With the Academy Awards rapidly approaching, the Panther asked two students to give their viewpoints on the Ceremony. The results were amusing.

‘the Movie Lover’:
The Academy Awards have long been the epitome of snootiness in film. There are no explosions or one liners here. Instead, viewers strap in for three hours of actors they’ve never heard of handing out awards to movies they probably haven’t seen. Who cares if “Foxcatcher,” wins the “Makeup and Hairstyling” award? What even are those?
The Oscars are outdated. The Academy’s most obvious transgression thus far is the fact that “The Lego Movie” was not even nominated for the “Best Animated Film” award, among mediocre films like “How To Train Your Dragon 2” and unheard-of’s like “The Tale of Princes Kaguya.”
For the most part, the nominees this year are boring. Of the Nominees for “Best Picture” only “American Sniper” and “Birdman” include a gunshot, and you can barely count the latter. Moreover, most internet polls so far name “Boyhood” as the ultimate winner. What a snooze fest! Where is “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Hobbit, Battle of the Five Armies,” “Captain America and the Winter Soldier,” or any of the countless other cultural masterpieces released this year? If this award ceremony is to be continued on such a massive scale, they should be adjusted to fit the average American demographic.
At this point, the Oscars are only worth watching to see the year’s hosts accidentally insulting their viewers. We’re going to have no shortage of that this year with Neal Patrick Harris, as fans of “How I Met Your Mother” will confirm.

‘Film Lover’:
Every serious movie watcher has been waiting for this all year, tallying their votes and hoping their favorite movies will be nominated. The Academy Awards are annual revenge of unknown masterpieces on the year’s overshadowing blockbusters. The people who love the Oscars don’t “just wait for it to come on Netflix.” They were out in the theaters every day; on the front lines, sacrificing their personal time for the appreciation of visual art in motion. The Academy Awards are the reward for their hard work as well as those of the filmmakers.

Now, granted, there are some problems with the Academy. “Selma” is up for best picture, but director, Ava DuVernay, wasn’t nominated under director. “Foxcatcher,” on the other side, received a best director nomination with Bennett Miller, but wasn’t up for best picture. The Academy also focuses too much on the mainstream. Its requirements don’t allow for any excellent small films because of certain requirements of screening locations, length, and production value for nominees. Nonetheless, the Academy Awards are well worth watching despite the often offensively unfunny hosts. It remains an excellent mesh of art and mainstream media for the appreciation of film in our modern society.