The Golden Raspberry Awards, often known as “The Razzies”—that are asserting their 2022 winners at this time—lately needed to challenge an apologetic assertion to 12-year-old actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong. As an award present that examines the “worst movies” of their selective years, the Razzies awarded Armstrong a nomination within the Worst Actress class for Firestarter. Following the criticism that they acquired on-line for singling out a toddler actress, the Razzies said they “want to say we remorse any harm she skilled on account of our selections” and set new age limitations of their classes. It’s not the primary time that they’ve nominated a toddler actor, as each Macaulay Culkin and The Phantom Menace actor Jake Lloyd acquired nominations prior to now. The Razzies have but to apologize to those actors, however they’re hardly the one others who deserve an announcement of regret.
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Since 1981, the Razzies have used classes that run reverse to the Academy Awards, together with Worst Image, Worst Director, Worst Actor, and Worst Actress; in addition they have particular classes reminiscent of Worst Display screen Duo, Worst Prequel, Sequel, Remake, or Ripoff, in addition to a couple of different particular awards created for sure years. With nominations and winners each introduced a day earlier than the Oscar nominations, the Razzies search to satirize the character of award reveals, however they’ve by no means been a type of legitimate criticism.
It’s reached the purpose the place the Razzie awards are not humorous in any means. Legitimate movie criticism is vital, and it doesn’t at all times should be constructive. There may be numerous enjoyment available from making enjoyable of unhealthy films, however the Razzies are merely a lazy assortment of straightforward jokes which are typically disrespectful or simply plain fallacious. In a world the place there are quite a lot of straightforward methods to share movie opinions on-line, it’s time to burn the Razzies to the bottom.
The Razzies Depend on a Corrupt Course of
Picture by way of Common
Any jokes on the expense of the Oscars are unusual contemplating the best way that the Razzies maintain their voting course of. Fairly than figuring out their nominations from a dialogue or vital physique, the Razzie “committee” creates an inventory of seven to eleven contenders in every class, and leaves a spot open for write-ads. Ballots are issued to members, or mainly anybody who’s keen to pay for it. All it’s worthwhile to do to turn into a Razzie member is pay the annual payment of $40 or get a lifetime membership for $500. It has no extra worth than a Twitter ballot, as members might be swayed to vote by current developments, controversies, or biases.
This dedication by way of public consensus is why the nominees are usually an inventory of well-known titles {that a} broad set of voters might have heard of; legendarily horrible films reminiscent of The Room or Daniel the Wizard didn’t get any recognition as a result of they had been probably unknown to voters. Equally, there’s no assure that the voters have seen what they’re nominating, and could also be merely hopping on no matter movies are typically a punching bag in any given yr.
The Razzies’ Nominations Are Typically Baffling
That is mirrored within the nominations, which are likely to deal with straightforward targets reminiscent of studio comedies, failed blockbusters or sequels, and field workplace disappointments. The Razzies even have a couple of targets specifically that obtain nominations for almost each efficiency they provide, reminiscent of Adam Sandler and Sylvester Stallone. Sandler even acquired a nomination for the comedy traditional Blissful Gilmore, with Stallone being acknowledged for such movies as Rocky IV, and Cliffhanger. As a result of stipulation that an actor might be nominated for any variety of performances given annually, there are nominations like Ben Affleck’s 2004 win for Worst Actor in Gigli, Daredevil, and Paycheck.
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As a result of low-cost involvement in membership, there are quite a lot of situations when the Razzie nominations are simply straight up fallacious. Previous Worst Image nominees embrace now-beloved movies reminiscent of Armageddon, Street Home, The Shining, Final Motion Hero, Cruising, The Blair Witch Undertaking, Rambo: First Blood Half II, and different titles that had been met with an preliminary wave of detractors. That’s solely within the Worst Image class; different egregiously fallacious honorees embrace Stanley Kubrick (Worst Director for The Shining) and Ennio Morricone (Worst Musical Rating for The Factor). In reality, the Razzies have sometimes given nominations to actors and artists who would obtain an Oscar nomination the subsequent day; examples embrace Aerosmith’s unique track “I Don’t Need to Miss A Factor” and Glenn Shut’s efficiency in Hillbilly Elegy.
The Razzies’ Historical past of Unusual (and Offensive) Lineups
Sometimes, the Razzies will single out a sure low-budget movie that the Razzie committee chooses to focus on, and in recent times there’s been an rising variety of conservative documentaries. This results in lineups which are merely bizarre; it’s simply odd to see a bit of fascist propaganda like Hillary’s America: The Secret Historical past of the Democratic Get together nominated alongside poorly reviewed blockbusters like Zoolander 2, Gods of Egypt, Independence Day: Resurgence, and Batman v. Superman: Daybreak of Justice.
The Razzies are additionally responsible of singling out people in a means that’s simply plain offensive. Nominations are sometimes ladies and folks of shade. They’re typically purposefully miscategorized, reminiscent of Tyler Perry receiving nominations for Worst Actress in a number of Madea sequels and George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell receiving recognition for Worst Display screen Couple in Batman & Robin (an apparent insult to overtly homosexual director Joel Schumacher). There are only some outliers annually, and most movies are likely to get nominated in virtually each single class that they’re eligible for. You see examples of this like Ben Affleck receiving the Worst Actor award for Batman v. Superman: Daybreak of Justice; of all of the movie’s issues, it was virtually universally agreed that Affleck’s efficiency was one of the best a part of the film.
This Is not the First Time The Razzies Needed to Apologize
Picture by way of Lionsgate
The Firestarter controversy isn’t the primary time that the Razzies have needed to make a public apology for his or her cruelty. Whereas they created a class earlier this yr for “Worst Efficiency by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Film” for the eight direct-to-VOD movies he appeared in that yr, the Razzies had been pressured to rescind the award after Willis’ well being struggles with aphasia had been made public by his household. It’s amusing that the Razzies said that they didn’t intend on destroying anybody’s profession, as they’ve beforehand had nominations for Worst New Star.
In a world the place social media and movie reviewing shops reminiscent of Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd exist for cinephiles to offer their opinions, there’s merely no want for the Razzies to pick straightforward targets. There’s nothing fallacious with disliking, poorly reviewing, or poking enjoyable at a foul film, however the Razzies are merely a inconsiderate, antiquated custom that not have any worth.