8. Genre Snobbery
It still blows my mind that way back in 1982, Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, given how averse they have proven themselves to be towards genre films and blockbusters specifically. Still, Raiders didn't take home the gold, and it went to Chariots of Fire, a decent effort, but looking at the rest of the field now (Atlantic City, On Golden Pond and Reds), it's clear that Raiders is not only the most beloved and popular of the lot, it's also outright the best-crafted and, yes, the best picture. This issue rested dormant for a long time until The Dark Knight was released in 2008 and people wondered, "Will it get nominated for Best Picture?". Naturally, it got only technical nominations, and so potent was the outrage that a few months later, the Academy announced that the Best Picture field would be increasing from 5 to 10 nominees, likely a move that would hopefully secure more viewers who would see more populist fare show up in the nominations. The next year was something of a triumph for the awards; not only was Pixar's Up only the second animated film to ever be nominated for Best Picture, but Neil Blomkamp's stunning sci-fi District 9 made the cut. Still, these are rare instances; staunch genre films receive little love in the Best Picture category despite how well-crafted they are (Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers were all Best Picture-calibre), and it suggests that the Academy and its demographic - which I'll get to next - are only interested in dramas and little else.