The Oscars Committee Is Rarely Right
With the Oscars on, here are a few movies that I believe were snubbed of winning Best Picture.
Year after year the Oscars find a way to miss the boat on phenomenal films that deserve the award for Best Picture so here a few of movies that I really believe were snubbed by the committee.
Last year, the Korean film “Parasite” cleaned up at the Oscars. While it was a great film, I think that “1917”, the film directed by Sam Mendes about two young British lance corporals and their journey to deliver Colonel Mackenzie a message to call off an upcoming attack.
The interesting aspect of “1917” was the way it was filmed. It wasn’t filmed in one take but gives the appearance that the movie is one big shot. Absolute snub for a movie that is spoken in the same breath as “Saving Private Ryan” when war movies are brought up.
A few years prior to “Parasite” cleaning up, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) won the 2014 Best Picture award. I am extremely outraged by this choice as there was not one, but two other films that should have brought the award home.
The first one was a Clint Eastwood film that goes by the title of “American Sniper”. It follows the life of elite sniper Chris Kyle who is played by Bradley Cooper. Kyle always found his way back to the battle field as he served four terms and compiled an alleged 160 kills.
Chris Kyles life ends in a very sad way after he returned home to his wife and children when he takes a veteran who suffers from PTSD to the gun range who later kills him at the range.
The second movie that should have won Best Picture in 2014 is “Whiplash”, which stars one of my favorite actors, Miles Teller. Teller plays a plucky young drummer whose life goal is to become a world class drummer. He is invited to join the Shaffer Conservatory Studio Band which is led by J.K. Simmons character.
Simmons plays an abusive asshole and when Tellers character messes up tempo on in his first day, Simmons slaps him, throws a chair at him, and berates him. Down the line, Teller drops out after a series of events and runs into Simmons again. They join back up and the movie ends with a TREMENDOUS drum solo from Teller. AWESOME MOVIE!
Just a year prior, “12 Years of Slave” took home the award which is a great movie but, this group of films was immaculate. I’m actually not even that upset about “12 Years of Slave” winning, I just think there are many other movies that had a better case.
“Dallas Buyers Club” was up for the award the same year and had stupendous roles from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. McConaughey plays a cowboy who contracts the AIDS virus and is given just months to live. After a trip to Mexico and some experimental medicine, McConaughey begins to feel better.
With the help of Jared Leto, who plays a transgender prostitute who also has AIDS, McConaughey begins to undermine the Texas hospital system and sell the Mexican medicine to other people infected with AIDS.
The second film, the one that really should have won was “The Wolf of Wall Street”. It consisted of an absolute dream team. Directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio with Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie.
The film goes through the wild life of billionaire Jordan Belfort who engaged in rampant corruption and fraud on Wall Street. Honestly, there isn’t a great way to describe the plot because the movie is just wild beyond belief and is entertaining from the opening scenes to the closing credits.
I could go on and on and on. Look at 2010 when “The King’s Speech” beat “The Social Network”, 2005 when “Crash” edged out “Brokeback Mountain”, and in 1994 when “Forrest Gump” SOMEHOW beat out “Shawshank Redemption” and “Pulp Fiction”.
While I can name you the times they were wrong, there are few years they have nailed the award. Very few. For example in 2007 when “No Country For Old Men” won, or even the year prior when the “The Departed” took home the award and in 1999 when a masterpiece of film “American Beauty” won.
I really wish the Oscars could throw away their “woke” voting and just vote for the best film, not the one that will get them pats on the back.