Peter Bart: This Year’s Oscar Game Feels More Like Hide And Seek Than Guess The Winners

deadline.com:

Those of us who are hopeful for the comeback, or at least survival, of the theatrical motion picture are finding this Oscar season to be especially discomforting.

If you’re lucky enough to identify a favorite, you also have to figure out how and where to see it. The Academy thus is understandably edgy about voter “turnout”: Will members cast ballots for movies they may not have ever seen or heard about?

William Goldman, the legendary screenwriter, is often quoted for commenting that “no one knows anything” about making hit movies, but my favorite Goldmanism would be more relevant today.

He wanted the data on Oscar voting to be made public, thus telling us “how voters really feel about their industry.” While the Academy roundly denounced his 1995 proposal, I would argue that a breakdown this year would actually provide helpful insights.