Award Shows: Hollywood’s Favorite Pulpit

I skipped the Oscars last night. But a quick look at all the post-Oscar news showed how little I actually missed. First, the good: Leonardo Dicaprio finally won an Oscar! I’m also happy that Inside Out won Best Animated Movie and that Mad Max Fury Road won so many awards.

But I have some things I need to get off my chest.

Why is it that so many of the movies nominated for Oscars are ones that aren’t seen by the mass population? I mean, I loved Mad Max Fury Road, I seriously wish Star Wars: The Force Awakens won something. I mean, it’s pretty much a given that the winner for Best Animated Feature will be a movie that everyone has seen, but the awards for sound editing and sound mixing feel like table scraps compared to important awards such as Best Screenplay and Cinematography.

I’ll admit that Star Wars: The Force Awakens doesn’t have the most original story, but you’d think the Academy would give some recognition to the highest grossing film of 2015. Besides that, Star Wars has something the other films nominated didn’t: a black man in a leading role.

I was glad that Chris Rock sort-of kind-of addressed the #OscarsSoWhite issue, but addressing the issue racism in Hollywood wasn’t going to go away just because Chris Rock decided to stick with hosting the Oscars. In fact, there was a really bad joke done at the expense of Asians that used Asian kids that dressed up as the bankers from the financial firm that tabulates all the Oscar votes.

It calls to mind a certain song:

Which reminds me…

The Oscars can be really preachy sometimes. I’m not just talking about actors constantly bringing up the issue of under-representation in the film industry. I’m talking about how Sam Smith included the LGBT community in his acceptance speech because he wanted to be the first openly gay Oscar winner. I’m talking about Leonardo Dicaprio raising awareness about climate change in his acceptance speech.

To quote a catchphrase amongst the secular community: Keep it in church! (or at the very least an op-ed in The New York Times)

Then again, maybe these award ceremonies are, in a strange way, the Church of Hollywood. I mean think about it. They dress to the nines and gather together for a very long ceremony, set aside time to honor the dead, and talk about the important issues going on alongside congratulating themselves for creating things that the rest of the world doesn’t really care about.

And at the same time, the people behind the film Spotlight call out the Catholic Church on the sex scandals that inspired the movie in the first place. It’s like they have no idea that the Catholic Church is actually making efforts to fix this scandal. And Mark Ruffalo, I love you, I really do, but combined with the fact that you support Planned Parenthood, you are quickly becoming my least favorite Avenger.

Oh, and you shouldn’t be so ignorant about Pope Francis. It was through him that Leo won that Oscar, you know! I mean, I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that Dicaprio finally won an Oscar after meeting Pope Francis. Because let’s be honest, the only way you can top meeting the Pope is by winning an Academy Award.

If you ask me, I think I’d stick to my cult classics and independent films. When does Jane Wants A Boyfriend come out again?!