Should box office affect the Oscars?

Robert Downey Jr and Tom Cruise won’t get Oscar nods for Tropic Thunder. And they shouldn’t. I loved Tropic Thunder and I thought they were both very funny (albeit slightly overrated). But it would be a crime to other actors. Their performances are just not on the same level as others. If they get nominated, then who gets left out? Most likely, someone slightly more deserving. Its obvious the Golden Globes nominated them because they’re big stars that people want to see. Thus, more viewers, which is important this year after last year’s press conference-style GGs due to the writers strike.

‘The Dark Knight’ deserves an award – most OVERRATED movie of the decade. Ledger’s performance was average, so was rest of the movie.
Some good scenes, but overall NOTHING to deserve so much attention.
Other Batman movies were much better, for their time.

IMHO: Box office has to do with wide release. Duh. There are tons of movies (Happy-Go-Lucky, for instance) that are gorgeous and funny and fabulous and would be huge box office winners if they were showing in more theaters! So let’s not talk total gross, let’s talk gross-per-theater. I don’t know if this is a possible statistic to obtain, but I think it would be a useful one.

This comversation reminds me of last year, when Bourne Ultimatum won all 3 catgories it was nominated in when it should have also been nominated for 3 more, including Best Picture, but wasn’t perhaps because of its success. That was an action thriller with brains, panache, innovation and the most popluar actor of the day – and they did not bother to nominate him or it. The ratings nose-dived. Dark Knight will be in because of its own merits (ie – Heath Ledger, and NOT “because he died”) and because they cannot afford to lose any more audience and need to start building a new one. They lost enough auidience when they didn’t give Ledger his due while he was alive; I don’t think they’ll make the same mistake this time around. But…you never know….

Why is it that these boring, gay-ass, tear-jerker movies always win awards and nominations? Who watches these movies, actors trying to fulfill an agenda based on guilt. Guilt for the gays, guilt for specific races, whichever may be in style this year. A good movie makes you laugh, a good movie keeps you on the edge of your seat, a good movie is a fantasy, or real life action, and yes a good movie makes you cry, and not just b/c you paid $10 to see two men kiss, or watched something that reads like a college essay in the speaking of proper English. Most of all a good movie is one that people goto watch or buy the DVD. Yes, people sometimes buy lots of tickets to stupid movies, but that makes it no less a comedy. Why are movies that get nominated not out, recently released, or get their Oscar buzz before they’re even out? Because anorexic, gay, pop-cultured actors, producers, designers, and directors are doing as they’re told by MTV, E! and any mag trying to sell unrealistic items