Are the Oscars Biased?

       Hey there, internet and all the people wasting their time on it! My name is Jake Mendenhall, author of Critfilms!

     The Academy Awards: Certainly one of the most prestigious and lively events in the film community! Several directors, actors, actresses, and producers gather together into a grand theater to bare witness to the largest gathering of every Jew in Hollywood! They try their best to tolerate whatever B-List or Television actor the Academy chose to host, while eagerly awaiting the nominations for the true prize of the evening: the Golden naked Statue of the later Actor, Emilio Fernandez; better known as, the Oscar. The Oscar awards are given to a number of different categories, such as Best picture, Best actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, just to name a few. An Oscar award, to many, is considered the highest badge of Honor any person in the business can ever hope to achieve. It's renowned, it's special, it's unique, it's naked, and it symbolizes that person or film's mark in the history of film!

     Over the past decade or so, the Oscars have come under some heavy criticism themselves. Many chastise the Oscars, calling them "biased," or "closed-minded." They claim that the Academy only seems to pick tear-jerking mellow-dramas, biopics about someone rising from the ashes to become a superstar, films that show the horrors of war, or just any movie that features Meryl Streep. The focus of these arguments center around the belief that the Oscars don't give a fair chance to genre films, such as Science Fiction, Fantasy, Comedy, or Horror. When we take a look at the last twenty or so years of Academy award-winning films, we clearly see that the overwhelming majority of them fit into the categories listed above. So, this leads to a very big question; a question that severely needs to be answered and addressed. Are the Oscars biased?

     The answer is, well...No.

     I know we'd all like to place the blame on the Academy for a movie we cherish or adore not winning an Oscar. In fact, this is the underlining cause as to this ultimate misconception that the Oscars are biased. From my perspective, one of the biggest reasons people seem to think the Oscars are biased is because the general-movie-going audience doesn't really know how the Academy works or what really constitutes an Oscar worthy film. To most people, their thoughts are "Oh man! That movie was great! It should win an Oscar!" or "Hey, (insert actor name here) did a great job as the (insert role here) in that movie! I'll be pissed if (insert gender-specific pronoun here) doesn't get an Oscar for it!" Not to sound too condescending...but that's why I'm here, my darlings! I'm here to clean things up!

     The first REAL question we need to ask is, how does the Academy work exactly? When most people think of the people that keep the Academy running, they probably think of this....

Don't lie...we all know you do...

     When, in actuality, it looks more like this...

Surprised?

     The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, or AMPAS, is made up of over 6,000 actors, directors, film critics, producers, and others that have made significant strides in the film community. It isn't just made up of Angry Old men; in fact, I think Spielberg would be miffed if it was... The Academy is truly made up of literally thousands of contributors that are a part of several diverse categories, that includes Sound Directors, composers, Visual Editors, screenwriters, and so on. It isn't just exclusive to directors and actors. Members are selected by the Academy's board of Governors that act as an executive committee for the entire organization. Membership is very exclusive. Now before we move on, many might be saying to yourself, "OOH! It's Exclusive, and Exclusive = Biased; therfore, the Oscars are Biased!!!!" Not so fast there, skippy. Just because an Organization is exclusive, doesn't necessarily mean it's biased. Think about this: the Academy is responsible for deciding what films, actors, etc will be marked forever in film history. Do you really want some joe-schmoe director or amateur film maker involved in such a big decision? Personally, I would like to see that decision made by those who have the utmost experience and knowledge in the field. Fits better that way.

     This kind of leads me into my next topic: How are the Oscars nominations selected and won? It would be very easy to say that the Oscars only watch a select group of movies every year, while ignoring fantasy and science fiction, but we'll get to that later. Actually, those in the Academy watch EVERY SINGLE film released from January 1st to December 31st of the previous year. They don't just watch the big name studio releases, they also take a look at some of the lesser known titles that are released as well. Ever wonder why you never heard of "the Artist" before it won best picture? Now you do... So, yes, the Academy saw "The Dark Knight," they saw "Kick Ass," and "Perks of Being a Wallflower." Every single movie of the previous year is considered. So, how are the nominees selected? Like I said earlier, the diversity of occupations present in the Academy would be obvious to a blind man. Directors, Actors, Screenwriters, Visual Effects editors, you get it. Nominees in each category are selected and nominated by members in that specific category. Other directors nominate best director, screenwriters nominate Best Adapted Screenplay, and so forth. Best Picture nominees are selected and voted on by the collective group as a whole. The nominees are truly picked by their own peers. One this is done, we have our nominees. These are the lists of movies, actors, directors, etc, that we, the public, are shown sometime in late January/early February. The categories each do a second round of voting to pick the winner, and the members do a collective vote to pick best picture. These are the winners we see walk across the stage on Oscar night. Starting to see my point here?

