Excitement is nowhere to be found regarding the 97th Academy Awards, as this year’s nominations have brought skepticism towards the voting process due to most of the choices being undeserving of an award, let alone an Oscar. The public seems to be concerned about whether this year’s Academy Awards, a three-and-half-hour program filled with rigged votes and unfair nominations, will be worth the watch or an utter waste of everyone’s time.
In a recent interview by Entertainment Weekly, four anonymous Academy voters were asked about recent events surrounding this year’s Oscars. Controversies surrounding the most nominated film, “Emilia Perez,” were discussed, opinions on how the ceremony will have no performance during the telecast, and their secret ballot picks for the main categories.
The voters had a few good takes. They pointed out how the Academy should rescind Karla Sofia Gascon’s nomination as her controversial past came into light and how Anora felt very “male-gazey.” However, what raised eyebrows among the public was that these Academy voters had yet to see some of the nominated movies: “Dune: Part Two,” “The Substance” and “Nickel Boys.”
These voters were unprofessional about their reasons for abstaining from watching said films.
“I place it on myself,” said one voter about “Dune: Part 2.” “When I walked into the theater, I wasn’t in the right headspace. It wasn’t compelling to me. I’m open to sci-fi, but I think it had something to do with whatever I’d gone through that day.”
Another voter stated that he knew “nothing” about “Nickel Boys” and “The Substance” was “not their thing.”
This is a small fraction of the 10,000+ Academy members. It does represent, in a way, the voting process of the Oscar members or how some votes are not because of the film’s artistic merit but because of voters’ personal experience with the film.
Academy voters seem careless about their decisions, choosing “life-changing” films and acting performances that, if compared to the 2024 Oscar nominees, most would not even be on the list, let alone win any award. Academy members should watch all nominated films, whether they seem tedious or not their “thing.” After all, it is their responsibility to carry out each year’s Academy Awards. The show must go on.
