Biggest Oscar shut-outs of the year

Why Academy, why?

Every year, there will be a number of films that seem to tick all the right boxes for Oscar consideration (whether it be the subject matter of the film, or the cast and crew attached to it), yet still fail to garner any Oscar/award attention. As the title suggests, I will be talking about a few of these films in this post and also highlight some areas which they should have been in consideration for at the Oscars. Although to clarify, these films that I will be discussing will be great films that deserve to have some sort of Oscar recognition, and not some of the awful Oscar-bait films that seem to plague the movie community every year. So no films like The Glass Castle or Victoria & Abdul to be found here. Well, lets begin with...

Detroit

I am pretty sure Detroit was on top of most people's Oscar predictions short-list at the start of the year (and maybe even so after the film opened to less-than-stellar box office). I mean, just look at the cast and crew. You've got the powerhouse duo of Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal directing and writing respectively, both of whom won Oscars in their first collab The Hurt Locker, and were both nominated in their second collab Zero Dark Thirty. You've also got young up-and-coming stars like John Boyega, Will Poulter and Jason Mitchell headlining the film. Last but not least, you've got an extremely intriguing premise, that being the telling of the horrific true-story of the Algiers Motel Incident. This one should've been an absolute slam-dunk at the Oscars.

Alas, a variety of factors sunk Detroit's chances of any Oscar glory. Its tepid box-office reception didn't help (despite a lot of critical love). Neither did the awkward release date of August, which is kinda early for an Oscar-contender and right after the end of the blockbuster months, meaning movie-goers may not flock to the cinemas as often. However, it may have been the controversy around the film's choice to tell the events as factually as possible that damned the film. There were quite a number of people who were upset or even offended by the film (I personally don't quite understand it) for playing it straight and emphasising on the torment and abuse suffered by the black characters. The backlash might just have been enough to push Detroit out of most award-bodies' minds.

Which is honestly a damn shame, as Detroit is one of the best-made films of the year. Despite whatever one may feel about the script, there is no denying that Bigelow absolutely deserved to be in the conversation for Best Director. She brilliantly crafts every scene and milks every bit of tension out of the film, and she certainly is not afraid of placing the audience smack-dab in the action (like in Hurt Locker or Zero Dark Thirty). I personally think Boal's screenplay deserved awards attention as well. The editing of the film too was brilliantly on-point and certainly should have gotten in over Three Billboards for Best Editing. Also, how on earth did none of the supporting actors garner ANY award attention anywhere?!?! Will Poulter gives one of the best supporting performance of the year as one of the most monstrous and terrifying villains of the year, and John Boyega and Algee Smith were both outstanding in their respective roles as a guard caught in between two sides and an innocent bystander caught in the cross-fires. The universal snub of the brilliant cast is just outrageous and difficult to understand. And lastly, Detroit should certainly have been in the Best Picture conversation as well despite whatever controversy it stirred up (it's definitely better than Darkest Hour and The Post)

Okja

What must it take for the Academy to recognise the genius that is Bong Joon-Ho? The amazing Memories of Murder and Mother both failed to garner a Best Foreign Film nod, and it still boggles my mind that Bong's Hollywood debut Snowpiercer failed to get even a single nomination (not even for production design or costume design?!?!) Bong again proves what a brilliant film-maker he is with Okja, which is a fantastical tale about a young girl's journey to save her super-pig after it is taken from her by the company that created it. Okja is equal parts comedy, horror, fantasy, sci-fi and satire all rolled into one. The completely bonkers plot, and the staggering amount of genres Okja must juggle, means that the film will fail without a brilliant director at its helm. Luckily, Bong Joon-Ho is more than up to the task. The film is a brilliant mish-mash of genres and makes for an uproariously entertaining watch.

Unfortunately, the Academy seem to have forgotten the existence of this film. Some may credit Okja's shut-out to the Netflix bias that Beasts of No Nation similarly suffered from a few years back, however, another Netflix film Mudbound did receive some recognition this year from the Academy. The more likely reason is simply that Okja is too "out-there" for the Academy's liking. The multiple genres, the whiplashing tones, the bonkers plot, plus Bong Joon-Ho's lack of Oscar success in the past all meant that Okja would never have been nominated for anything.

