Whenever I hate on the Oscars and their very limited range of movie-love, I have only to glance at the annual MTV Awards to remind myself that some groups have an even teensier worldview. Once again the MTV nominations are a weird mix of movies that are actually good (Black Swan, The Social Network) movies that are super popular despite themselves (The Twilight Saga) movies that whether or not they're good or bad or better than usual or worst than usual it would never matter (Harry Potter) and movies that are deemed acceptable by virtue of either hipness, mainstream popularity, youth appeal or household name ubiquity of its stars (Kick-Ass, Easy A, Inception, Just Go With It) or movies that the MTV viewers didn't see but they like the star so it's okay to nominate him or her (Ryan Reynolds in Buried) and still look sufficiently populist and not like some stuffy film blogger. Mix and match!
Y'all know I approve of weird awards since i do pages of them myself each year so I've always been happy that the awards existed. I just wish they were more discerning. Take Inception. Makes total sense in all ways of looking at it that it would get a ton of nominations with MTV. But the KISS between JGL and Ellen Page? That was ice-water on a scale of hot, like a brother/sister makeout. Nomination that made me the happiest: Amy Adams vs. The Sisters in The Fighter for Best Fight. Maybe it's protecting their own -- SHE'S AN MTV GIRL -- but it's still a perfect decision as nominations go.
I already voted on all categories. Will you?