     Another question arises: What makes a movie "Oscar Worthy?" Many would say that is has to be a good movie...Well derpity derp. Hundreds of "good movies are released every year, but how is it that the Academy only selects 5 to 10 of those every year? Some would argue that they base it entirely on critical opinion. While that is important, that is not always the case. The Academy decides on best picture by seeing what the overwhelming emotions and feels are toward a film. The Academy looks for a few things: an engaging story that is both intellectually and emotionally involving to the audience (sound like something you might look for?), believable and outstanding performances from its cast, relevant and excellent cinematography, superb direction, and an appropriate, moving soundtrack or sound editing. The films that accomplish the most or all of these standards are usually nominated  and voted on by the entire Academy. There's a little more to it than it being just a "good movie." Also, The movies that are selected do not necessarily have to be absolutely timeless, but they have to have something remarkable about them that can possibly stand the test of time. This is why we won't see movies like "the Avengers," or "Grown Ups," or "World War Z," or "The Dark Knight" *gasp* win best picture. Let's be real here...do you really think people are going to remember "the Avengers" once the comic-book movie craze dies out? I don't think so. Films like "the Hurt Locker," or "Argo," or "the Departed" will better stand the test of time, because their entire structure as films will as well. 

     The Academy, I've read, has gotten some requests over the years. People send letters/emails demanding that the Oscars be decided by the public. No. No. No. No. No. A thousand times, No. I direct you to my earlier argument. Do you really want the general audiences, people who probably see 10 movies a year (at the most) to decide what films get placed into film history? Or, would you rather that decision be decided by those who have dedicated their lives and careers to appreciating film? This is why the Academy and I give zero legitimacy towards award shows like the MTV Movie Awards and the Teen's Choice Awards. I tell you, if the public had their way, "the Avengers" and "the Dark Knight Rises" would've taken home every single Oscar at the last show.  I ask again...is that something you really want? I don't.

    I've repeated myself quite a bit in this extensive review, and I fear I'm going to again. At this point, some might still hold their belief that the Academy discriminates against genre films. Well, allow me to pose this point of consideration to you:

          At the 76th Annual Academy awards, "The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King" took home a grand total of 11 Oscars. It literally won every single Oscar it was nominated for. That is a feat that very few movies have ever accomplished in the history of film. Oh guess what? It's a Fantasy film..Still want to play the biased card. Okay...Heath Ledger winning Best supporting Actor in 2009 postmortem for his role as the Joker in "the Dark Knight."

     

     As I have stared before, the Academy watches every single movie that is released before deciding what films should be considered. They don't purposely exclude genre films; "Lord of the Rings" is proof of that. Let me pose this question to you all right now...When you begin to suspect bias of the Academy because the film you really enjoyed wasn't nominated, are you really sure the film you watched was "that" good? 

     Okay, film is subjective, and no opinion of a movie is ever the same, but maybe you need to consider that a lot of people probably didn't feel the same way you did. People seem to think that because they like a film, and their friends like a film, that suddenly, EVERYONE likes that film. It really doesn't work that way. Take a look at a number of film rating/review websites and articles, like Rottentomatoes. Take a look at the diverse reviews people are giving this film, and you'll see what I mean. You might just be surprised to learn why your film wasn't nominated.

     Now, I am not saying that everyone everywhere should agree with what the Academy says blindly. Of course, people should always form their own opinions on movies. That being said, calling the Oscars "biased" because you didn't agree with them or because a movie you liked wasn't nominated is just absolute nonsense. We have to understand that the Academy and the Oscars are made up of people whose job involves film. They appreciate film in ways that the general audience probably can't understand. These prestigious awards stand as representations of what films/performers/filmmakers these acclaimed film appreciators deem worthy enough to be placed in film History. These winners are revered by their own peers as major contributors to cinema, and they should be respected. In conclusion, the same argument stands for the Academy as it stands for all of us: Just because they hold a different opinion than you, does not mean they are wrong.