On February 17, 2015, HitFix published an article
that asked an important question: what would happen if you let the
moviegoers pick Oscar winners instead of the Academy? I felt it would be
more interesting to put the power in the hands of everyone who watched
movies and came up with my own list.
Hitfix recently ran an article titled “The People’s Ballot: If Average Moviegoers Picked The Oscars” which I enjoyed. It drew attention to the growing disconnect between moviegoers and the Academy, focusing especially on the rise in artistic merit of superhero movies, popularity of comedies, and impact of the box office, all of which I agreed were valid points. Where I disagreed was in their claim that basing their picks off of box office stats would "settle the sometimes hostile rift between audiences and critics".
Times have changed. Not only has technology and mass media made it so that those who attend the theater no longer represent the moviegoing public, it means that "average" is way more impressive than it used to be. There certainly was a point in time where any movie that couldn't afford an impressive marketing campaign complete with Happy Meal toys would get swept under the rug for the film nerds to uncover, but that's not the case in 2015. You don’t need to keep your nose to the grindstone to google “Whiplash”, see that it has a 95 on Rotten Tomatoes, and check it out On Demand when you have 2 hours to kill. So, in keeping up with the times, I'm going to focus on the average movie watcher instead. This includes those who still go to the movies, those who buy it later On Demand or on iTunes, those who stream it on their laptop, and those that bought a Jerry Seinfeld bootleg on the street; all that matters is that they watched.
Best Director - Wes Anderson (HitFix pick: Clint Eastwood)
Escapism is still highly popular amongst average movie fans, and Interstellar is the only one that took us to another world in more than one sense. Already ranked in the top 25 of IMDB’s 250 greatest movies of all time despite its panned reception in most published syndicates, Interstellar’s
claim to this category is bolstered by the number of angry fans that
pointed to this snub as an example of why the Academy is not to be taken
seriously. Add in the cinematography that even the strongest Interstellar bashers were stunned by, a recognizable cast, and the Dark Knight snub, and Interstellar seems the most obvious option on the Peoples Ballet.
Hitfix recently ran an article titled “The People’s Ballot: If Average Moviegoers Picked The Oscars” which I enjoyed. It drew attention to the growing disconnect between moviegoers and the Academy, focusing especially on the rise in artistic merit of superhero movies, popularity of comedies, and impact of the box office, all of which I agreed were valid points. Where I disagreed was in their claim that basing their picks off of box office stats would "settle the sometimes hostile rift between audiences and critics".
Times have changed. Not only has technology and mass media made it so that those who attend the theater no longer represent the moviegoing public, it means that "average" is way more impressive than it used to be. There certainly was a point in time where any movie that couldn't afford an impressive marketing campaign complete with Happy Meal toys would get swept under the rug for the film nerds to uncover, but that's not the case in 2015. You don’t need to keep your nose to the grindstone to google “Whiplash”, see that it has a 95 on Rotten Tomatoes, and check it out On Demand when you have 2 hours to kill. So, in keeping up with the times, I'm going to focus on the average movie watcher instead. This includes those who still go to the movies, those who buy it later On Demand or on iTunes, those who stream it on their laptop, and those that bought a Jerry Seinfeld bootleg on the street; all that matters is that they watched.
Anderson
would win this category because he’s popular and acclaimed enough for
people to feel he’s overdue for the award, but not so popular that it stops being the “cool” pick. Combine this with his many perceived snubs in this category, how easy it is to identify a “Wes Anderson movie”, and the fact that The Grand Budapest Hotel truly is a well-executed and highly entertaining movie and we have a winner.
Escapism is still highly popular amongst average movie fans, and Interstellar is the only one that took us to another world in more than one sense. Already ranked in the top 25 of IMDB’s 250 greatest movies of all time despite its panned reception in most published syndicates, Interstellar’s
claim to this category is bolstered by the number of angry fans that
pointed to this snub as an example of why the Academy is not to be taken
seriously. Add in the cinematography that even the strongest Interstellar bashers were stunned by, a recognizable cast, and the Dark Knight snub, and Interstellar seems the most obvious option on the Peoples Ballet.
While it really is impossible to ignore the statement American Sniper made at the box office, it’s equally impossible to ignore the ensuing controversy that made AS
too divisive in the eyes of an average viewer to take home Best
Director or Best Picture. But the performances can be separated from the
politics even if the movie can’t, and almost no one would argue that
Cooper wasn’t captivating as the sniper Chris Kyle. From his spot on
Texas accent to the pounds of muscle he put on for the role, Cooper came
the closest of any actor to “becoming” their character. This, and the
fact audiences love actors that put effort into transitioning from
comedy to drama, makes Cooper a safe choice.
