November 27, 2002

Oscar, Oscar, Burning Bright

For the great mass of humanity that constitutes America this is the time of year when thoughts turn to buying turkeys and stuffing stockings. However, for a tiny sector of the population the same period takes on the mien of something else – ‘tis the season to contemplate and give awards. The sliver of society most caught up by this mayhem is largely comprised by those who have something to gain either in terms of fattening one’s pocketbook or for the sheer edification of getting an ego massage … and for a very select group, both.

Now, I’m not one of those about to get rich whether Ed Harris is recognized for his performance in The Hours or not. I do not have an acceptance speech, a game face or a good loser’s diplomacy. However, in my small way, I’m a participant in the frenzy by dint of membership in the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and an array of soapboxes to praise good work and carp about the more horrific aspects of honoring it.

Where to start?

Sometime around the middle of the year, studios and production companies will hire an award’s wrangler to establish a strategy for what it considers to be its most praise worthy movies. That person’s job is complicated by a number of factors - he/she is asked to be predictive about films that have not been completed, have yet to be critically reviewed and must still confront the public who will determine their popularity.

A number of years ago, Fox did a first class job of hyping the screen adaptation of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as an awards contender. All that work came to an abrupt and irrevocable end about 25 minutes into the first reviewers screening. Conversely, the producers of an unheralded and unseen indie took the bold step of screening it in advance of its commercial release to a tough crowd of industry opinion makers. When the lights came up, Platoon emerged as the picture to beat for the Oscars and such.

The list of films that have successfully employed the prestige factor as a marketing tool is legendary. The roster of movies that have gambled and come up short is legion.

In case you hadn’t noticed, there are generally just two ways in which films are marketed nowadays. The conventional method is to sell a movie based on stars. Whether Ocean’s 11 was a comedy, drama, period epic or space opera made little difference. The key factor in its presentation was that its cast included George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts.

The other method of getting the public to buy tickets is to tell them that a picture is “the best of the year.” Miramax is currently attempting to send that message about The Gangs of New York, the saga of lawlessness in the streets of the title city in the 1860s. The company has managed to shrewdly obviate the film’s tortuous production history and focus on a pedigree that includes director Martin “never won an Oscar” Scorsese, actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz and production designer Dante Ferretti.

Aside from such obvious question marks as will it play in Peoria or the Mango Screening Room, Miramax also has to weigh to what degree Gangs is the best. They also believe that Chicago - the film version of the award winning Broadway musical and another late year entry - is the best. The company has something on the order of $150 million on the table riding on these two films and, even taking into account the deep pockets of its Disney parent, that’s a lot of moolah. Though the two films would not appear to have the same audience, you wouldn’t know that from the way they are being positioned. And with the two films opening just days apart, Miramax in essence is pitting them against each other. It’s possible both could be embraced by the movie going public but why would anyone want to radically ramp up their risk factor with so much at stake?

Is this madness?

The simple answer is “yes.” Whereas one can release a star (s) vehicle at any time of the year, a quality film appears to have but one season to capture its audience at least in the mind set of the industry. That period doesn’t begin until after Labor Day and preferably between Thanksgiving and December 31.

When - as DreamWorks did with The Road to Perdition - a prestige film is opened during the summer months, it becomes news; a bold adventure in counter programming. The conventional wisdom is that both Academy members and the critical community have short attention spans. The much-lauded Insomnia, an early summer release, has all but been forgotten for Oscar and other award consideration despite hosannas and cant when it opened about actors Al Pacino and Robin Williams receiving statuettes.

Even with the hyperbole extracted, Perdition has managed to stay in the race … at least for the moment. Insomnia’s chances have dimmed because it was graded on the curve and even with the brief passage of time has been pushed out of contention by newer, more vibrant fare. Its faded award’s quotient has little to do with its date of release.

I’ve yet to see a study that indicates older moviegoers (by industry standards plus 25s) including the 6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will only venture out to the cinema when there’s snow on the ground. I have heard film “seniors” say “there’s nothing playing in theaters I want to see. It’s only for kids.”

Would a film such as the dramatic, against the odds Antwone Fisher (opening December 20) do as well at the box office if it opened in May? While there’s no empiric standard to prove it, quality films have been hits in months not ending in the letter “r.” One should keep in mind that the success of Antwone Fisher and at least 20 other films debuting before the end of the year hinges in great part on receiving Golden Globe nominations and citations from critic’s organizations.

Early on in last year’s award prognostications, Miramax assumed its front runner was The Shipping News, based on Anne Proulx’s bestseller and starring twice-Oscared Kevin Spacey. When the film failed to ignite critics and audiences, plans for a wide release were scrubbed. Instead, attention shifted to In the Bedroom, a low budget acquisition premiered at Sundance in February and thought to have its best shot at an Oscar nomination for actress Sissy Spacek. Its prospects changed when the L.A. critics cited it as best film of the year and Miramax rode that wave for three months to the Oscars where it received five major nominations and no wins. It grossed an impressive $50 million worldwide.

There’s truly no consistency between when a film debuts and its ultimate value commercially and artistically. Good films generally have a way of creating noise that will draw in an audience regardless of season, competition or a myriad of other seeming obstacles. Which is not to say film going is a meritocracy. Such revered films as Bringing Up Baby, It’s a Wonderful Life, Sunset Boulevard and The Manchurian Candidate were flops. While movies as diverse as A Fish Called Wanda, Boyz n the Hood, Babe and My Big Fat Greek Wedding somehow clicked (and occasional won awards) on their own merits and appeal.

EMAIL THE AUTHOR