How to Ruin a Celebration of Excellence In One Easy Step

One upon a time in a dark, Midwest cinema, a 6-year-old girl who loved stories and a story set in a galaxy far far away met for the first time. Thus began a passionate love affair that spanned decades.

Yeah, yeah. I know. That first sentence is awkward. I have things I want to say, and that first sentence isn't nearly as important to me as those things.

I still love movies.

Or more accurately, I still love stories presented in a moving-picture format. Sometimes that means feature-length motion pictures. Sometimes it's television series (broadcast or streaming) or YouTube videos or short films. 

The key is the combination of a well-told story and a well-crafted production. Note I said "a well-told story," here. The storytelling is paramount. Movies and shows these days ... I'm not seeing as much great storytelling. There's way too much effort being put into catering to the vocal complainer groups who think their agendas are more important than good, solid entertainment. I'll get back to this in a moment.

I don't remember when I first discovered the Academy Awards. I remember being a child and begging my dad to let me watch the show (I always missed the end because bedtime was 9:00 p.m.), but I don't recall how old I was when that started.

Fast forward to my teen years when I really committed to my love of film, got a job in a movie theater, and wrote movie reviews and columns for the high school newspaper. At this point, I understood better what the awards were all about, and I loved the idea that members of the filmmaking community got together once a year to honor excellence in the industry.

Oscar night became fixture in my life, celebrated the way most people celebrate holidays. Oscar season was a four or five month moviegoing extravaganza during which I took pride in watching all of the top nominated films. My friend Steve and I started OscarTalk in 2010 as a place where we could formally publish reviews, predictions, and commentary. And of course, we watched the telecast annually.

I assumed the Oscars would be a highlight of my year for life. Even as I approached 50, I still harbored a dream of someday writing a screenplay worthy of a nomination (and, yes, I admit I've imagined getting up in front of that auditorium in a beautiful dress and stumbling over a heartfelt speech).

And then ...

This happened:

Oscars Announce New Inclusion Requirements for Best Picture Eligibility

... and I was done.

I'm sure you've seen my rants over the years about the public outcry regarding "diversity" in nominations. Over and over, I pointed out that selecting films for nomination and awards based on representation of this group or that group isn't what the Academy is there for. The purpose of this particular institution and awards show (as I so foolishly believed) was to celebrate excellence in the craft of filmmaking. Excellence is excellence. It shouldn't be determined based on factors unrelated to the work itself.

Apparently I was wrong.

With the implementation of the new "inclusion requirements," the Academy has effectively demonstrated that the awards are no longer valid representations of superior craftsmanship. And if that is the case, they are meaningless. 

Why?

Because 

1. The pool of films eligible is now limited to those that fit a certain set of criteria. Criteria that are unrelated to the film's quality. 

2. If movies that once would have been eligible are no longer eligible because of factors unrelated to their quality, that is discrimination. Which is apparently what the Academy thinks its overcoming. 🙄

3. Winners can no longer trust that they have won an award for being the best at their jobs. Now there is a very good chance they won an award for fitting into a certain demographic instead. 

Frankly, if I won an award and didn't know if it was because I wrote something outstanding or because I have a vagina, that award would mean nothing to me. Because having a vagina takes absolutely no effort or skill. And tons of people have vaginas, so I'm not special in any way.

And maybe that's the part that upsets me the most. I no longer want an Oscar. I no longer see it as something to aspire to. Because the award has no meaning any longer. A lifelong dream has been erased because of political nonsense. 

Additionally (I told you I'd get back to this), demanding this kind of representation results in a lower quality of entertainment. Not because diverses can't make good movies or because movies about diverse characters can't be good. But because writers aren't trying to be good. They're trying to be inclusive. Not the same thing. 

The Academy – the organization that's supposed to celebrate excellence – has now told the filmmaking community to push storytelling to the bottom of the priority list in favor of  showing off wokeness or whatever you call it. So we get fewer good movies to enjoy.

I will not be watching the Academy Awards telecast again. I will not be spending Oscar season watching all the nominated films and discussing their Oscar worthiness with Steve and my other cinephile friends. 

Thanks a lot, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. You ruined it. Best of luck with those plummeting ratings!

I'm out.