The ubiquitous #Oscarssowhite controversy might bring more to the cinematic table than just Chris Rock taking a few jabs at the Academy come next Sunday's Oscar telecast. No, I am also referring to the cinematic spectrum switching gears and celebrating films for political reasons more than cinematic. I don't think people realize just how big this movement really is. It will stretch out and change the way many people perceive films, for the wrong reasons of course. We saw it just last month at Sundance when Nate Parker's "The Birth of a Nation," a mediocre film that was unjustly clebrated by critics, bloggers and audiences alike, stormed out of the gate and became a surefire Oscar contender for 2017. Why am I saying it is a surefire contender if I just said it is mediocre? Because it is a movie that feels needed more for political gain than for actual cinematic qualities. It is a movie that can turn the most knowledgable of film critics blind to its flaws just for the sake of celebrating a film that perfectly fits the current political agenda. What the rave reviews for "The Birth of a Nation" have taught us is that there's a storm coming and it won't let up. The Academy has to atone for its "sins" and critics feel just as guilty for the blame. We are headed towards a direction I have long feared for film criticism, that of blurring the lines between your political and societal beliefs than, you know, focusing on the actual merits of a movie. I would be shocked if 2017 did not produce a few more overpraised films like Parker's and I wouldn't be surprised either if one or all of them underservedly got critics praising them like the second coming for all the wrong reasons.
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