Frank Oz Calls Oscars Out

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On Monday, March 28th, actor-director Frank Oz tweeted his displeasure with the Oscars. He clarifies that his disappointment doesn’t concern recent fumbles like “the slap” but rather the general state of the event. Oz is famous for his portrayal of Yoda across the Star Wars franchise, as well as Sesame Street and Muppets characters like Bert, Miss Piggy, and Kermit. He has also directed movies like The Dark Crystal and Death at a Funeral and appeared in the likes of The Blues Brothers and Knives Out. Check out his remarks here:

After being a member for 30 years I’m embarrassed to be associated with the Oscars telecast.Not because of “The Slap” but because of the phoniness of the show. All I sense is a desperate attempt to get more viewers by any means possible, not a show about the love of making movies

— Frank Oz (@TheFrankOzJam) March 29, 2022

I can’t disagree with Frank Oz here. I used to look forward to the Oscars each year, buying snacks for the ritual and rooting for various movies and actors. I think I lost interest around 2015 when I realized they always nominate and award the same types of movies. Fantasy, sci-fi, and other “fun” genres are ignored in lieu of whatever boring family drama is making the rounds. They also infantilize animation, giving it its own veritable kids table of an awards category. I understand separating documentaries; they represent an entirely different type of film and thus can’t be judged by the same criteria. But animation is a medium, not a genre, and it’s not always for kids. Even if a movie is for kids, I fail to see how that makes it less worthy of praise and thus in need of its own, separate category. If you honestly think films like Ratatouille and Up deserve to be judged separately from live-action offerings, I don’t see how you can claim to love movies. 

I also don’t see any point in letting the Hollywood elite tell us which movies are good. I used to care about hearing “professional” opinions on film, and there are still some I like, such as Leonard Maltin. But at the end of the day, I don’t think there is any one best film of any one year. Even if there is, why do they get to decide what it is? The way they portray even the nominated films is less than satisfactory. Did you see that Encanto “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” performance? They changed the lyrics and meaning of the song to make it about the Oscars, all while hiding the actual actors from the movie behind Megan Thee Stallion, Luis Fonsi & Becky G. They even have characters singing the wrong parts. Dolores and Isabela’s segments are cut entirely, despite their actresses being present. In short, the song is butchered. They removed the best parts and completely changed the context of it. These people don’t care about the films they give awards to, let alone everything else. Why should we care what they have to say? Kudos to Frank Oz for calling the Academy on its hypocrisy; he was always the wisest Jedi, after all. 

What do you think of Oz’s tweet? Did you watch the Oscars? Did I miss anything good, or am I right to skip them? Let us know in the comments!