The holidays were loaded with last second film releases vying for a shot at the coveted Oscar. The entire industry is waiting anxiously for the announcement of nominations on February 2nd. There are two reasons for the anxiety. First, the Oscar television ratings have been slipping over the years and they need something to draw the audience. Second, the industry doesn’t have a clue what selection the audience would make and they don’t want to disappoint them.
Watching the Oscars seems to only be fun for movie buffs like me who watched 49 of the 516 films released in theaters during 2009, but even I have a hard time keeping up with the Oscar potentials due to the numerous films dumped into the theaters at the end of the year. I’ve only seen half of what Hollywood deems as the 25 most significant films of the year, four of the films including God honoring elements: The Blind Side, Invictus, Up, and Star Trek.
The average teen watches about 18 movies a year. The average adult takes in around 4 films. But, were they the most significant films that include God honoring elements – The kind of films I love to support.
To keep a feel for the industry and entertainment driven trends that seed our culture for the next 3-5 years, I try to watch 10% of the movies released. This practice allows me to see shifts in our culture that will show up in our local culture in about two years. It is actually fascinating to watch it unfold and makes me wonder how many pastors do the same, in order to understand the future needs of our communities. Then again, not everyone is able to select the right films to watch in order to see the trends ramp up.
For instance, the movie Up in the Air reveals the trend of sin having a respectable place in our lives and being justified by our choices in order to be who we are, the mature adult we set out to be. On the other side of the coin, the movie Invictus reveals the growth and success that rises when a person chooses to forgive others that don’t deserve it. Both films are strongly vying for Oscars and suggest that a strong moral polarization will become more evident in our culture over the next couple of years.
This can easily be confirmed by may who have paid attention to political and other types of trends. It is not exclusive of the movies. However, the movies are a thermometer of our cultural emotions, from which comes our actions.
Three years ago I watched numerous movies and television shows using female and black actors to portray the President of the United Stated. The ratings and box office were dismal for the shows depicting a woman as president. The results for shows depicting a white male president were also poor. However, all the shows depicting a black male president had great results and two years later President Obama was elected.
Now, I’m not suggesting anyone needs to buy into the tools I use for understanding the culture before it plays out, but I am suggesting that everyone should watch some of the films that might feed what our culture will look like in two years. So, here is the list of Hollywood’s top 25 most significant films of 2009 (based on Hollywood buzz):
(500) Days of Summer
A Serious Man
A Single Man
An Education
Avatar
Bright Star
Crazy Heart
District 9
Fantastick Mr. Fox
Inglorious Bastards
Invictus
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
Precious
Star Trek
The Blind Side
The Hurt Locker
The Informant!
The Last Station
The Lovely Bones
The Messenger
The Young Victoria
Up
Up in the Air
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