Source: cognoscenti.wbur.org - Wednesday, February 25, 2015
The week after the Academy Awards were presented the question is in the air: Have the Oscars lost touch with mainstream moviegoers? Let’s hope so. Imagine a world where we await the opening of that final envelop of the evening, wondering whether “Transformers XIV” or “Sixty Shades of Grey” takes home Best Picture. That’s what we’d get if the Oscars became simply another popularity contest or box office measure. Hollywood is not about excellence, but about money; its target demographic primarily consists of 15-year-old boys and couples on date night usually looking for a little escapism. To more closely align the industry’s highest awards with mainstream tastes might mean “American Sniper” is more likely to win. It will definitely mean the director of “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” will have to add a trophy room to his Malibu mansion. It’s always a losing battle to argue art versus commerce. Sure, there are great movies that have made bundles of money, but usually it’s the dreck that brings home the bacon. Just ask Liam Neeson, one time star of “Schindler’s List” who now pays the bills by remaking the same terrible action movie every six months or so. The gulf between quality and quantity of millions earned was not always so wide. Mega-hits have often won Oscar gold: think “Titanic,” or even “Gladiator.” However, most people who view film as an art form would find it hard to argue the merits of either of these Oscar winners. They had sc
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The week after the Academy Awards were presented the question is in the air: Have the Oscars lost touch with mainstream moviegoers? Let’s hope so. Imagine a world where we await the opening of that final envelop of the evening, wondering whether “Transformers XIV” or “Sixty Shades of Grey” takes home Best Picture. That’s what we’d get if the Oscars became simply another popularity contest or box office measure. Hollywood is not about excellence, but about money; its target demographic primarily consists of 15-year-old boys and couples on date night usually looking for a little escapism. To more closely align the industry’s highest awards with mainstream tastes might mean “American Sniper” is more likely to win. It will definitely mean the director of “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” will have to add a trophy room to his Malibu mansion. It’s always a losing battle to argue art versus commerce. Sure, there are great movies that have made bundles of money, but usually it’s the dreck that brings home the bacon. Just ask Liam Neeson, one time star of “Schindler’s List” who now pays the bills by remaking the same terrible action movie every six months or so. The gulf between quality and quantity of millions earned was not always so wide. Mega-hits have often won Oscar gold: think “Titanic,” or even “Gladiator.” However, most people who view film as an art form would find it hard to argue the merits of either of these Oscar winners. They had sc
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