Why
I'm No Longer Interested In Awards Season
by
Kristin Battestella
I
write a film blog.
However,
for the past several years – perhaps longer if I'm honest with
myself – I have had no interest in covering or following awards
season. I don't watch red carpets or ceremonies nor wait for the
fashionista and party reports. Afterwards, I barely notice the
winners lists anymore. Often I don't notice if a film has won awards
until after I come to review it, which is often months, even years
after its initial success. Gasp!
I
know what you're thinking: “You can't be a real
movie blog if you don't live tweet every single award show! How dare
you
be late on a current film. Timely! Timely! Timely!”
Read
on as I address the reasons behind my seemingly shameful award season
fatigue, which I suspect audiences and fellow bloggers may have felt
themselves but won't admit.
There
are so Many Awards
The
gala dinners, all the major awards shows, every single film critics
association, all the best of lists, every film websites' polls voted
on by you the viewer, all the twitter handles hashtagging their
favorites....I am one film fan with a real life in addition to
blogging and writing work. There's no way to keep up with each and
every instance of all the acclaim. Stick to the biggies or go with
your local critics? Favor a go to film website or live tweet
yourself? Certainly, a real
movie
media professional should maximize that timely hit count with as many
300 word posts as possible and virtually grin
over every single award moment with all the likes, follows, tweets,
and shares. I no longer have neither the time nor the inclination to
stay informed, and you have to choose carefully on which clout does
earn your focus because...
Omnipresence
equals Overrated
Maybe
there aren't outrageous awards campaigns as there have been in the
past, however that's because the contender uses social media instead.
Every film creates a case for itself as the latest instant darling.
In addition to advertising, merchandise, and tie ins, this puts all
the awards favorites more so in your face than say, when you only saw
the TV Spots or full page consideration ads in the trade papers. If I
have no desire to see a movie, should I be pressured into seeing it
because all the trending twitter topics put that picture in my
inescapable view? Even if I want to see a piece, all the at your
fingertips promotion creates an award bait fatigue long before a
piece hits mainstream audiences. By time the major awards roll
around, the hype is overrated and passe. I'm more likely to dismiss a
piece that was overly popular and once talked about but now quickly
forgotten.
But
Contenders are few and far Between
Then
again, there are often many critically acclaimed pieces that never
reach wide release before awards season. Quiet, elusive films are
consistently overrun by the blockbusters at the box office and thus
become invisible releases no matter how decent they may be. Granted,
it is easier to enjoy the awards if you have a horse in the race –
one of these indie darlings to seek out because of the cast and
director. However, my awards enthusiasm wane further reveals my
increasing lack of viewing recent pictures. Though they have their
purpose, I'm not crazy about all the popcorn flicks, and when I do
watch something timely, it's often a clunker and I shouldn't have
wasted my time. It's frustrating to see a faulty mainstream piece
earn popular acclaim while an unusual release I did enjoy goes
unnoticed. In spite of personal movie preference, when the
nominations are so distorted in representing an askew box office
increasingly sectioning off its pie between tent pole films and
midsize or obscure offerings, its just downright dizzying to find
good movies to watch.
Critics
Lists are Just as Inaccurate
Every
organization, city, state, region, website, YouTuber, and/or
#filmtwitter has a yearly favorites list, poll, vote, or awards that
likewise run the gamut between specialization or favoritism, and the
great disparity between what the critics choose and what people like
compromises the criticism. Why are old white men critics reviewing
teen comedies or women's pictures? How can they accurately reflect
the opinions of audiences so drastically different from who they are?
Why are there so many old white male critics who's opinions are
raised above all other voices when their views seem so grossly out of
touch with cinema viewing habits? Diversity in film criticism has
improved somewhat, however women and minorities still have too small
a voice, and there needs to be a much more realistic range between
the right critics watching the right films for the right audience.
