‘Straight Outta Compton’ kept outta the Oscars
Andrew Sandoval
Mesa Legend
The Oscars are less than a month away and the yet the academy is the real event, with all eyes on them in light of their recent nominations. Criticized for the lack of diversity regarding race among the selected nominees, many involved in the film industry are starting to speak out. Specifically for the film Straight Outta Compton which received high praise from critics and audiences but was only nominated for best screenplay, in which the awards would go to two white people instead the predominantly black cast. This isn’t the only issue. The real problem is that the film itself in terms of an overall performance out shone a lot of the other nominees for best picture. Mad Max: Fury Road is one in particular that should not have been nominated for this category. Not that the movie was bad, in fact in terms of cinematography and effects Mad Max was superior but the depth of the characters were shallow and the story is a minimal arch with barely any dialog.
Whereas Straight Outta Compton is a more diverse, character driven drama that pulled together a complex narrative of lives, telling one story from multiple perspectives. Also taking positions on several topics that pertain to today such as racism, abuse of power, violence and cultural differences. Not only was the film well composed but the cast was executed with such precision you wouldn’t think only one of the actors was playing his own father. Everyone involved played there parts very well but Jason Mitchell’s portrayal of Eazy-E was inspirational and eye opening, allowing us glimpse at man that may have always been misunderstood. He carried the film higher due to his performance and delivered some of its best scenes.
In the end the movie topples Mad Max in almost every category which leaves me to wonder, why did the academy chose a blockbuster action flick over a film that represents such ideality? Since this became an issue the academy is taking steps towards making changes to their voting and chair policy’s. Such as, if you’re not an active member or a lifetime member, your seat will only be valid for ten years. Also they aim to increase the amount of women members by at least fifty percent. This is to ensure the academy is diverse in age, gender and race. Time will only tell on how well these new rules may affect future voting results. Until then we will just have to hope DiCaprio gets his Oscar this year.
