It is never too early to talk about the Academy Awards. Okay, I lie it is too early when there hasn’t been any Oscar-worthy flicks that have come out in recent times. For crying out loud even Harry Potter 7.2 has a shot at Best Picture, and while it was a good movie its not even the best of the Harry Potters. Our year of movies in terms of Oscar-caliber has been extremely weak. But enough about that, I think its time to add a little spice to the Academy Awards. I think its time for some brand new categories that could make the public more interested, and can give recognition to some of the more underrated talent in Hollywood.
Now, I know you will complain that the Oscars are already run long enough with the categories that already exist, but I have the solution to that. Two things: first the Oscars should start much earlier than 9:00. They should run at around 7:00 eastern time, giving more leverage room in case anything runs too long. Second, I will quote myself from an article from a while back:
“…there should be some awards that shouldn’t even mention the nominations, but mention the winners and then give them about 2 minutes of fame by discussing the procedure and why it wins. The awards that should be handed out without mentioning the nominees include: Documentary, Short Film, Short Animated Film, Makeup, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Costume Design). Give these winners 1-2 minutes and you’ll save at least 10-15 minutes of unnecessary Oscar time. Not diminishing these awards, but I actually think the audience would pay more attention if all the focus is on the winner.”
Will the Oscar committee and the public buy into this? Not sure, but it would definitely make things faster. And now, my picks for what new Oscars should come out in the coming years….and which people should get honorary Oscars for their work in that realm. And these are not in any order:
1) Best Stunts
Honorary Oscar: Buster Keaton (Arguably the first true stuntman)
Jackie Chan (I do not need to explain myself)
Zoe Bell (Adding flower power to the world of stunts)
For years the stuntmen of Hollywood have been fighting for their own Oscar. After all, stunts are truly essential to all the big (and small) action/suspense/drama/spy flicks that you see coming out every single year. And with CGI replacing nearly everything in terms of stuntwork, we need to save the industry by introducing an Oscar before everything becomes CGI’d and none of it containing the realistic touch. Adding the Stunts Oscar would also give big blockbuster flicks (that aim for entertainment above Oscar recognition) a chance to earn some gold.
2) Best Choreography
Honorary Oscar: Jackie Chan (Yes, he deserves this one too)
Bob Fosse
Yuen Woo-ping
Choreography is extremely essential to dance/action movies, and its an utter shame that this is not an Oscar yet. What would the Matrix be without the incredible choreography work of Woo-Ping? What would Jackie Chan films look like without the extremely unnerving and relentless efforts of Jackie Chan? And how would Chicago and Cabaret run without Bob Fosse’s touch? It is time that the people coming up with the dance moves and fight scenes deserve their chance to shine.
3) Best Soundtrack
Honorary Oscar: Quentin Tarantino
Martin Scorsese
This one is a fun one, because this Oscar doesn’t require that the music in the movie be original. Sometimes, a good soundtrack full of older music (some of it used before) can actually propel a movie to a new level. The greatest example is in 1994, when Pulp Fiction’s surf rock and edgy 60s tunes and Forrest Gump’s amazing collection of classic 60s-70s hits helped push these two movies to be the best to come out that year. A third example would be Goodfellas, which featured barely any instrumental work or any music made FOR the movie, yet had dozens of songs that when you listen to now—will bring you back to a scene in that film. Goodfellas immortalized “Layla” by using the piano sequence to introduce the massacre that eventually arrived two-thirds into the movie.
4) Best Opening Titles
Honorary Oscar: Saul Bass
Sometimes the opening titles alone gets you excited (or scared) for the movie that’s about to be shown. This aspect of the movies has become very dated, as there is very little effort in the opening sequences, unlike what happened back in the 50s and 60s when legendary Hollywood designer Saul Bass ruled the world. He was responsible for the creepy opening of Psycho, the majestic opening of Vertigo, and the thrilling opening to North by Northwest—all now-classic Hitchcock movies. But they wouldn’t be the same without Saul Bass’ extra touch in the intro. Best opening title in recent years? Fight Club of course. David Fincher knows its essential to get a movie off in the right foot--with Fight Club and Se7en being the best examples.
5) Best Quote
Honorary Oscar: Samuel L. Jackson
Will Ferrell
Sometimes in life all you need is a very good quote. Comedies have the toughest time earning the Oscars, as comedies tend to not be taken as seriously (pun not intended) as dramas in the Oscar field. But with the Best Quote, comedies can now strive for some gold by delivering a line that can become a classic staple in American pop culture as well as garnish the only Oscar they can ever get. The big question is who should get the Oscar— the person that wrote the line? Or the actor/actress that delivered it?
Bottom Line: The Oscars over the years has done a good job in recognizing talent in the film industry, but with these awards we can expand the talent recognition as well as award certain types of films that otherwise would never have a shot at earning anything at all in February of each year. Someone like Jackie Chan is a household name and one of the greatest men to ever make movies, but until categories like Best Stunts develop, he will not get that well-deserved gold unless he gets an Honorary one. And trust me, I've fought over that one too.
Any awards you guys would like to see added to the Academy Awards?
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