I know the Oscars are very hit or miss when it comes to the awards, and many people have complained about and praised Oscars in the past, but I love me some revisionist history, so this week’s Top Ten is dedicated to movies which I believe got short-ended come Awards night.
Now, there are several reasons why a movie might have been short-ended, or screwed, at the Oscars. The simplest example is that the Oscars flat out got it wrong. In the case of acting or directing categories, the person in question may have been overlooked in favour of a “legacy Oscar” recognizing a career rather than the role itself (see: Leonardo DiCaprio winning for THE REVENANT, and another I will name in this top ten). The other example might be that they were in a loaded category and just didn’t get the recognition it deserved.
Whatever the case may be, here are the Top Ten Movies That Got Overlooked At The Oscars:
*Disclaimer: Some of these movies received nominations, and even won some Oscars, but I am making up my own rules as I go so I reserve the right to make the determination of if they got screwed or not. (I am also not going to nitpick the technical categories)*
10. THE IRISHMAN (2020 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 0
Oscar Nominations: 10 (Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor x2, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design, Film Editing, Visual Effects)
Oscars it should have won: At least 2 (Best Actor (De Niro), Supporting Actor (Pacino OR Pesci))
I find it really difficult to take any Oscars away from PARASITE, so it can keep Best Picture and Director, but in another year the Irishman takes both of these. Taika Waititi rocks so can hang onto Adapted Screenplay, and I can’t argue with any of the technical Oscars (Roger Deakins has deserved SO MANY Oscars I’m not going to take away two of the awards he’s actually one). But Frank Sheeran was the best Robert De Niro role since maybe CASINO and Brad Pitt winning for Supporting Actor was definitely a legacy award (he belonged in the Best Actor category anyway) so I’m good with Joe Pesci or Al Pacino (in their best roles in years) taking home Best Supporting Actor. What? Tom Hanks was nominated? Dammit. Flip a coin, then.
9. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1999 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 5 (Best Director, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, Sound Effects
Oscar Nominations: 11 (Above 5, plus: Best Picture, Actor, Original Screenplay, Set Decoration, Makeup, Original Score)
Oscars it should have won: 11 (All of the above nominations, minus Makeup, plus Best Supporting Actor)
Okay, before you say anything like “How can you say SAVING PRIVATE RYAN got screwed when it won FIVE FREAKING OSCARS?” Allow me to refresh your memory: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE won a bunch of Oscars. Like, way too many Oscars. Like, one would have been too many and it won SEVEN. INCLUDING BEST PICTURE.
Steven Spielberg winning Best Director was a slam dunk, but the rest of its nominations should have been as well (Best Makeup maybe not – ELIZABETH seems pretty deserving). Tom Hanks, nominated for Best Actor, should pretty much always be a win in that case, as should John Williams in the Best Score category. But the missing nomination and should-be win belongs to Matt Damon in the Best Supporting Actor category (won that year by James Coburn for AFFLICTION). Damon is only in the last little bit of the movie, but the monologue about his brothers by itself is deserving of all of the recognition and awards. The fact that he ad-libbed it only adds to the incredible nature of the speech and his role. The 1999 Oscars were one of the worst ever when it comes to awarding the right movies, and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN not sweeping is pretty indicative of that.
8. THE SHINING (1981 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 0
Oscar Nominations: 0
Oscars it should have won: 3 (Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Picture)
I know your first thought might be “what, no Jack Nicholson for Best Actor?!” My response: Robert De Niro won for RAGING BULL and is one of the more deserving Oscar wins ever, so correct, no Jack Nicholson for Best Actor. But Shelley Duvall takes it away from Sissy Spacek, and THE SHINING can capture Best Picture over ORDINARY PEOPLE. Martin Scorsese for RAGING BULL should have won Best Director in the first place, sorry Stanley Kubrick. Best Adapted Screenplay is an interesting study as well – I am not giving it a nomination because the Screenplay is just so incredibly different from the source material that I think they should be considered two different entities entirely.
