The headline says it all. Is this some strange move on the Academy’s part to further dilute an already incredibly suspect process? Or, more likely, is this a response to the outcry last year against critical favorites such as “The Dark Knight” and “WALL-E” missing the cut. With 10 nominees, “the bubble” is all but eliminated and it’s a free-for-all.
As exiting Academy president Sid Ganis puts it in the press release (see below), “Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize.” I understand the desire to widen the net, considering the rather heated scrutiny the organization has received for some of its nominee choices, but is this the answer?
Of course, the way the release puts it, the AMPAS wants to “go back to some of its earlier roots,” back when the 10 nominees was the norm. But that was 70 years ago. Additionally, this raises a whole other slate of questions as it regards competition and Oscar advertising. With consistent awards budget cuts, a move like this could be seen as a breath of fresh air for studios stifled by the competition. Then again, it could open the door for even more campaign dollars. Is a “Star Trek” Best Picture push suddenly viable? But the fact remains, with a widened winner’s circle comes a vacuum where being distinguished is concerned.
The announcement dovetails nicely with a current AMPAS showcase of the 10 Best Picture nominees from 1939, a collective of classic-age cinematic gems including “Gone With the Wind,” “Stagecoach” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
I’ll have to turn this over in my head a bit but it seems the novelty of the BFCA’s 10 Best Picture contenders is the new black. And I guess you can add one more “top 10 list” to the end of year collective: The Academy’s Top 10 Films of 2009.” Incredibly bizarre. What do you think?
(Additionally, Greg Ellwood at HitFix is reporting that the Animated Feature category was on the chopping block but survived after all.)
Full press release:
The 82nd Academy Awards, which will be presented on March 7, 2010, will have 10 feature films vying in the Best Picture category, Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis announced today (June 24) at a press conference in Beverly Hills.
“After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” said Ganis. “The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one Best Picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009.”
For more than a decade during the Academy’s earlier years, the Best Picture category welcomed more than five films; for nine years there were 10 nominees. The 16th Academy Awards (1943) was the last year to include a field of that size; “ Casablanca ” was named Best Picture. (In 1931/32, there were eight nominees and in 1934 and 1935 there were 12 nominees.)
Currently, the Academy is presenting a bicoastal screening series showcasing the 10 Best Picture nominees of 1939, arguably one of Hollywood ’s greatest film years. Best Picture nominees of that year include such diverse classics as “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Stagecoach,” “The Wizard of Oz” and Best Picture winner “Gone with the Wind.”
“Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize,” commented Ganis. “I can’t wait to see what that list of ten looks like when the nominees are announced in February.”
The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2. The Oscar® ceremony honoring films for 2009 will again take place at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood , and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.
Comments
178 responses to “This year’s Best Picture category to feature 10 nominees”
Holy fucking Christ.
Th is so gonna end in disaster.
At first glance, I thought it was a great idea. Why not? But in terms of the actual competition aspect, it seems you can eliminate at least five candidates right off the bat that don’t earn the corresponding director nod.
What the f*ck? This is so out of left field. My initial reaction for some reason is anger, this seems like a terrible idea.
Also, if this means Star Trek gets a Best Picture nomination, I’m gonna cry.
I would at least be interested in the idea if it wasn’t so obviously a transparent attempt to help big-budget studio films. Hopefully some smaller indies will benefit as well.
Yikes.
Doesn’t having 10 nominees devalue actually being a Best Picture nominee?
10 nominees will only create more “outcry” and lots of more fighting once undeserving nominees show up and the Academy STILL manages to leave out critics and pundits pics…
For a moment there I thought it was April 1st.
OH my GOD!!!
Wow, shocking… this is going to be a clusterfuck.
So Kris, when are we going to see you additional 5 predicted noms on the sidebar…? :)
I’ll withhold judgment until I actually see what kind of list they come up with. But if there’s not one foreign-language film on the list (and let’s face it, there probably won’t be), then they’ll just look even stupider than they always do.
And The Dark Knight’s legacy grows……………
The Academy Awards originally had more than 5 films for BP in the first ten years, didn’t it?
Mike_M: Lots to consider now. Lots. It’ll be a while.
Kris, like you, the first two movies I thought of were Wall-E and The Dark Knight. They’re trying to correct the wrongs of last year.
This opens the door WIDE open. Forget the question “will an animated film get a nod?” Now you’ve got to start asking “can TWO animated movies get nods?” A ton of movies that people would count out early now have a fighting chance. Very cool.
Although Chad brings up a good point…expanding the field to 10 pretty much guarantees that the 5 films that DON’T get best director nods are pretty much out of the running. Maybe they’ll be expanding that race, too? (I doubt it)
Can we now all agree that Pixar will finally get its first BP nom this year with UP? It would have been nice to see it happen without the added help, but small victories.
Strike my last comment/question- I hadn’t read the full presser.
Perhaps the Academy should for 10 directors, too, so what happened to Chris Nolan doesn’t happen again.
Ken: Yes, I think we can.
Why can’t there be perhaps 6 or 7 nominees?
I know it isn’t a nice pretty number like 5 or 10 but I do think were are going to end up with 3 or 4 movies every year that don’t really deserve to be there.
Wow. Saturation comes to mind.
Ugh. Do I have to do a chart of 20 now?
Urgh… imagine the past few years had they chosen 10 nominees:
“Great Debaters.” Best Picture Nominee!
“Knocked Up.” Best Picture Nominee!
