Oscars

Last night was the Oscars, and I really could care less about them.

All my fellow film students were abuzz in recent weeks regarding who would win what, who should win what, who should have gotten nominated. Phrases like the following were overheard:

"I hope Marty gets an Oscar."

"Babel didn't deserve to be nominated"

"I hope Little Miss Sunshine wins"

It struck me as somewhat odd that a bunch of college students would be emotionally involved in the Oscars. I bluntly asked one of my classes "Why do you care if a movie wins or loses?" I didn't really get any good answer. Essentially, if people liked a movie, they wanted to see it recognized by the Academy. My professor had a decent answer.

"Well, why do you care if the Patriots do well or not?"

Good comeback, but I replied "If the Patriots win, it's because they directly beat their competition by scoring more points than them. It isn't as if some committee decides that the Patriots are winners."

I think I make a good point. The Oscars are awarded by opinions, specifically the opinions of people you and I have never met. Moreover, any person who watches the Oscars knows that the best movie/actor/actress/writer/director/sound technician doesn't always win. They're "political" in nature, often given for "political" reasons.

The Oscars, to me, are an opportunity for egocentric actors, actresses, writers, directors, and producers to pat themselves on the back, reward themselves for doing their job, and spend the night getting hammered. From a production standpoint, winning an Oscar means money, especially if the film had a quiet release, and very few people really heard much about it.

I do have to admit that The Departed winning Best Picture was nice. It is the first movie primarily set in Boston to win Best Picture since the Oscars first started. I think, not sure.

Good Will Hunting got screwed by Titanic in 1997. But combine Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio, and you get an Oscar.