Rather than adoring their faves or marring their dislikes with nasty
opinions, the old white guys should say if a film is not meant for
them and who the audience should be, because believe it or not a lot
of decent films are made for diverse viewers, and such pictures
shouldn't have to fall on unwarranted opinions.
Watching
Awards are a Chore
Trying
to find an obscure channel for a secondary award show trying to prove
how different and special it is, struggling with livestreams on a
facebook page with floating likes hearts and stupid comments, or
refreshing twitter every minute for live updates that aren't actually
coming in real time each make it tough to enjoy the winners. On
television there are commercials, stunts, comedy, songs, drinking,
and flubs – and it is all so
dang unnecessary. Ratings
desperation and a false need to appeal to the latest cause, honor, or
humor are completely obvious. Has no one every considered that people
don't want to waste three hours on fluff and just want to hear the
winners? If stars skip out to the parties and we at home read the
results online, for whom then are these hackneyed ceremonies? Nobody
knows how to present awards in a timely manner that both maximizes
live viewing and instant answers. Every stage stunt, commercial, or
crashing website only gives one another reason to tune out. Why
should I bother to watch film ceremonies that leave the most critical
technical awards to happen during television breaks?
Celebrations
are in Bad Taste
In
addition to all the in your face gimmicks, there are custom one time
gala wears, luxury jewelry, outrageous gift baskets, gourmet foods,
and deluxe liquor all priced in the thousands if I'm polite but
really in the millions if I'm honest. Rather than being glamour we
love and all aspire to emulate, the glitter and gold are just tacky
in these austere times. Movie star luster is failing at the box
office because their sassy twitter pages and strategically posed
instagrams are ridiculously out of touch with the everyday audience.
Mom, dad, and three kids with snacks and 3D pricing is not a weekly
outing to the movies many families can afford. We are too busy
worrying about paycheck to paycheck bills, healthcare, politics,
violence, education, and so much more. Ultimately it's tough to
applaud or even take some actors seriously as they project emotional
truths however imaginary onscreen because they are all so let them
eat cake living in a completely different world.
Hello
Category Fraud
Let's
not forget also how many trophies are awarded on you scratch my back
and I'll scratch yours convenience rather than merit. Categories are
toyed with to suit
the seasonal favorites as lead actresses steal supporting categories
and dramas compete in the musical or comedy groupings. Anonymous
ballots from the governing bodies admit they don't see all the
nominees, don't know who many of them are, and confuse the technical
categories – letting ignorance and favoritism declare a default
winner. This combines the hype for one, lack of attention for
another, dismissing honors within the ceremonies, and carelessness of
the numerous awards to be swayed, fudged, or gifted. With the right
campaign or backer, awards are easy to come by at best and at worst
flat out bought. Why should I take any of the accolades where they
didn't really belong as legitimate when the associations won't uphold
the merits themselves?
Too
many Creeps have Praised Films
In
the end, it's
damn daunting to want to see a movie only to find it is surrounded by
a terrible scandal. It's gross as a viewer tiptoeing around taboos,
touchy as a film blog praising art, and downright uncomfortable for
one and all. Who's problematic? Are there degrees of lesser evils
where we defend those who aren't that
bad
in comparison to the criminally egregious?
It's awkward at best to applaud the alleged or ambiguous and simply
wrong to happily hand them gold as if there's been no trouble at all.
You know who I mean without mentioning their names; we wonder if
everyone is guilty by association or suspect films we enjoy even if
they seem stain free. I want stars who received awards for working
with nasty people to auction their trophies in support of charity. I
want women to not attend ceremonies so all can see just how many
seats are empty without them. I want minorities to storm the red
carpets and show Hollywood just how many non-white employees there
can be. I'm tired of lip service that honors victims on stage and
then turns around to reward a statue to a creeper. Rather than making
impressive strides to balance the abuses in their industry, each
awards body lowers the bar by acting like no real world or behind the
scenes problems exist. When Hollywood can't or won't accurately
illume all its highs and lows, really what is there to cheer?
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