This
one was more difficult than the other categories considering most
popular movies either had no viable options or had viable options drenched in make-up or covered up by CGI. This means that the two strongest options here are Edward Norton for Birdman or Simmons for Whiplash.
What gives Simmons the edge, though, is that Norton's relatively
limited screen time means that the audience has to be familiar with the
meta elements involving an actor who is reportedly difficult to work with playing an actor who is difficult to work with to fully appreciate the performance. Simmons isn't a no-name,
but you didn't have to know who he was to love Terence Fletcher. He was
there from start to finish, dominated every scene, and was more
important in making Whiplash what it was than many Best Actor candidates can even claim about their respective movies.
Stone did so well opposite of veterans Edward Norton and Michael Keaton in Birdman
that she actually has a decent chance at the real Supporting Actress
Oscar. This means that her likability and strong past performances in
fan favorites like Superbad and Easy A is more than enough to catapult her over the rest of the field -- especially considering Meryl Streep’s award wins/nominations are becoming a punchline more than anything.
This one doesn’t require as much explanation, as The LEGO Movie was considered by many to be the Academy’s biggest snub despite Best Animated Feature being a less prominent category, and “Everything Is Awesome” was both clever and infectious.
Maleficent was a good choice, but if we’re really basing this list off of popular opinion, Guardians of the Galaxy would likely win simply on the virtue of being seen and loved by many more people.
Obviously neither of these lists are going to be perfect, as no one person can encapsulate the entire world’s preferences in one list. But I felt that the previous list unintentionally diminished the power of the people by focusing on the minority that still consistently go to the theater rather than the multitudes of non-critics that are watching more movies than ever before. And even if I’m wrong and misjudged or overestimated taste more than the previous list underestimated them, I’d still like to offer this up and get people talking about our exposure to media in the 21st century and how it relates to the notorious Academy.
-Nick Ferguson
Hitfix recently ran an article titled “The People’s Ballot: If Average Moviegoers Picked The Oscars” which I enjoyed. It drew attention to the growing disconnect between moviegoers and the Academy, focusing especially on the rise in artistic merit of superhero movies, popularity of comedies, and impact of the box office, all of which I agreed were valid points. Where I disagreed was in their claim that basing their picks off of box office stats would "settle the sometimes hostile rift between audiences and critics".
Times have changed. Not only has technology and mass media made it so that those who attend the theater no longer represent the moviegoing public, it means that "average" is way more impressive than it used to be. There certainly was a point in time where any movie that couldn't afford an impressive marketing campaign complete with Happy Meal toys would get swept under the rug for the film nerds to uncover, but that's not the case in 2015. You don’t need to keep your nose to the grindstone to google “Whiplash”, see that it has a 95 on Rotten Tomatoes, and check it out On Demand when you have 2 hours to kill. So, in keeping up with the times, I'm going to focus on the average movie watcher instead. This includes those who still go to the movies, those who buy it later On Demand or on iTunes, those who stream it on their laptop, and those that bought a Jerry Seinfeld bootleg on the street; all that matters is that they watched.
Best Director - Wes Anderson (HitFix pick: Clint Eastwood)Anderson would win this category because he’s popular and acclaimed
enough for people to feel he’s overdue for the award, but not so popular
that it stops being the “cool” pick. Combine this with his many perceived snubs in this category, how easy it is to identify a “Wes Anderson movie”, and the fact that The Grand Budapest Hotel truly is a well-executed and highly entertaining movie and we have a winner.
Best Picture - Interstellar (HitFix pick: American Sniper)
Escapism is still highly popular amongst average movie fans, and Interstellar is the only one that took us to another world in more than one sense. Already ranked in the top 25 of IMDB’s 250 greatest movies of all time despite its panned reception in most published syndicates, Interstellar’s
claim to this category is bolstered by the number of angry fans that
pointed to this snub as an example of why the Academy is not to be taken
seriously. Add in the cinematography that even the strongest Interstellar bashers were stunned by, a recognizable cast, and the Dark Knight snub, and Interstellar seems the most obvious option on the Peoples Ballet.Best Actor - Bradley Cooper (HitFix pick: Chris Pratt)
Hitfix recently ran an article titled “The People’s Ballot: If Average Moviegoers Picked The Oscars” which I enjoyed. It drew attention to the growing disconnect between moviegoers and the Academy, focusing especially on the rise in artistic merit of superhero movies, popularity of comedies, and impact of the box office, all of which I agreed were valid points. Where I disagreed was in their claim that basing their picks off of box office stats would "settle the sometimes hostile rift between audiences and critics".
