According to the Academy, no place for science fiction, technology, innovation

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to include 10 films in competition for Best Picture, it was hoping to appeal to a larger audience. Declining ratings, animosity over "The Dark Knight's" Oscar snub and other such occurrences forced the academy to reconsider its procedures. The change ushered in nominations for surprise box office successes such as "The Blind Side," "District 9," "Inglorious Basterds," the underrated animated masterpiece "Up" (only the second animated film to receive a Best Picture nomination) and the box-office wonder, revolutionary blockbuster "Avatar." The gamble paid off, as ratings rose 20.6 percent.

But, this cosmetic face lift doesn't change anything. In the current Academy atmosphere, a film like "Avatar" will never win Best Picture.

"The Hurt Locker" was an excellent choice for the award with nearly perfect filmmaking in every aspect. It serves as a textbook example of how and when to use editing and sound to produce extreme amounts of tension and suspense. Kathryn Bigelow's flawless direction and Jeremy Renner's stoic performance propelled the movie to success. It benefited from poignant, contemporary subject matter and a masterful screenplay by a former Playboy journalist.

That said, the film certainly didn't attract the bulk of the awards ceremony's 41.3 million viewers. To date, the film has grossed less than one hundredth of what "Avatar" has grossed. "Avatar" received 9 nominations, as many as "The Hurt Locker," and had already won the biggest precursor award at the Golden Globes. So why would it not take home the Oscar?

Members of the Academy tend to look for a liberally political message, but take a rather conservative approach to filmmaking. In 1981, a similar race presented itself during awards season.

The competition came down to Spielberg's "E.T." and Attenborough's epic "Gandhi." "E.T." entered the race as the reigning box-office king. The film was revolutionary and challenged the film industry. It, like "Avatar," won best drama at the Golden Globes. The Academy, however, went to the more traditionally made "Gandhi."

This and other similar races proved the Academy's fear of films that introduce new technology and threaten to alter the industry.

The Academy also has a very strong bias against genre films. No science fiction film has ever won the award. In fact, the last science fiction film to even receive a nod was also "E.T."

This meant that "District 9" had no reasonable shot at the award. Likewise, the only fantasy film to have won is "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," and that was probably because the Academy felt obligated after three near perfect films.

Possibly the most crucial reason "Avatar" didn't take home the Oscar is that actors compose the largest voting group of the Academy. A growing trend in films rich with special effects is the use of motion capture and computer generated images.

These technologies threaten the role of the traditional actor. Many actors despise working in front of a green screen and refuse to vote for films that rely heavily on such innovations.

I am not detracting from the legitimacy of "The Hurt Locker" as a worthy film to win Best Picture. Rather, I am merely pointing out the hypocrisy in declaring a film the best picture of the year when certain films will never win, no matter how deserving they may be.



- Bretscher is a sophomore History Major from St. Louis, Mo. He is a film columnist for The DePauw.