Review of "Warm Bodies" and My Plan to Fix the Oscars

Honestly, a movie like "Warm Bodies" exemplifies why the Academy Awards needs to be divided into two halves. (You can read my review for "The Weekender" here.)

Jonathan Levine's clever, totally rewarding romantic comedy is going to be forgotten by March, when the spring break blockbusters get released. Hell, it may become an afterthought by Valentine's Day, when the latest, inevitably regrettable "Die Hard" comes out along with the newest Nicholas Sparks thing geared to teenage emotions, "Safe Haven."

What happens right now is that studios wait until the last possible minute to release their goodies in time for Oscar consideration. This explains why the following Best Picture nominees premiered or were released wide in November or afterward: "Django Unchained," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Amour," "Les Mis," "Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Life of Pi."

The logic that's presented is the only time that matters for movies is the last two months of the calendar year. Everyone is bombarded with so much stuff that it's hard to remember what came out in September, forget about April and May. It's not fair for audiences, critics, and filmmakers. Movies get rewarded for timing more than quality. 

Here's what I propose:

1.) First-half winners: Give out Oscar nominations for movies released before June 30th: Five in every category. (Maybe then, "Moonrise Kingdom" would have gotten more than one friggin' nomination.)

2.) Second-half winners: Give out 5 Oscar nominations for movies released from July 1st to December 31st: Five in every category.

3.) In February, hold the lavish Academy Awards ceremony, where the nominees from both halves face off to see who's the best of the best. 

What are your thoughts? I'd love to know.