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The year of the little movies that could
 Updated
Mon. Feb. 13 2006 8:59 AM ET
Alyssa Schwartz, Special to CTV.ca
Were you a little confused on Oscar nomination morning, when the
bulk of the nods went to films you probably haven't seen instead
of the usual studio-backed, blockbuster-type suspects?
Call it a case of the little movies that could.
While 2006 doesn't mark the first time Oscar has nodded at independent
films, it's the first time most of the nominees in every major category
hail from smaller projects that don't carry the same Hollywood weight
normally required to clean up come awards season. But clean up,
these movies have.
In fact, while big-budget, big-studio films usually earn pole positions
in the Best Picture race at Oscar time, this year just one –
Munich – is among the contenders. It's up against Brokeback
Mountain, Capote, Crash and Good Night, and Good Luck – the
budgets of all of which combined still don't add up to Munich's
$75 million production tab.
Yes, when this year's Oscar nominees were announced January 31st,
it appeared independent films had finally got their due.
Once upon a time, independent movies were tiny projects that starred
no one you've ever heard of and that got screened at the odd art-house
theatre or film festival before going wherever it is that movies
that don't get picked up for wide release go to die. But thanks
to film festivals like Sundance and the advent of specialty divisions
by most of the major studios – which allow more of the decisions
about the films themselves to get made by filmmakers, not stakeholders,
as is the case with big studio films – independent movies
are looking a lot less like your stereotypical film school project
and a lot more like award winners.
Chalk it up to the fact that independent movies have become Hollywood's
biggest cause "celeb."
Back in the day, the hallmark of independent films was that they
starred no-name aspiring actors and friends of the filmmakers –
in short, cheap labour that failed to bring in the audiences. But
increasingly, big-name stars are recognizing the merits of independent
work – namely, the fact that these parts tend to allow for
more of a stretch than the typical popcorn flick the studios churn
out – and they are willing to sacrifice their usual salary
in the name of their art (or, for the cynics among us, in the name
Oscar). So if working on high-grossing studio films is "selling
out," then increasingly, stars are "buying in" to
these low-earning but uncompromising roles.
Take George Clooney, for instance. The former ER star, who earned
a reported $20-million for his role in the blockbuster Oceans 11,
collected just $1 in each of his capacities as director, writer
and co-star for Good Night, and Good Luck. But with three Oscars
nods this year for his work on Good Night and another indie, Syriana,
the sacrifice has finally earned him the honour his big-budget projects
kept beyond his grasp.
To be fair, like any business, studios are worried about making
back their production costs (and reaping profits on top of those
costs). And with studio films usually costing tens of millions of
dollars more than your average indie flick, they have to appeal
to the masses to do so. Indies don't always hold that appeal –
but with production costs that usually tally up in the low millions,
it doesn't matter. For example, some theatres have refused to screen
the gay-themed Best Picture frontrunner Brokeback Mountain and some
conservative and church groups have called for its boycott, but
the film itself has already outpaced its $14-million production
budget by more than three times in the U.S. alone.
With bigger-budget pictures, the goal is to open big to recoup
expensive production costs, and though controversial or challenging
subject-matter can help earn a film some attention, it's not a sure-fire
tactic for getting bums in seats on opening weekend. Indie films
work in reverse, screening in a limited number of theatres (usually
in New York, Los Angeles and sometimes Toronto), and expanding as
word of mouth builds. When Brokeback, for example, had its opening
weekend in early December, audiences could catch it on just five
screens across the U.S. Now it's showing in nearly 2,000 theatres.
While all these indie Oscar nods are a win for those who lament
the quality of Hollywood productions these days, the shift in recognition
brings its own set of problems. For example, will viewers still
turn out in droves on Oscar night to see movies that, thanks to
limited distribution deals, they likely haven't seen?
Heck, have you even seen them? In an interview with Best Supporting
Actor nominee Matt Dillon, the morning the nods were announced,
Katie Couric admitted she hadn't seen his film Crash. And she's
probably not alone. And it probably won't be the last time it happens
either.
Though one year's nominations don't make it a trend, with stars
continuing to sign on to indies in droves, don't be surprised if
next year, come the morning of Oscar nominations, you're once again
watching your TV screen in puzzlement. But maybe the big studios
should take note.
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