It’s fascinating how THE SHINING did not receive a single nomination (it actually got Razzie nominations in several major categories), despite the fact that literally everyone who has seen THE SHINING absolutely loves it.
7. CHINATOWN (1975 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 1 (Best Original Screenplay)
Oscar Nominations: 11 including the above win (Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, Cinematography, Set Decoration, Costume Design, Sound, Editing, Original Score)
Oscars it should have won: 3 (Best Actress, Cinematography, Original Screenplay)
So the 1975 Oscars were stacked, slotting CHINATOWN into the category of “Movies that got overlooked because of loaded categories.” I can’t in good conscience give Picture, Supporting Actor, Director, or Score to anything other than THE GODFATHER: PART II (Al Pacino got absolutely robbed in an unforgivable Best Actor faux pas). But Faye Dunaway’s performance in CHINATOWN is one of the more extraordinary, if not underrated, performances of all-time, and a lack of recognition here for her is pretty unfortunate. The cinematography in CHINATOWN is impeccable and should have won, and it can keep its win for Original Screenplay. In any other year it could probably sweep every single category, RETURN OF THE KING style, but THE GODFATHER: PART II is deservedly the biggest winner from 1975.
*Note: 1974’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS also fits into this category, but I couldn’t do two movies from the same incredible year.
6. THE PRESTIGE (2007 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 0
Oscar Nominations: 2 (Best Cinematography, Art Direction)
Oscars it should have won: 7 (Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography)
Let me start with a disclaimer: I love THE DEPARTED. I really, really, love THE DEPARTED. But I will also be the first to admit that it was basically a legacy celebration of Martin Scorsese – I am here for it all the way, but I also love THE PRESTIGE and feel the need to award it some arbitrary revisionist history Oscars now.
In a world without THE DEPARTED in 2007, THE PRESTIGE easily takes Best Picture. Michael Caine takes Supporting Actor from Alan Arkin, Scarlett Johansson takes Supporting Actress away from Jennifer Hudson, and while it pains me dearly to say it, Martin Scorsese (who should have won in 1977, 1981, 1991, 2005 and 2020) here concedes Best Director to the amazing Christopher Nolan (who should have won in 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2019). Best Actor is really tough, because both Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are brilliant. Bale ended up winning an Oscar in 2011, so I think we can safely give the 2007 Best Actor Oscar to Hugh (sorry, Forest Whitaker). I know the cinematography in PAN’S LABYRINTH is great, but it’s better in THE PRESTIGE, and I’m not sorry about it.
5. ARRIVAL (2017 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 1 (Sound Editing)
Oscar Nominations: 8 total (Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Sound Mixing, Production Design)
Oscars it should have won: 9 (Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects)
I know I said I wouldn’t nitpick technical categories but I’m making up the rules here, so I think I can justifiably break them as well. The visual effects in ARRIVAL are outstanding (sorry Jon Favreau please forgive me you can do no wrong and I love you), and I’m not smart enough to understand the sound stuff, but if you give a movie an award for Sound Editing just go ahead and give it Sound Mixing too.
Amy Adams should have a bunch of Oscars by now and the fact that she didn’t even get nominated for Best Actress is irksome to me, especially when she was the outright winner of that category. Same goes for Denis Villeneuve for Best Director, less so for Jeremy Renner, who I still believe earns the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay can go together here, because they read and watch ARRIVAL in the high school in my hometown, which I think speaks volumes to its influence and quality.
4. 21 JUMP STREET (2013 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 0
Oscar Nominations: 0
Oscars it should have won: 1 (Best Adapted Screenplay)
ARGO won Best Adapted Screenplay in 2013. The script for 21 JUMP STREET is one of the cleverest scripts of all-time, and I will hear nothing to the contrary.
3. CHILDREN OF MEN (2007 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 0
Oscar Nominations: 3 (Best Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing)
Oscars it should have won: 9 (Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Visual Effects)
Yes, I am aware I already covered the 2007 Oscars. But, in the spirit of revisionist history and making my own rules, I’m doing 2007 again, this time sans THE DEPARTED and THE PRESTIGE. With those two gone from this year, CHILDREN OF MEN becomes the hands-down winner in 9 categories, including the big one.
