So it’s award season at last, and the movie industry would like to convince you that there are some good pictures in contention for a sleek humanoid trophy. My issues with movie awards is that the guys in suits who bankroll the films we watch all year go out of their way to promote their films as great, yet a majority of the big attendance productions don’t get recognized at award time.
I think it’s a plot. And not one found in a script.
The theatres put out a few movies a week. Most get packed theatres the first weekend, then they taper off because social rules state that if you don’t see the film the first weekend, you’ll be on the back-end of the discussions about it. In fact, one must know all about the actors, the shooting schedule, the special effects, the scandal and the spoilers before entering the theatre. If you don’t, some goof seated behind you will fill you in while talking on his cell phone to his computer geek friend who can’t leave the house while Worlds of Mayhem Part 19 is loading on his gaming system.
The movies that get nominated for minor categories like costumes, effects and such might well be designed for that purpose. One or two well-done movies still need competition to look good when they win.
The blockbuster movies are specially filmed, casted, promoted and fine tuned to lure a huge demographic of people who fit in a nice middle range in the system of categorizing populations. You buy the tickets, the nachos and the promotional clothing and tie-in gear. By the time you leave the theatre, the hype is over like the restroom door slamming behind you; quickly forgotten. Like a roller coaster with one big plunge, there is a moment of exhilaration, then it’s just another ride.
The B-grade movies draw a more exclusive demographic and will never make in profits what was spent. They also never get nominated for an award.
I actually did see Les Miserables and it was a good movie. It was not great, but it had the mechanics of a well made production, and that is what matters. It won’t win anything major because it is a movie version of a Broadway musical based on a classic novel. That’s three strikes in a world where brief YouTube videos are more popular than novels and musicals are looked upon as creative fodder for filler films rather than a trustworthy source for good movie material. I don’t agree with that, but it would take more than a blog to explain it all.
The award season is still begging for good movies. Sure we recognize the best, but even that isn’t all we could have.
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