Sure, there were a ton of great films this year. I’ve heard that “Milk” and “Frost/Nixon” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and even “The Wrestler” are all amazing shows. Even my Spanish teacher commented on how great “Slumdog Millionaire” was. But somehow I haven’t seen any of them.            

Which got me thinking: of all the movies I’ve seen this year, the only ones I had anticipated beforehand (and even waited in line to see at their midnight opening) were “The Dark Knight” and “Ironman.” Thankfully, Bruce Wayne’s tales of woe are garnering the attention at the Oscars this year that the film rightfully should (especially Heath Ledger’s performance, which should certainly net him a posthumous best supporting actor award). At the same time, why not have a Superhero category? They could even give out an iron oscar (a little ironman, for the iron-y).

Consider: Who watches foreign films? Not as many people as watch superhero films, and yet there’s an award for those. How many short films (not on YouTube) have you sat down for this year? That’s what I thought. So where’s the superhero beef?

Granted, not every film has the power that “The Dark Knight” does. If we could ignore “The Spirit” (because … just wow), “Hancock” (disappointing), “Hellboy 2” (which apparently was actually better than the original) or even just set aside the critical insignificance of “The Incredible Hulk,” we would find that superhero movies are an important genre for our current age. Consider the themes of “Ironman” as applied to our current situations — utilizing an action filter to comment on current events should be applauded.

Especially in our dire times of economic depression, the people need a hero. And our heroes need a little golden sidekick named Oscar. I say it’s about time we gave it to them.