consideration"? My friends who are Academy members and who do watch every film dread this process, which is complex and rather ridiculous. https://screenrant.com/how-movies-nominated-oscars/
Can’t measure how good people/things are by how many awards they’ve won.
I mean… Kevin Costner has one Oscar a best director. Alfred Hitchcock has none.
Beyoncé has a million Grammys. Diana Ross: zero.
They’re mostly a popularity contest, rarely won by the one that truly deserves them.
🫤
Valid points. However, the award does matter to some in that industry though and I find it to be a dereliction of a voters duty to not watch all of the movies that they are voting for or against in a category.
I know awards matter to some in those industries. What I’m saying is that you just can’t say someone is better than other one because one has more Oscars.
Is Hillary Swank (2 Oscars) a better actress than Glenn Close (0 Oscars)? To some, maybe. To me, she’s not.
If voters are not watching the movies, who is bribing them for their vote? I’m saying this as a person who watches movies and can’t understand how people win when another person/movie deserved it more.
It's pure laziness, and the Academy should fix it by implementing an "Are you still watching?" prompt at random times throughout. It will be annoying, yes, but it will prove if the voters are watching.
How do you decide which work of art is "best?" The Oscars have been meaningless from the beginning, though I only noticed in 1968 when "Oliver!" beat "The Lion in Winter."
Of all the shitty things going on in the world this is the least shitty but it still pisses me off. The people with the power and money are only good at making money and gaining power. They aren't interested in "art" or "creativity". This may be the death nail for the Oscars. Fuck 'em.
Well.... if you're going to tell the world that you're not going to watch the films... (and this 'loophole' means you're not actually watching the film...) then your "Oscars" should be made of lead (Pb) because they have no value.
Time to Pop Quiz random academy voters by Conan at next year's Oscar event, live. Ask them some easy questions about the nominated movies in categories they voted in. Shame them all.
The Academy needs to ban the practice of studios running FYC marketing campaigns. The films that win best picture simply offered the best FYC events and party favors and plastered the trades with their super fancy ads.
I heard that it's a popularity contest. That the political stumping begins before a movie is even released. Unsure how this would change that even if people did sit and watch it.
The Oscars have been unwatchable for over a decade from making awards go to those who didn't really earn it. The Oscars are now participation awards to those most favored, is obvious to everyone familiar with this once prestigious event. It's sad seeing the reason is from laziness from it's members!
It's been this way for years. Number one reason I stopped watching the Oscars. I am still livid they gave the Oscar to Tommy Lee Jones for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 and not Leonardo DiCaprio for What's Eating Gilbert Grape. WTAF? He. Was. Robbed.
Comments
The Oscars are given on based solely on voters' opinions, whereas Olympics (& other judged sport competitions) use specific criteria their judges must follow.
Also, sport judges are physically present, witnessing each event in real time.
Subjective criteria like "artistic interpretation" are only part of the score an athlete can achieve. The other parts of the score are quite strict, & tend to follow a yes/no formula (ie. # of turns, jumps, distance, etc.).
>
Many film awards have no such guidelines for their voters, making their voting entirely subjective.
I do agree with your point that judges/voters should be both present & accountable, which is why I put more weight in film festival awards where you can only vote on films you've actually seen.
B “You must really love chocolate, to become an expert and get involved as a chocolate tasting judge”.
A “What? No. I hate the taste of chocolate, and don’t want to be here”.
B “so why did you agree to judge this chocolate tasting contest?”
I was done with The Oscars when it lost the Best Picture win it deserved. Up until that point I had watched EVERY Oscars broadcast, attended Oscar parties most years, etc. Since that year, nothing. Don't watch. Don't care. I was and am done.
If you cannot do the easiest job on the planet - sit on your ass, watch movies and give your opinion - then you shouldn't be among the voters. Give the job to people that would LOVE to do that.
“This was the best film? What about ______?”
Sinners better be nominated. And win. For something.
movies despite having
won Oscars. If the people awarding them don’t want to watch them, why should I?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve watched and enjoyed some Oscar winners over the years, just their winning didn’t factor into me watching.
😑😑😑
I mean… Kevin Costner has one Oscar a best director. Alfred Hitchcock has none.
Beyoncé has a million Grammys. Diana Ross: zero.
They’re mostly a popularity contest, rarely won by the one that truly deserves them.
🫤
Just my humble opinion though.
Is Hillary Swank (2 Oscars) a better actress than Glenn Close (0 Oscars)? To some, maybe. To me, she’s not.
Academy members are observing this practice.