Awards season is upon us, and many are rolling their eyes.
But the Oscars do serve some purpose, argues Simon.
I should be clear from the off: I dont really like movie awards anymore.
But I still think the pros of them outweigh the cons.
And I am going to defend them, just through slightly gritted teeth at times.
Anyone whos sat through any awards show ever has generally been dissatisfied with the outcome.
That someones determination of whats best doesnt tally with their own.
Because something in the universe had gone clearly very, very wrong.
Making a film thats still appreciated ten or 20 years down the line?
Thats something Id argue is worth more than any prize.
And furthermore, you cant help but stretch that back to earlier in development.
As it turned out, the film took over $130m at the worldwide box office.
That they help get good films made, seen and appreciated is the very best side of awards.
The downsides, of course, were going to see a lot of over the next week.
To dilute it further by subjecting it to democracy?
Anything else takes the award from being about film.
That said, the Oscars and such like have only partly been about film for some time.
Awards are, by their very nature, a flawed beast.
Confidentialin my eyes, so in that sense, nothing has changed.
I think, on balance, theyre a good thing, particularly when approached with fully open eyes.
