White-washing the Oscars

Tweet

Oscars are a time where everyone praises the best of the best when it comes to film.

The stars get dressed up and head off to some fancy theater to sit and find out if they are winners or losers. Many find the glamor in the dresses and red carpet, but many also find it pompous and just plain annoying.

I agree with this ideal, although for different reasons than just how annoying the constant coverage of the event is. My main reason for finding these awards shows so tasking is the fact that movies such as “Selma” were basically snubbed when it came to nominations.

This is only part of the controversy surrounding this year’s Oscar nominations, but it is central to the argument of the nominations being “white-washed.”

This has also lead to questions of whether or not the Academy should be looked at closer, since The New York Times says the academy is “93 percent white, 76 percent male and an average of 63 years old.”

Coming back to “Selma,” its only nominations were for best picture and best song. David Carr, a columnist for The New York Times, explains that nominations such as these, are “ticking off boxes.”

When Kathryn Bigelow won best director in 2010, the only female director to win in the award’s 87 years, she was not nominated for “Zero Dark Thirty” a few years later.

The same thing that seemed to happen to “12 Years a Slave” is happening to “Selma.” “12 Years a Slave” won best picture, but Steve McQueen, the director, did not.

To make this year even worse, there were no people of color nominated among the 20 lead and supporting actors.

While this is now being brought to the public’s attention, what is the most annoying for me is the fact that many movies that I go to see are not even considered for nominations.

A personal favorite of mine is “Guardians of the Galaxy.” While films such as these may not be as serious as the nominees of years past, I think that is part of the reason they should be considered, as well.

In a film such as “Guardians of the Galaxy,” while the situation is far-fetched, the reactions of the characters are completely relatable and even heart-felt at points. This is what makes these films so fun, as well as action-packed.

The fact that these actors are usually acting toward green screens for the majority of the movie is impressive in its own right.

The special effects blew me away, knowing that the majority of the sets were digitally created. Not seeing that recognized in awards shows is frustrating.

While I am saying that I find awards season taxing, I take nothing away from these actors’ achievements and applaud them for their hard work and dedication to the field.

I think that awards season could be made more interesting for people if changes were made in the process.