Clive Owen is incredible in the lead role, while Michael Caine takes Best Supporting Actor (becoming the only person in Oscars history to win two Oscars in the same category in the same year – revisionist history is fun!), and Julianne Moore picks up Best Supporting Actress. Alfonso Cuaron runs away with Best Director, and his cinematographer and editor are shoe-ins for their categories thanks to the multiple long takes and incredible piecing together of this unreal story. I know there aren’t a ton of visual effects, and I know I said I wouldn’t nitpick technical categories, but again, making my own rules means I get to break them whenever I want.
2. ROAD TO PERDITION (2003 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 1 (Best Cinematography)
Oscar Nominations: 6 total (Best Supporting Actor, Set Decoration, Sound, Sound Editing, Original Score)
Oscars it should have won: 6 (Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Director, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score)
Oof…the 2003 Oscars were rough. I really love GANGS OF NEW YORK and think it got similar treatment to THE IRISHMAN (I mean what is it with the Scorsese disrespect???) in terms of its wins-to-nominations ratio (hint: they’re both zero). But put it up against ROAD TO PERDITION and I think the only Oscar GANGS comes away with is Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis, full stop), although I’d like to reward Tom Hanks with a nomination in that category, because he rocks in this movie. ROAD TO PERDITION is a beautiful movie containing a beautiful story with beautiful music and writing. Sam Mendes earns his second Best Director Oscar here, and it can keep Cinematography. Paul Newman rightfully gets his Best Supporting Actor award here (how did he only ever win one Best Actor???) and this movie also becomes the first comic book movie to win a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar (at this point I’m in too deep to research this further but I’m just going with it because revisionist history!). It’s one of the best movies not to win as many Oscars as it should have, and still today is incredibly underrated and underwatched.
And yes, I did make it through a whole paragraph about the 2003 Oscars without even mentioning CHICAGO’s Best Picture win! Shoot…
T-1 SE7EN (1996 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 0
Oscar Nominations: 1 (Best Editing)
Oscars it should have won: 7 (Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, Cinematography, Editing)
The 1996 Oscars were so bad I’m doing two separate #1 movies for them. The first one is David Fincher’s incredible detective thriller which I’m awarding seven (ha!) Oscars to. Fincher gets Best Director in a landslide (get outta here, Mel), and SE7EN runs away with Cinematography and Best Picture, as it should (get outta here, Mel). I’m not picky which between Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman is awarded Best Actor – maybe a tie? – and Kevin Spacey can keep his Best Supporting Actor, only for his portrayal as John Doe as opposed to Verbal Kint (although he probably earns Best Actor for that one in a normal world). Gwyneth Paltrow gets Best Supporting Actress and SE7EN can win Best Editing only because I wanted it to get to seven Oscars.
However, big disclaimer here, SE7EN only wins any of these in a normal world if the real #1 movie doesn’t exist. But it does, and we’re doing revisionist history for this, so here we go:
#1. HEAT (1996 Oscars)
Oscar Wins: 0
Oscar Nominations: 0
Oscars it should have won: Literally all of them.
I don’t even care if it doesn’t actually have the best costume design or makeup or whatever, anything it can qualify for, Michael Mann’s 1995 masterpiece HEAT deserved everything, and not even getting one nomination for any category is the biggest mistake the Oscars have ever made – and they gave a Best Picture award to CRASH!
Best Picture, duh. Best Director, absolutely. Best Adapted Screenplay no doubt about it. Best Actor? Take your pick between De Niro and Pacino. Best Supporting Actor, Val Kilmer, and Supporting Actress pick Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, Diane Venora, or Amy Brenneman and I’m happy. Best Cinematography, Sound, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Set Decoration, Original Score, just give it everything because it is as close to a perfect movie as you can get.
You may feel that I am exaggerating here, but go ahead and watch BRAVEHEART. Then watch HEAT, and tell me which of these two movies deserves 5 Oscar wins and 5 more nominations, and which one gets shut out. Consider that a challenge.
Talking Films 