The field for the Academy Awards Best Picture nominees will increase from five to 10 beginning in 2010, the Academy is announcing.
They’re saying the move will align them more with the award ceremonies in much of the ’30s and up to the 1944 show. Blather. They’re doing it because if the Academy recognizing five movies can make the industry $XYZ billion, think how much more with double the number of films. They’re printing money over in the Hollywood Hills. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Think of a movie like Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino, which got zilch in nominations this year. Great movie, but with the Academy’s recognition increasingly being seen as a key base-line indicator of a successful grown-folks film, Torino probably took a hit in the box office/video intake. Granted, it did great in domestically and internationally, and it’s doing quite well on video. It should be. Just imagine if they could plug on the cover of the box with “Nominated — Best Picture.”
So, is it too soon to take a crack at what the 10 Best Picture nominees will be when they’re announced sometime in January 2010? Let’s play.
My list:
Up
Nine
The informant
The Road
Where the Wild Things Are
Amelia
Brothers
The Lovely Bones
Avatar
The Human Factor
