The Old Members in the Academy Still Love Their Boomer Bait

Many of the surprises from today's Oscar nominations probably shouldn't have been surprises in hindsight.

_{via James A. Molnar}

Much of the conversation in recent years regarding the diversification of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been centered on the increased representation of international films in major categories. In fact, last week, I wrote about how this year in particular is an unprecedented one, given that numerous subtitled films were within reach of a coveted Best Picture nomination. Unfortunately, just two of those films ended up snagging those nods, while critically acclaimed works like It Was Just an Accident and No Other Choice were largely, if not entirely, ignored.

How could this happen when the Academy membership is reportedly more international than ever? I believe it has something to do with older Hollywood types, who still have zero interest in stepping outside of their comfort zones. Sure, Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent earned nine and four Oscar nominations, respectively, which is an incredible feat for international films. However, that accomplishment most likely reflected the tastes of the younger, international members. Meanwhile, films like F1 and Song Sung Blue overperformed today, with the former sneaking into Best Picture.

F1 and Song Sung Blue are the kinds of films that used to be catnip for the Academy. If this were the 90s or the 2000s, there would have been no question as to whether or not these films would be mentioned on Oscar nomination morning. However, many pundits were skeptical about how these types of movies would fare today. After all, both films scored in the 60s on Metacritic and are frequently mocked on Film Twitter for their highly formulaic storylines. Well, it turns out that how the younger and international voters felt about these films did not matter very much. At the end of the day, what was once catnip for these older members is still catnip now.