Times have changed. Not only has technology and mass media made it so that those who attend the theater no longer represent the moviegoing public, it means that "average" is way more impressive than it used to be. There certainly was a point in time where any movie that couldn't afford an impressive marketing campaign complete with Happy Meal toys would get swept under the rug for the film nerds to uncover, but that's not the case in 2015. You don’t need to keep your nose to the grindstone to google “Whiplash”, see that it has a 95 on Rotten Tomatoes, and check it out On Demand when you have 2 hours to kill. So, in keeping up with the times, I'm going to focus on the average movie watcher instead. This includes those who still go to the movies, those who buy it later On Demand or on iTunes, those who stream it on their laptop, and those that bought a Jerry Seinfeld bootleg on the street; all that matters is that they watched.
Best Director - Wes Anderson (HitFix pick: Clint Eastwood)
Anderson
would win this category because he’s popular and acclaimed enough for
people to feel he’s overdue for the award, but not so popular that it stops being the “cool” pick. Combine this with his many perceived snubs in this category, how easy it is to identify a “Wes Anderson movie”, and the fact that The Grand Budapest Hotel truly is a well-executed and highly entertaining movie and we have a winner.Best Picture - Interstellar (HitFix pick: American Sniper)
Escapism is still highly popular amongst average movie fans, and Interstellar is the only one that took us to another world in more than one sense. Already ranked in the top 25 of IMDB’s 250 greatest movies of all time despite its panned reception in most published syndicates, Interstellar’s
claim to this category is bolstered by the number of angry fans that
pointed to this snub as an example of why the Academy is not to be taken
seriously. Add in the cinematography that even the strongest Interstellar bashers were stunned by, a recognizable cast, and the Dark Knight snub, and Interstellar seems the most obvious option on the Peoples Ballet.Best Actor - Bradley Cooper (HitFix pick: Chris Pratt)
While it really is impossible to ignore the statement American Sniper made at the box office, it’s equally impossible to ignore the ensuing controversy that made AS
too divisive in the eyes of an average viewer to take home Best
Director or Best Picture. But the performances can be separated from the
politics even if the movie can’t, and almost no one would argue that
Cooper wasn’t captivating as the sniper Chris Kyle. From his spot on
Texas accent to the pounds of muscle he put on for the role, Cooper came
the closest of any actor to “becoming” their character. This, and the
fact audiences love actors that put effort into transitioning from
comedy to drama, makes Cooper a safe choice.Best Actress - Jennifer Lawrence
This is the first category HitFix and I agree on, and it makes perfect sense. Jennifer Lawrence already has won a Best Actress Oscar
and deserves to win more, so it stands to reason for people to expect
her to win for her most prominent role. Lawrence is aided by the fact
that outside of Rosamund Pike most of the Best Actress candidates acted
in movies that most average fans actually did not see, so the cultural
influence of The Hunger Games is enough to give her this category.
Best Supporting Actor - J.K. Simmons (HitFix pick: Dave Bautista)
This
one was more difficult than the other categories considering most
popular movies either had no viable options or had viable options drenched in make-up or covered up by CGI. This means that the two strongest options here are Edward Norton for Birdman or Simmons for Whiplash.
What gives Simmons the edge, though, is that Norton's relatively
limited screen time means that the audience has to be familiar with the
meta elements involving an actor who is reportedly difficult to work with playing an actor who is difficult to work with to fully appreciate the performance. Simmons isn't a no-name,
but you didn't have to know who he was to love Terence Fletcher. He was
there from start to finish, dominated every scene, and was more
important in making Whiplash what it was than many Best Actor candidates can even claim about their respective movies.Best Supporting Actress - Emma Stone (HitFix pick: Jillian Bell)
Stone did so well opposite of veterans Edward Norton and Michael Keaton in Birdman
that she actually has a decent chance at the real Supporting Actress
Oscar. This means that her likability and strong past performances in
fan favorites like Superbad and Easy A is more than enough to catapult her over the rest of the field -- especially considering Meryl Streep’s award wins/nominations are becoming a punchline more than anything.Best Animated, Original Song - The LEGO Movie
This one doesn’t require as much explanation, as The LEGO Movie was considered by many to be the Academy’s biggest snub despite Best Animated Feature being a less prominent category, and “Everything Is Awesome” was both clever and infectious.Best Costume Design, Makeup - Guardians of the Galaxy (HitFix pick: Maleficent)
Maleficent was a good choice, but if we’re really basing this list off of popular opinion, Guardians of the Galaxy would likely win simply on the virtue of being seen and loved by many more people.Obviously neither of these lists are going to be perfect, as no one person can encapsulate the entire world’s preferences in one list. But I felt that the previous list unintentionally diminished the power of the people by focusing on the minority that still consistently go to the theater rather than the multitudes of non-critics that are watching more movies than ever before. And even if I’m wrong and misjudged or overestimated taste more than the previous list underestimated them, I’d still like to offer this up and get people talking about our exposure to media in the 21st century and how it relates to the notorious Academy.
-Nick Ferguson
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