By Phil Wallace

An interesting post popped on the LA Times’ The Envelope last week. Pete Hammond reports that most Oscar voters he’s spoken with are having problems coming up with 10 nominees for Best Picture, now that the Academy has expanded the category. He writes:

In countless conversations with academy voters over the past two weeks it’s apparent that not everyone is able to come up with 10 movies. In fact it’s an epidemic. According to the overwhelming majority of members to whom I have spoken, they get to five or six and give up on the other slots. One voter went so far as to actually send me an e-mail asking me to suggest seven other movies to augment their own three choices. Of course I obliged.

“I can barely find five movies to nominate. I have no idea what to do for 10,” one exasperated member told me this week. When prodded for more information it was apparent they had only just a few of the real contenders and many in their pile of DVD screeners had so far gone unopened.

One veteran consultant told me about a survey of 60 potential voters that found only 18 had bothered to actually pick 10 movies for best picture nominations.

Hammond goes on to write:

Some voters conversely have told me they welcome the chance to name 10 movies as it frees them to go with their heart even if they believe it’s a wasted vote. After listing the usual suspects like “The Hurt Locker,” “Up in the Air,” “An Education,” etc., one guy said he selected “Drag Me To Hell“ because that’s the best time he had at the movies all year and it doesn’t matter that it can’t possibly be nominated because he has nine other slots in which to “influence” the race, as the academy language suggests.

I have one strong message to the 5,000+ members of the Academy: Shame on you. Voting for the Oscars is one of the highest honors in the entertainment industry, and most of you can’t think of ten good movies from this year?

Come on! It’s just 10 movies. Every film critic in America has a Top-10 list every year. You honestly didn’t see 10 movies that you liked in 2009?

The typical Academy member receives over 60 movies sent to their house. In addition, Academy members are invited to a plethora of free screenings for everything from “Avatar” in 3D to the best foreign film contenders to those silly animated shorts. Yet, apparently most Oscar voters are apparently like sheep and just go with the crowd in blindly selecting “Up in the Air” and “Avatar.”

I know a few Oscar voters myself, and a few weeks ago I tried to discuss “The Hurt Locker” with him, only to have him ask: “What’s that movie?” When the voter realized the DVD had been sitting at his house, he decided to watch and now says it’s his top choice for Best Picture.

If the Academy wants some more suggestions, then I have them. Several times on this site, we’ve discussed the trouble that early-year releases have in the Oscars. Films like “State of Play” and “Sunshine Cleaning” have been completely ignored this awards season, but both probably would be nominated in several categories had they come out in November.

You want more suggestions? Well how about “In the Loop,” which has a 94% on RottenTomatoes.com and has one of the best screenplays of the decade? Or what about “Moon,” in which Sam Rockwell has an Oscar-worthy performance that is being completely forgetten?

If the Academy wants a sports movie besides Invictus, then they should consider “Sugar,” which has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and offers a compelling tale on the life of a Dominican minor league baseball player. “Drag Me to Hell” might have been fun, and maybe it deserves a nomination, but “Zombieland” was also plenty of fun.

Foreign films often get short shrift in Best Picture, and everyone I’ve spoken with who saw “The White Ribbon” says it’s amazing. “Beauty and the Beast” is the only animated film to be nominated for Best Picture, but this year’s “Up” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” are both terrific efforts.

Personally, I loved “A Serious Man,” but that’s also being ignored this awards season. Robert Siegel’s “Big Fan,” starring Patton Oswalt also seems long forgotten.

These movies might not have a major PR campaign surrounding them, but doesn’t mean an Academy member shouldn’t watch them. If you’re in the Academy, then you have a basic responsibility to keep up with the films of the year. And even if you’re old and don’t like to get out of the house (as is the case many members), then at least watch a few movies that land in your mailbox.