Despite Ang Lee winning twice for Best Director, there hasn't been much representation for Asian directors in the Oscars (shame on them for only nominating Kurosawa once!). It was always a long-shot for Bong Joon-Ho to be nominated, but hey, one can always dream right? The costume design should definitely have been recognised though, but again it was snubbed like with Snowpiercer. I mean come on, just look at those costumes that Tilda Swinton or Jake Gyllenhaal is wearing, they are downright brilliant. And although competition was really strong for original screenplay this year, Okja's screenplay was definitely one of the most original delights of the year. The biggest snub though might be for supporting actress, where the amazing Tilda Swinton was shut out once again after being similarly ignored for Snowpiercer. Swinton gives not one, but two, great and very different performances as the Mirando sisters and her performance definitely stands toe-to-toe with some of the other best supporting actresses of the year. And again, this was always a long shot, but Okja would make my personal top 10 for Best Picture.

The Florida Project

The Florida Project's near-complete shut-out by the Oscars have been well-documented in many articles and discussions, and there was certainly many who were upset at the Academy for ignoring this wonderful little gem from writer-director Sean Baker. Willem Dafoe was rightfully nominated for his brilliant and heartfelt turn as the good-natured motel owner, but many people, myself included, was expecting the film to show up more than just once on nominations day.

Alas, the film's gritty and realistic look at poverty might not have sat well with some of the Academy voters, particularly when compared to traditional Oscar-favourite fare like The Post and Darkest Hour, which really pushed for a more positive and feel-good vibe than both films' stories needed (to their detriment in my opinion). And to be fair, the Academy weren't the only ones who gave The Florida Project a sole nomination, as the Golden Globes and BAFTAs did the same thing. It seems like all the critical love and momentum that The Florida Project gained early on in awards season with the various critic's associations awards had all but evaporated come Oscars time. Whatever the case for the almost complete shut-out, it definitely should not have happened.

The acting for one was really great and it feels to me like many of the major award bodies (not just the Academy) simply settled for nominating the most well-known name (although Dafoe did deserve all the love he got). I for one wasa really hoping that Brooklynn Prince would pull a Quvenzhane Wallis and become the surprise contender for Best Actress this year during award seasons. She gave one of the most naturalistic and heartfelt child performances ever and was the outstanding anchor for her film, an impressive achievement for someone as young as she is. Unfortunately, despite some love for Prince among the various critic's associations awards, she was ignored by majority of the big award bodies. The same goes for her on-screen mother played by Bria Vinaite, who was also snubbed across the board for Best Supporting Actress despite a couple of critical citations. Alexis Zabe's outstanding work on the cinematography was also ignored, as was Baker's original screenplay. (Although to be fair, the categories for cinematography and original screenplay this year were particularly strong, but it still doesn't justify the uniform snubbing of the film across the major award bodies). Some were also calling for a Best Director nod for Baker, although I would personally put both Bigelow and Bong's work above his (and one more fellow that I will mention below). And I would have definitely loved to see a Best Picture nod for The Florida Project as well, if only to get more people to see this wonderful little film.

Blade Runner 2049

As you can probably tell from my previous post, I really adored this film. In a year filled with outstanding films, this one is my favourite. Denis Villeneuve achieved the impossible by not only making a film that is worthy of bearing the Blade Runner name, but in my opinion one that surpassed the original. It was always going to be difficult for the film to score major Oscar nominations or wins given the Academy's stigma against genre films (including the original Blade Runner). But I was cautiously optimistic given that the Academy embraced Villeneuve's previous feature Arrival. Alas, I was proven completely wrong on nominations day. Despite scoring a ton of technical nominations (which it deserved every single one), Blade Runner 2049 missed out on every single major category and goes to show once again, don't bet on the Academy's bias against genre films.

The biggest snub is probably Denis Villeneuve for Best Director, which I have already covered in my previous post. Having rewatched the film recently though, the snub just feels worse with each rewatch, as everything that Villeneuve achieved with his vision in Blade Runner 2049 is just astonishing. The snub simply should not have happened. Hampton Fancher's and Michael Green's screenplay should also absolutely have been in the running for Best Adapted Screenplay. They not only found a brilliant way to organically pick up the story from the first film, but also a unique and compelling way to present the intriguing and thought-provoking themes brought up in the first film. I personally would have given it the nod over Mudbound or Molly's Game (which really felt like lesser Sorkin work, but hey, the Academy just can't resist a Sorkin script).

