Oscar Nominations 2013: Who And What Got Snubbed?

What better way to start off the new year in film than to judge and dissect the Academy Award nominations that were recently announced. We already have a list of the nominees and who the favorites are, but what about the controversy concerning the actors and titles that were left out? Every year there’s a handful left behind, causing movie fans to raise their pitchforks in protest (once again) over the Academy’s direction of being too old-fashioned. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant, the fact of the matter is there’s only a selected amount of room for nominees. In reality, the Academy Awards is just a glamorous way for Hollywood to show off, it's a chance for all the biggest stars to dress up and essentially promote their movies. The winners get a statue and are in the news for a couple days after, but the most important thing for them is having “Oscar winner” next to their name in movie trailers. The recognition may be set in film history forever, however, there are hundreds of actors and films that stand the test of time even without a nomination to validate their fame. Alfred Hitchcock, his movies and the actors involved in them, usually got overlooked by the Academy. Now, Vertigo and Rear Window are widely considered classics, and neither one not sporting a Best Picture nomination affects its significance. 2012 had incredible movies that will be remembered decades from now and performances that will be endlessly studied in film classes to come. Being snubbed for an Oscar causes a bitter tingle of disappointment only when the nominations are announced and when the Oscars are handed out, after that it’s time to move on. On that note, it's time to give some recognition to those actors and films that Oscar decided to overlook this year. Read on to see our top Oscar snubs for 2013. Continue reading on the next page... Moonrise Kingdom Before the onslaught of winter movies arrived, Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom was on everyone’s radar. A small movie released in summer that climbed the box-office charts, it garnered praise for its sweet and charming story of two kids in love that also featured a cast full of veteran actors who were all fantastic. There was even talk of Bruce Willis for best supporting actor, especially with him playing against type as the somber and delicate police captain who has a heart of gold. Unfortunately, Moonrise Kingdom was forgotten way too quickly, and it looks like the Academy went with Beasts of the Southern Wild to be their “indie love child” instead. At least the film got an original screenplay nod, but that’s like a pat on the back for Anderson and his eccentric style of filmmaking. Despite it's lack of nominations, we won't be forgetting about Moonrise Kingdom anytime soon. Continue reading on the next page... Javier Bardem Often regarded as the most entertaining category of the Oscars, the Best Supporting Actor nominations are always flashy and varied among taste, and sometimes they are usually more memorable than the actors chosen for a lead role. More specifically, villains are the Academy’s go-to choice in this category; a way to award exuberance and embracing a dangerous character is the best way for the Oscars to appear edgy among viewers. So why not honor the most fascinating villain to appear onscreen all year? Bane. Oops, wrong movie. It’s Raoul Silva in Skyfall. Javier Bardem transcended the usual outline for a megalomaniac villain in a James Bond movie and injected his own personal flair for theatricality and evil behavior, because of this he earned universal acclaim for his performance. He was creepy, disturbed, brilliant, seductive, lethal, sympathetic, and not to mention a little sexually confused as well. This was Bond’s best chance to score any serious awards, since everything about Skyfall worked so flawlessly. While it did get a couple nominations for its technical accomplishments, ignoring Bardem is something that’s hard to forgive. At least he already won the award for playing another sociopath with bad hair. Continue reading on the next page... Kathryn Bigelow This one may be the biggest upset. Yes, Bigelow already had her moment to shine at the Oscars before, for a movie that has many similarities to Zero Dark Thirty. But just because she makes two movies featuring war as a back story shouldn’t disqualify her in anyway. Before the nominations, she was easily advertized as the favorite for best director, even gaining an edge over Spielberg. She’s racked up numerous awards already for her work and has basically been nominated for every major award that’s out there. The Academy must have an extremely strict rule on not allowing women to win the directing award twice, let alone be nominated more than once. Bigelow was literally singled out. Zero Dark Thirty was an excellent film brought to life by Bigelow's sharp direction. Her work here has been sadly ignored by the Academy and it really is a shame. Most say that had she not won for The Hurt Locker then this would be her year. We agree. It's unfortunate that the Academy works like that but it is what it is, right? Continue reading on the next page... Ben Affleck Another director who was apparently a shoe in for a selection, Ben Affleck must be feeling a little bitter over his exclusion. Argo landed seven nominations but there was no love for Big Ben. It seems the Academy still haven’t forgiven him for Gigli and Daredevi, it’s the only explanation. Even though he’s made a new name for himself as a director, and has three great movies under his belt to prove it, Affleck apparently still has to redeem himself for his past sins. With only three films as a director though, Affleck has time and we're confident that by film five or six he'll have his gold statue. Continue reading on the next page... Michael Fassbender Prometheus may have had a polarizing effect on audiences but there was one element of it that was unanimously cherished by all: the character David. Fassbender has had some great roles over the years, but this is one of his juiciest. Eerie beyond belief, his remarkable stillness throughout the film, combined with his joyful sense of curiosity and discovery, makes Prometheus worth watching for his performance alone. Whether he’s dyeing his hair blonde to look like Peter O’Toole, manipulating humans for his divine pleasure or separated from his body as a talking head, it’s impossible to take your eyes off Fassbender. He steals every scene and is flawless in the role. It's a mystery as to why this man hasn't won an Academy Award yet but like Affleck, his time will come shortly. Continue reading on the next page... The Sessions Heartwarming and touching, yet shockingly comical; The Sessions was a critical curveball this year for its blend of defined characters and the sexual content involved. On paper it seems weird and potentially awkward, but the movie works as a human drama that’s mature enough to joke with its delicate subject matter. Thanks to a sensational cast who fully embrace their roles (especially John Hawkes and Helen Hunt), this picture is easily one of 2012’s best films. I'm guessing not many people caught this one in theatres either, and it's a shame. It's a really wonderful film that I wish received more recognition than it did. So there you have it, our picks for the biggest Oscar snubs. Feel free to head down to the comments below and let us know who or what you think got snubbed.