Most Egregious Snub:
JB: Her, for Best Director/Best Actor/Best Supporting Actress
Ok, this might be cheating a little bit, but I was genuinely shocked at the number of snubs towards Spike Jonze’s brilliant film Her (my #2 pick of 2013). Jonze’s direction for the film is rather subtle, but he does it in such a way that it makes it an intimate portrait of this man who has found love in the most unusual of places. Then there are the performances that should have easily grab nods from the Academy. Phoenix gives what could be the performance of his career. His portrayal is sweet, touching, and grabs the audience from the very start without ever letting go. The same can be said of Scarlett Johansson, who does more with just her voice than anyone could have ever imagined. Without ever appearing on screen, it’s an extremely tough battle to get the audience to sympathize with the character, but through her incredible performance, we come to care about her deeply. The fact that some undeserving nominees got in over Jonze, Phoenix, and Johansson is rather annoying, but at least the film managed to get a few nominations including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay (the latter of which it will easily win).
JA: Next to nothing for Prisoners
With the exception of Roger Deakins’ 11th nomination for cinematography, Denis Villeneuve’s startling thriller Prisoners received no Oscar love. It is confusing as to why the film received such little fanfare at the end of the year, considering the immense, moving performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, a twisty and complex screenplay from Aaron Guzikowski and Villeneuve’s unflinching direction. Like Villeneuve’s earlier film Incendies, a triumph that notched a Foreign Language Film nomination, Prisoners is an absorbing character study that captures people tied to systems of value at their breaking point. Using spare images and sinister music, the French-Canadian director cuts right to the bone of American violence and terror. Was it too dark and intense to register with voters? In the same year as the uncompromising 12 Years a Slave and the glorified debauchery of The Wolf of Wall Street, absolutely not.
IF: Inside Llewyn Davis gets basically shut out
One of my favorite films from last year was the Coen Brothers’ deceptively quaint, melancholy tribute to the 1960s New York folk scene. I was convinced that it would earn Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Original Score and Original Song, but I was also crossing my fingers for Best Director, Best Actor (for Oscar Isaac), Best Supporting Actress (Carey Mulligan) and Best Original Screenplay. None of the above received nods though. The downbeat, gloomy feel of Inside Llewyn Davis likely turned off many voters, and I’m inclined to believe that a fair number of voters just didn’t get it, as dismissive as that sounds. Inside Llewyn Davis was a highly symbolic, soulful and darkly funny outing for the Coen Brothers, and it easily ranks among the director duo’s best work. That it was snubbed so thoroughly is a real shame.
That’s our picks for this year’s Academy Awards! Who are you rooting for in the major categories? And what snubs are you still stinging from? Let us know below!