And let's talk about Hans Zimmer's score, because this brings up a big problem I've had with the Academy's rules for awarding original scores. Just because more than one person collaborated on the score means that it shouldn't be in the running for the best score of the year? That's just plain stupid. Zimmer, like what happened with The Dark Knight, wasn't even eligible for Oscar consideration, which really bugs me, as the score was just brilliant. And although it was a really long-shot as performances in sci-fi films rarely ever get recognised (Sigourney Weaver, Sandra Bullock and Matt Damon aside), I was really hoping for some attention for Ryan Gosling in Best Actor (an astounding performance that only grows on you with each rewatch) and Ana de Armas in Best Supporting Actress. And I think it goes without saying, seeing as this is my favourite film, but a Best Picture nomination was completely deserved and in a fair world, it should have at least been in the running for that nomination, instead of being completely out of the conversation.

Logan

If science fiction films get it bad from the Academy, then comic-book mvoies (CBM) definitely have it a lot worse. Although majority of the comic-book films nowadays are pretty standard throw-away entertainment fare, the truly outstanding ones, like The Dark Knight and Captain America: Civil War, have proven that CBMs can be just as compelling and thought-provoking and well-made as the best prestige films, and they definitely deserve to be considered for awards attention as well. Logan joins the aforementioned films as not only one of the best CBMs ever made, but also one of the best films of 2017. Unfortunately, the stigma and bias against CBMs all but guaranteed Logan's almost-complete shut-out at the Oscars.

Still, the adapted screenplay nomination was one of the best Oscar surprises of recent years (and maybe all-time?), and it does make the other snubs sting a little less, and I am seriously hoping that this would be the first step towards the Academy's acceptance of CBMs. (The only other major Oscar attention that a CBM has ever received was for The Dark Knight, and that took an all-time-great performance from Heath Ledger for it to happen). Having said that, I can't believe all the major award bodies (Oscars included) overlooked the brilliant performances from the central trio. Say what you will about how many times Hugh Jackman has played the character of Wolverine, but I only believe that it added to his career-best performance here in his final outing. Never has Jackman been better as he truly gives it his all, utilising his considerable (albeit frequently under-utilised) talents to portray all the physical and emotional tolls that this broken-down Wolverine has to go through. I won't lie, Jackman is currently in my personal top 5 for Best Actor. As great as he is though, his on-screen daughter Dafne Keen is no slouch. Despite this being her first film-role, she shows no signs of inexperience and not only convincingly pulls off the stoic, bad-ass side of her character, but is downright amazing at portraying the overwhelming emotions that pour out of her towards the end. I would have loved it if either her or Brooklynn Prince as mentioned above had pulled off a Quvenzhane Wallis narrative at the Best Actress Oscars. And let's not forget Sir Patrick Stewart. I have always felt that the X-Men films of the past have under-used him and his tremendous talents, but perhaps motivated by how great James McAvoy has been as the young Professor X, and boosted considerably by the writing, Stewart easily gives his best performance as Professor X here. Despite being in a comic-book film, Stewart never plays up his character's mental degradation but instead gives a very realistic and difficult-to-watch portrayal of his disease, that is actually better than most portrayals of mental diseases in most prestige films. The Critic's Choice nomination he received was a great pleasant surprise, and I was secretly hoping that it would give him the momentum needed to get a possible Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor. But I guess it still takes time for the Academy to truly recognise great CBMs as equals with other prestige films. And although it would be a long shot, (certainly longer than films like The Florida Project or Blade Runner 2049), I am pretty sure there was a sizeable group of fans hoping for a Best Picture nomination for Logan.

Conclusion

I probably left off a few other films that should have gotten more Oscar love as well, like The Big Sick, but these 5 films are some of my personal favourites of the year and I just felt more strongly about them missing out. It also goes to show that despite some rather pleasant surprises this year, such as the Academy embracing the horror genre with their love for Get Out, they still have a long way to go before people will stop calling them out for a lack of diversity in their nomination choices.