People's Choice Awards Commentary

Whitney Pastorek has posted this blog about the "winners" of the People's Choice Awards. This last paragraph sums up her--and many of my--opinions about the awards circuit:

The only thing I can hope for is this: When people like Kid Rock and Adam Sandler take to the microphone and crow ever so humbly about how their work is not "for the critics," but "for the people," all of us will take a second to remember that there is nothing wrong with a people who are also critical. Whether we use our mouses, our remotes, our blogs, or our hard-earned cash, it is up to us to decide what kind of culture we want to live in. And while it may be easy and indeed quite fun to stand in a metaphorical mosh pit and high-five every shiny famous person who comes down the pike, I happen to believe we as a people are capable of ever so much more. (Need proof? The Dark Knight.) To echo last night's oft-repeated phrase, Yes we can demand excellence. Yes we can think analytically, write articulately, and speak passionately about art and artists in our society. I go so far as to say it is our responsibility. We cannot let crap like this win.

Pastorek's comments are well taken. If the filmmakers really make things "for the viewers" then they should stop insulting them by making crap. Viewers owe it to themselves to make their voices heard whenever possible and demand better work from the studios. The fact that The Dark Knight did so well is an encouraging sign as it shows just how hungry the audience is for good work that is entertaining and relevant.

On the other hand, there are two catches to all this. First, as mentioned in my previous post on this blog, in many cineplexes, especially those in smaller communities, the You Don't Mess With the Zohans of the world crowd out the Doubts and the Wrestlers. The public can only really choose, either with their web browsers or with their wallets, if they are able to to get to the good stuff. Hollywood has made it too difficult to see their best work, which makes absolutely no sense.

Second, even the critics make mistakes or change their minds. When Psycho came out it was dismissed by critics although it succeeded with the public. Citizen Kane was both a critical and box office failure. Now both are cornerstones of film studies programs. My point is that the critics are important but not omnipotent and what we should strive for is not a situation where the year end box office receipts match the Oscar nominations, but rather a culture of more educated consumers who refuse to give themselves over to the latest gimmick and who demand better a better product.

This is a long term goal, but one that the entertainment industry might be breeding for itself. By creating more television and radio stations, more outlets for film, and the ever expanding world wide web, producers will be forced to think more creatively and hopefully produce better work to capture an audience.