What? Oscar voters aren’t going to get DVD copies of nominated movies this year because of fears of piracy? Critics “claim that a blanket ban on screeners will suffocate independent films, and they’re absolutely right. When the crunch comes for end-of-the-year screenings, there’ll be no time–and nowhere near enough screening rooms–for Academy voters to see “American Splendor,” “Winged Migration” or “Whale Rider,” to name but three of the many superb films that lack the budgets to promote themselves. And so the elephantiasis that afflicts the movie business will proceed apace, as the most heavily marketed films–though often the least interesting ones–lumber toward Oscar glory.”