NBC News obtained a copy of an email the academy sent members that provided guidance on what steps they need to take ahead of the final voting deadline March 5.
I understand your first sentence, and I agree that for some of them that might be the case, but I still think more are made for entertainment and winning or being nominated can provide a positive signal.
To be clear I’m not saying that winning an Oscar is an automatic “best movie ever” signal. It’s a signal to take another look.
And honestly looking only at last year’s nominees and winners it is a pretty weak signal overall. But if I go back a year, I look over the winners and nominees there…
I never would have seen “Anatomy of a Fall” if it hadn’t been nominated and/or won for best original screenplay, but after it did and I read about it, I decided to watch it and really enjoyed it.
Similarly Emma Stone winning best actress for Poor Things got me interested in it. It’s not a film I thought looked interesting, but I like Emma Stone. So I decided to give it a chance. Now I don’t think I liked it as much as other people, but I think the film was worth watching, worth my time.
Awards let me know that other people have enjoyed something. If I think something looks boring, but then it suddenly wins a bunch of awards, maybe I misjudged it. Maybe I saw the wrong trailer or read the wrong synopsis. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood at that time.
But if I go back a year, I look over the winners and nominees there…
Which is your preference but it’s not a signal for people who watch a lot of movies. For me, it’s best to have a multiple methods for content discovery. For example, you say you like Emma Stone, were that me I’d setup a list to automatically make me aware of her movies.
But this is all preference. I prefer to control the signal and do not trust external signals. You prefer external signals. There are no wrong answers. They are just movies, after all.
For me the issue is these movies are now made to win Oscars instead of entertainment.
Awards mean nothing to me in any of my other decisions. Why this one?
What does guide my decisions in general is, the louder the push the more suspect I become.
I understand your first sentence, and I agree that for some of them that might be the case, but I still think more are made for entertainment and winning or being nominated can provide a positive signal.
To be clear I’m not saying that winning an Oscar is an automatic “best movie ever” signal. It’s a signal to take another look.
And honestly looking only at last year’s nominees and winners it is a pretty weak signal overall. But if I go back a year, I look over the winners and nominees there…
I never would have seen “Anatomy of a Fall” if it hadn’t been nominated and/or won for best original screenplay, but after it did and I read about it, I decided to watch it and really enjoyed it.
Similarly Emma Stone winning best actress for Poor Things got me interested in it. It’s not a film I thought looked interesting, but I like Emma Stone. So I decided to give it a chance. Now I don’t think I liked it as much as other people, but I think the film was worth watching, worth my time.
Awards let me know that other people have enjoyed something. If I think something looks boring, but then it suddenly wins a bunch of awards, maybe I misjudged it. Maybe I saw the wrong trailer or read the wrong synopsis. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood at that time.
Which is your preference but it’s not a signal for people who watch a lot of movies. For me, it’s best to have a multiple methods for content discovery. For example, you say you like Emma Stone, were that me I’d setup a list to automatically make me aware of her movies.
But this is all preference. I prefer to control the signal and do not trust external signals. You prefer external signals. There are no wrong answers. They are just movies, after all.