Commentary: Why the Academy Awards still matter

FILE - In this Feb. 21, 2015, file photo, an Oscar statue appears outside the Dolby Theatre for the 87th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)When members of the movie industry gather Sunday at the Dolby Theatre for the 91st Academy Awards, they will be coming together to honor the outstanding achievements of cinema from 2018.

While there’s no question that the Oscars are about spectacle, from great dresses and suits to memorable speeches, there’s another reason the ceremony is the object of such intense public passions. In celebrating the best movies of a given year and the people whose hard work made those…