For those of you who haven't heard, the Academy Awards are moving back both the date of their ceremony (April 25th) and the eligibility window for the upcoming Oscars, extending through the end of February. This will result in a couple of things. First, it is only the fourth Oscars ceremony to have been postponed, and the first to be postponed so far in advance (the previous times were the Los Angeles Flood of 1938, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan). Second, it is the first time since 1933 that an Oscars will honor films for longer than 12 months, here having 14 months worth of eligible films up for the Academy Awards.
There are obvious, pragmatic reasons that the Oscars might have to move back its ceremony date-this shouldn't really be an issue for anyone. The Academy Awards, as traditionally told, frequently has 3000 people in the Dolby auditorium, not to mention the orchestra pit, the production crew, the red carpet (complete with crowded fans and photographers), and what goes on on stage with dancers & presenters in close contact. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for the Academy to conduct a traditional ceremony in such a fashion, and absent them wanting to do without the pomp-and-circumstance, the Covid-19 pandemic needs to be more under control than it currently is in order to have something resembling the Oscars.
Where I have my eyebrow raise is around the eligibility window moving, because it feels more like Oscar not wanting to try rather than just extending the window and risk having major "Oscar bait" not get released. Because there are certainly movies, worthy movies, that have come out this year. Films like Shirley, Da 5 Bloods, Emma, and The Invisible Man, for example, have gotten raves and while I'm not going to espouse for all of them (I haven't even seen all of them), they have their champions, and would be able to craft a lineup that would do the Academy proud.
However, these aren't "Oscar Bait" films, certainly not in 2020, and so it feels like Oscar isn't willing to get outside of his comfort zone. Without the assurance that biopics & big-budget productions will be available like they always are, Oscar doesn't seem willing to get outside of his usual tastes and do some homework around what was eligible, and whether there are some hidden gems out there. The BAFTA Awards have already followed suit, proving that they are more concerned about being a precursor than coming up with a lineup that might not mirror Oscar's exactly, and I am sure the Globes and SAG Awards will follow suit. This is the principle reason why I stopped watching precursors a couple of years ago and only watch the occasional speech-there's no indication from these awards bodies they want to do anything other than predict the Oscars, and I'm already good at doing that myself.
One thing that won't be moving is my awards. I publish a version of these every year, and while I will have to debate how I'll handle my "Oscar ballot" question, my Top 10 list of 2020 will only include movies from this calendar year. I'm kind of excited for the prospect, quite frankly. While I don't oftentimes agree with Oscar, he's a guide, and a crutch if I'm struggling with filling out a category. Without that crutch, I'm going to have to seek out more below-the-line films to get my lineup, and I, being a true film fan, love trying to find new, high quality movies wherever they may be. I just wish Oscar did as well.
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