The Oscars

Is it just me, or does the expansion of candidates for the Best Picture Academy Award from five to ten kind of diminish the drama of the competition? I've seen eight of the ten, and will likely see a ninth (no way I'll sit through 127 Hours, not because I doubt it's good, but because it sounds likely to trigger my claustrophobia). When there were five candidates, there were generally a couple I thought deserved to be honored and at least one that I could avidly root against. But with ten, there are several that really ought to win, and the odds of a stinker sneaking through seems truly remote. I guess the two "best" films could conceivably cancel each other out in the voting, opening the door to no. 3, but in a field this large, no. 3 is still likely to be pretty good. Maybe that impression is just a result of the specific films nominated this year, none of which really look to me like a masterpiece, meaning its anyone's game, and whatever the result my reaction will be a shrug. Maybe after I watch Winter's Bone, I'll feel differently. I doubt it, though. I'll probably make some picks here when the ceremony is looming, but right now I'm seeing very little to get really excited about. I hope that doesn't mean I'm losing interest in the cinematic arts; but then, when were the Oscars ever about art?