This has been a multi-stage process.Okri wrote:This is the first time ever all the costume design nominees were best picture nominees. Also true of Production Design.
If that doesn't tell you how stupidly short the season is, nothing will.
The move in 2004 from a late March to late February date began to shrink the field of contending films, as fewer people had time to screen a wide variety of films prior to voting.
Then, the expansion to 10 best picture slots caused people to narrow their focus to, largely, films with a shot at best picture, reducing the chances of a performance in a smaller film slipping through. (Consider the supporting actor slate of 2015, which featured four candidates from best picture contenders, while highly-praised performances from lower-tier films -- Elba/Beasts of No Nation, Dano/Love Mercy, DelToro/Sicario -- were omitted.)
This is only the culmination of the trend. A bountiful year in film is being reduced to, basically, nine movies plus Judy, because of an absurdly early cut-off. Do people not see they're killing the Oscars by degrees?