The internet is plenty awash with takes on the Oscar nominations and predictions for who will win which awards. It’s pretty darn easy and tempting to jump into that mess of predictions and picking a horse you think can clean up, or pick off some categories from whoever the juggernaut apparent is in a given year.
This is not one of those posts. If anything, it’s the anti-prediction post of a sort. It’s a pretty well trod subject that the Oscars are just terrible at recognizing and awarding films that will having lasting cultural impact. On the one hand, that’s a tall order for anyone to predict, but also: it’s not really the point of the Oscars. They’re meant to award the best technical/artistic achievements, not necessarily the best cultural achievements (although the latter certainly is a factor).
The Oscars’ history is littered with wins that look ridiculous in hindsight. My go to example is always and forever going to be that Shakespeare in Love beat Shawshank Redemption for Best Picture. That alone illustrates my point and there are a few dozen other winners that no one remembers to talk about a year later that beat out films we talk about for decades.
My point in all this is: don’t watch the Oscars thinking you’re seeing some important touchstone moment in culture and history. It’s a fun night, to be sure. There’s plenty of glitz, and a lot of well deserved wins. My advice is to watch it the same way you watch a camp or cheesy B Movie: don’t take it seriously. Be ready to laugh at those weird upsets rather than being furious- because those upsets are sure to happen so you may as well laugh and have fun.
Odds are very good I’ll be live tweeting the damned thing, so if you want humor rather than stuffy critique, follow me @why_balloo. Cheers folks.
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