2010 Oscars to have 10 Best Picture nominees

This week the American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, aka the people who bring you the annual snore fest known as the Oscars announced that starting in 2010, there will be 10 nominees for Best Picture instead of five, as there has been since 1944.  The reason for the change according to the release is to offer films like The Dark Knight or other nontraditionally recognized features a chance at taking home the honor. 

At first when I heard about this change, I thought it was a cop-out by the Academy.  A change they were making so that people who normally turn off the telecast after the awards related to their personal film interests have been announced would continue to watch.  After all, once the animation and special effects awards are given out (summer blockbusters!) my interest wanes.  But, I think this is actually a good idea after all because most of us have "top ten" lists.  Film critics often publish a "10 best movies of [insert year]" because this allows greater flexibility as well as a broader variety of movies to be recommended.  I can only hope that next year, comedy will be represented since it's usually been overlooked or relegated to a "supporting actor/actress" nod.

Entertainment Weekly report.

What 10 movies could deserve this?

I'm gonna go ahead and take the so-called 'cynical' point of view and say this is only to increase the DVD sales of 5 extra movies a year. A "nominated for best picture" on your package certainly won't hurt sales.

And yet, and yet; fuck the Oscars.

I don't like this idea. I think the reason they are doing it is so they can put a stamp that says "Nominated for Best Picture in the Acadamy Awards" on five more movies.

I don't think it's necessary.

" This week the American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, aka the people who bring you the annual snore fest known as the Oscars announced that starting in 2010, there will be 10 nominees for Best Picture instead of five, as there has been since 1944.  The reason for the change according to the release is to offer films like The Dark Knight or other nontraditionally recognized features a chance at taking home the honor. 

At first when I heard about this change, I thought it was a cop-out by the Academy.  A change they were making so that people who normally turn off the telecast after the awards related to their personal film interests have been announced would continue to watch.  After all, once the animation and special effects awards are given out (summer blockbusters!) my interest wanes.  But, I think this is actually a good idea after all because most of us have "top ten" lists.  Film critics often publish a "10 best movies of [insert year]" because this allows greater flexibility as well as a broader variety of movies to be recommended.  I can only hope that next year, comedy will be represented since it's usually been overlooked or relegated to a "supporting actor/actress" nod.

Entertainment Weekly report. "

" I don't think it's necessary. "

Yeah it reminds me of sport organizations having more events. They hope more stuff = more money overall, even if having more diminishes the overall quality.

10 instead of 5 nominees.  I guess they are getting bored or want the Oscars event to be longer.

" 10 instead of 5 nominees.  I guess they are getting bored or want the Oscars event to be longer. "

There aren't that many good movies anymore.

Shouldn't they make it ten nominations if ten deserve it? instead of jumping the gun and saying "there WILL be ten good movies this year" but even then they should be able to narrow it down...

The Dark Knight surely would have been included if they did this last year

They shouldve just not been dickheads and put The Dark Knight in anyway although I dont think it would deserve a win over the movies it was up against. Then again I dont think Slumdog shouldve won Best Picture either.

Well, it should've at least knocked Benjamin Button out. It was good as a warped alteration of Forrest Gump, but not "Best Picture" good.

I heard about that.  That's crazy.

" I don't like this idea. I think the reason they are doing it is so they can put a stamp that says "Nominated for Best Picture in the Acadamy Awards" on five more movies. "

This change ultimately makes the Oscar more intriguing and it opens room for other movie genres such as action , teen , comedy .....  to be nominated more often  (X-men origins :Wolverine for example ?) .

" Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus FTW!!!! "

This is okay with me. I'm mostly more acceptable of it because it used to have 10 nominees before but then they cut it down to 5. I think it's fine to get more good movies recognized.

UP has really been the only good movie released this year.

" @Tireyo643 said:

" 10 instead of 5 nominees.  I guess they are getting bored or want the Oscars event to be longer. "

Oh my goodness, that didn't occur to me!  Oh no, I recant what I said earlier.  If more nominees means a longer telecast then I am definitely against it.  The damned show is three + hours as is, if this extends the affair...ugh, now I feel ill.  But, if they promise to keep it short (play'em off keyboard cat!) then I am still okay with it.  I don't think it matters if some movies get to say "nominated for best picture" on their DVD boxes, because chances are they would say something similar like "two thumbs up" or whatever anyway.  And, if it helps some smaller films get more recognition, I think that's a good thing.  However, as I stated above, it's probably so well deserving popular movies get to take a bow.  Like it or not, 9 times out of 10, comedies, musicals, and animated films don't get invited to the big show because that is reserved for "serious art."  This wasn't always true, but it seems to be the mind set of the Academy voters these days.  It's not as if the "serious" dramatic films won't be nominated, nor are those types of films likely to lose any votes, after all this is still the same voting group that was around when there were just 5 nominees.  So what's the big change?  More names are read, more actors walk on stage to prattle praise, and a few more people wish the one guy or girl was dead by the end of the evening. "

" @daniel_beck_90 said:

" This change ultimately makes the Oscar more intriguing and it opens room for other movie genres such as action , teen , comedy .....  to be nominated more often  (X-men origins :Wolverine for example ?) . "

No it doesn't. If a action, teen, or comedy movie had a chance to win the oscars one of them would at least be nominated by now. What's going to happen is five more movies that nobody watches are going to be nominated.  "

Precisely.. one of the big problems with the Academy Award is the fact that they do not nominate more popular movies !!!

I liked The Wrestler more then I did Benjamin Button and it didn't even get nominated.

" I liked The Wrestler more then I did Benjamin Button and it didn't even get nominated. "

I think its way to early to be making decisions on this already >_>

" @daniel_beck_90 said:

" @Wolverine said:

" @daniel_beck_90 said:

" This change ultimately makes the Oscar more intriguing and it opens room for other movie genres such as action , teen , comedy .....  to be nominated more often  (X-men origins :Wolverine for example ?) . "

No it doesn't. If a action, teen, or comedy movie had a chance to win the oscars one of them would at least be nominated by now. What's going to happen is five more movies that nobody watches are going to be nominated.  "

Precisely.. one of the big problems with the Academy Award is the fact that they do not nominate more popular movies !!!

"

Exactly, and that is why their ratings go down significantly every single year! "

By the way I just recalled that Juno (Teen Genre ) which is about teen pregnancy  was actually nominated back in 2007 but that is about it .

I also liked it when Babel and Little Miss Sunshine were nominated years back but neither of them won. "

Wait a second here- wasn't the problem more about what films they nominated before Batman as opposed to just Batman not being nominated?

Like for real, It is almost getting to the point where when it comes to the Oscars, being a ground-breaking film isn't as important as being a self-rightous film set in Victorian England or something. 

" Wait a second here- wasn't the problem more about what films they nominated before Batman as opposed to just Batman not being nominated?

And still I couldn't give a shit less about the Oscars.