Backlogging

What is backlogging? Well, if being used in the literary form, it's a term that refers to a work that is unfinished and has no relevant plans to be finished. But for the purposes of this article, we'll talk about what "backlogging" means in terms of the movie release schedule. Backlogging is a strategy used by movie executives, in which highly anticipated and prestigious films are held until December or later in hopes of winning Academy Awards. This system, occupied by most if not all film studios gives off the impression that there is no sense in going to the theaters in January through November, because nothing of quality comes out until Christmas.




Happy-Go-Lucky

"Official" Release Date:
Oct. 10th

# of theaters:
4

Actual nat'l release:
??????






This theory, though successful, truly stretches the boundaries of what it means to be a great film of a particular year. If a film is "released" in 2008, but a majority of people don't see the film until 2009, where's the merit? Why not just release it in 2009? Because in the hopes of slipping into the Oscar race, more and more times we are seeing films being released on December 31st, in a coup to be relevant by the time Oscar season is in full swing.

This has completely affected the way we watch movies. Despite the fact that In Bruges and WALL-E are two of the most brilliant, imaginative, and wonderfully-made films of 2008, neither film is receiving award traction, because both were thrown into theaters way before fall season, where films like Doubt or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button seem to be in a battle royale over which can meet the hype.

Great films need weeks, sometimes months to process properly. If a film wins Best Picture at the Oscars and it was released just a month prior to it, then where is the true worth of the award? All it shows is that people have liked your film for a month, but there is absolutely no way to see how this film's staying power will be years from now.

I speak about backlogging, because this year, essentially every hyped film has come off disappointing. In a set-up to collect gold statues, studios feel like they can wait longer and longer as if the wait will make the experience that much more delectable. Same goes for films with an expanding schedule as forth-moving as the DMV. The truth is, every month of the year deserves its own great movie. We should not have to wait till the holiday season to watch anything of quality. That way, we have more time to savor it before we hand out the awards.