Well, I seem to be the odd person out, but I’m excited about this. I’ve long hoped that they’d expand the amount of nominees (although I thought maybe they’d go to 7 – 10 is beyond what I’d hoped for!) Let’s face it, there are more movies being made now than ever before, and more great movies being made now than ever before. I only wish the other categories would expand to 10 as well. Who does it hurt? More people being recognized, more people invested in the awards instead of being mad at it. I think this is exciting !
I don’t think it will affect the outcome of which movie the Academy ultimately awards the Best Picture. This is just a ploy to pat the backs of other genres that are often left out of the running, despite being great movies. I don’t think this revived selection process will last long.
“I know it isn’t a nice pretty number like 5 or 10 but I do think were are going to end up with 3 or 4 movies every year that don’t really deserve to be there.”
That’s different from any other year in what way?
In all seriousness, I think it’s great. 70 years from the greatness of 1939 — which had 10 all-time classics nominated — perhaps 2009 can stir up comparisons…okay, maybe not.
Mmm, now one (of the many) problems I see. Up will get a nomination, and the headlines will state that Up is the first animated picture since BatB to get a BP nod. But now that statistic will have to be slapped with a big fat asterisk because of the fact that there are 10 nominees.
Then again, I guess no one out there says that The Wizard of Oz is any less of a nominee than, say, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Remember how infuriated people were when their favourite film was not included in the T
If it only this was in place for last year…
I am excited for this. Sure, you can eliminate 5 movies that won’t win just based on the director nominees, but at least some great movies that deserve to be recognized will get that citation in their record. If the critics can have up to 10 nominees, why can’t the Oscars.
Remember how infuriated people were then their favourite film was not included in the top 5?
Imagine how ticked people will be when their favourite film gets snubbed from the Top 10!
People might want to take a look at years other than 1939, where utter shite like “Blossoms in the Dust” and “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” made the Top 10, before waxing nostalgic. (And even there, “Dark Victory” is a pretty godawful film.)
That said, “La Grande Illusion” made the list way back when, so like I said … withholding judgment.
It’ll open the doors to films lie Children of Men, Jesse James, Zodiac… The Hurt Locker or critically acclaimed comedies getting the attention.
I like it.
I thought about this for a while. This increases the chance of crappy Best Picture winner. In a ten nomination year, movies like “The Reader” and “Juno” could upset and win. The only upside I see in this is the possible inclusion of more foreign films. Maybe films like “City of God” and “Pan’s Labrynth” could have gotten a BP nomination with these new rules. If you look at the nominees in the years where there were 10 choices, there were several mediocre films. Being a Best Picture nominee won’t mean as much anymore. I think this will increase the stature of the Golden Globes and the BAFTA’s
Wow. This is surprising. 10 is a little much, I think though. I think 5 is fine, even though some movies get screwed over. Maybe 7 would be a good number. Anyway, this will be extremely interesting when the time comes for serious predictions. As well as possible rating increases.
Why not expand to SIX or SEVEN, why does it have to be TEN nominees? With six or seven choices, films like TDK could have gotten in, you don’t have to expand by five.
Guy — it’s total nostalgia for me. And also “Gunga Din” and “Beau Geste” didn’t even make it that year.
My point is, crap gets nominated with a field of 5, why not let more crap? I’ll take 4 more shitty movies if it means “Children of Men” or “Zodiac” sneak in.
If the Academy did this, in part, to let “The Dark Knight’s” in than they’re absolutely crazy. The Dark Knight was a once in a decade deal, I believe. You know, summer blockbuster garnering serious Oscar considering. Oh, and just because Star Trek has a 95% rotten tomato rating does not mean it should be a best picture nominee. Wait – the field has been expanded to ten. Never mind.
i good idea would have benn that the best picture category ALLOWS only up to 10 nominees and a minimun of 5, basing the number of nominees of the number of votes each picture gets that qualifies it for being a nominee. in that case there could be 6, 7, etc. nominees. i think that would be really fair
There is a big initial shock, but I kinda like it and I feel it will allow some more non-traditional contenders in (like Wall-E and Dark Knight last year, and I think perhaps Bourne the year before might’ve snuck in).
One other funny thing that will likely happen, is we might well start seeing some films get BP noms as their only nod, it happened with Grand Illusion and last year, for instance, I think Gran Torino was in the top ten (it had a lot of the love in the academy and even seemed to have a chance to break into the top 5) despite not having any nods.
“I think this will increase the stature of the Golden Globes and the BAFTA’s”
Well, the Globes DO nominate ten pictures as well.
I’m officially out of the year-in-advance prediction business. If I can’t come up with 20 picks for a chart in June, how the hell am I gonna do it in February?
I’m stalling at 17:
Amelia
Avatar
Bright Star
An Education
Funny People
Green Zone (might not release)
The Hurt Locker
The Informant
Invictus
The Lovely Bones
Nine
Precious
Public Enemies
Shutter Island
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air
How about Moon getting in there, Kris?
Yeah, and might as well toss Drag Me to Hell in there =)
Maybe the Coens’ A Serious Man.
So they basically lowered the value of the Best Picture award in one announcement.
Nice.
so Up will be a best picture nominee… but some other movies this new rule might make serious contenders for a slot:
Public Enemies
Funny People
The Hangover
Harry Potter
Where the Wild Things Are
Antichrist
As great as The Hangover was, there is no way The Academy would seriously consider it. Funny People, probably.
Also, just had a thought. Maybe My Sister’s Keeper? That’s a nice sappy drama starring Abigal Breslin. Sounds like something the Academy would eat up.
Well, at least this isn’t a COMPLETE cop-out, like Ebert naming his Top 20 films of the year, no ranking or anything.
Just added a note about the animated feature category. Apparently it was going to be done away with but survived after all.