Dennis’ musings: Who exactly are the Academy Awards for these days?

When I look at the 2022 Academy Award nominations, I have to wonder, “Who are the Oscars for these days?” Once they had a populist appeal; now they seem geared toward film critics and Hollywood elitists.

Here’s the list of Best Picture nominees: “Nightmare Alley,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Dune,” “Drive My Car,” “Belfast,” “Licorice Pizza,” “The Power of the Dog,” “West Side Story,” “King Richard,” and “CODA.” How many of these films have you seen? I can assure you that the average person has seen few of them.

Some were box office bombs, including “West Side Story” and “Nightmare Alley” (though both are excellent films that deserve to be seen on the big screen). Most are highly overrated, especially “The Power of the Dog” and “Don’t Look Up.” Some were successful on streaming services, such as Apple TV+’s “CODA.”

Only “Dune” was a box office hit. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that the Best Picture nominations should only include the films that make the most money. However, I can assure you, dear reader, that, except for “Dune,” most people with whom I’ve spoken haven’t seen any of the other nominees and, if they have, didn’t particularly enjoy them except for “Dune,” “CODA,” “Belfast,” and “Nightmare Alley.

Jimmy Kimmel nailed it when he blasted the Oscar nominations for not including “Spider-Man: No Way Home” for Best Picture. And he’s 100% correct. The year’s biggest box office success was better than almost every other nominated film. 

Oversights such as this are the reason fewer and fewer folks care about the Academy Awards.

Let’s look at the top 10 Best Picture winners of the past 10 years: “Parasite,” “Green Book,” “The Shape of Water,” “Moonlight,” “Spotlight,” “Birdman,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Argo,” “The Artist,” and “The King’s Speech.”

I enjoyed most of these films, but compare that list to this one of the 10 box office hits of the past 10 years (in descending order): “Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Jurassic World,” “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Star Wars: Episode VII: The Last Jedi,” Incredibles 2,” and “The Lion King.”

Which films will be fondly remembered and rewatched by most moviegoers 10 years from now? Just sayin’.

Let me conclude by listing the Best Picture winners from 1971 to 1980: “Patton,” “The French Connection,” “The Godfather,” “The Sting,” “The Godfather Part II,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Rocky,” “Annie Hall,” “The Deer Hunter,” and “Kramer vs. Kramer.”

Compare them to the 2022 Best Picture nominees. Once the Academy Awards managed to combine great films that audiences also loved. Today they are a list of great films mainly beloved by film critics and those in Hollywood who want everyone to know how socially conscious they are.

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