Possible Oscar Snubs in 2014
Writer: Harris Low
Snubs; proof that the Academy have no taste at all. |
Snubbing is the distinction that separates the casual moviegoer from the movie snobs and we all claim to be one at some point. Nothing makes us more mad as a movie snob when our favourite movies of the year doesn't even get its God-given right to be nominated for an Oscar.
So other than making our most best conjectures about who should win the Oscars, we also made a list of movies from 2013 that could possibly get snubbed, just because the Academy are a bunch of egotistic elitist.
Again, while we do like to maintain our self-proclaimed snobbery credibility in knowing who deserves to be nominated, you shouldn't listen to us more than your other snobbery friends (or your own snobbish pride). Unless you think "Iron Man 3" is the best movie of the year.
Best Animated Feature
The Snubbed: "Monsters University"
Disney has 3 candidates to be in the nominee list for Best Animated Feature, which are "The Wind Rises" (under Disney because of distribution), "Frozen" and "Monsters University", but the showdown for the top prize is mainly between the former two. So to even out the odds for the other studios in competition, "Monsters University" would probably be taken out which would be a snub against Pixar that has had an animation nominated every year since 2007.
Best Foreign Language Film
The Snubbed: "Wadja"
Any film that doesn't get to be in one of the five spots of the nominee list is already a snub towards the country anyway, but if Saudi Arabia's "Wadja" doesn't get in, it will prove that the Academy is more than just a xenophobic snob.
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Snubbed: "The Wolf of Wall Street"
We could say "12 Years A Slave" but it would be too easy for the Academy to make that mistake. So we went ahead with "The Wolf of Wall Street" instead. Just daring to adapt this shameless memoir of Jordan Belfort about how he came to be the money so easily seemed like a no-brainer nominee to be snubbed.
Best Original Screenplay
The Snubbed: "Blue Jasmine"
There are not many original screenplays this year that can match up to Woody Allen's writing in "Blue Jasmine" which makes the case for the sheer audacity it would mean if it gets snubbed. Woody Allen movies have never been nominated for anything other than Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, Cate Blanchett's shot for Best Actress could mean that one of these categories may go.
Best Supporting Actress
The Snubbed: Jennifer Lawrence
As awesome as Jennifer Lawrence is, the Academy may start getting sick of letting this young actress sweep all the awards over the years, which makes her a big potential to be snubbed. She's already famous in the genre circles and in the indies, and she's already got her Oscar last year for "Silver Linings Playbook" (and an Oscar nom for 2010's "The Winter's Bone"). So yeah, if the Academy wants to let a deserving veteran like Oprah Winfrey or Julia Roberts win in this category, they know who to get rid of.
Best Supporting Actor
The Snubbed: James Gandolfini
It may be a long shot for the late James Gandolfini to win the Oscar posthumously that we wish for, but it would be terribly disappointing if the only time we hear Gandolfini's name on awards night is during the memorial reel. Surely they could make space for him out of the five names to be on the nominees list.
Best Actress
The Snubbed: Meryl Streep
While we can see why Sandra Bullock or Kate Winslet don't get to be one of the five names mentioned during awards night, the one that we should hear is Meryl Streep. Streep does have a reason not to be in the final five though since she has already won three Oscars; her third last year for "The Iron Lady". But her annoying antics in "August: Osage County" is so hard to hate that if she gets replaced by someone younger, it should be considered a snub. An acceptable snub, but a snub nonetheless.
Best Actor
The Snubbed: Matthew McConaughey
2013 has been such a great year for Matthew McConaughey that even if he doesn't have much of a chance to win this, there should be some credit given for effort. Sure, even if that means that might leave Leonardo DiCaprio another year without an Oscar, but DiCaprio won't stop trying and McConaughey has never got an Oscar nod before.
Best Director
The Snubbed: Steve McQueen
If there's one thing that the Academy has taught us from 2013 is that they don't like someone winning everything. When Ben Affleck's "Argo" was looking like it will be the "Lord of the Rings" of 2013, they deprived him the chance of winning his most meaningful award to let us forgive him for "Daredevil" (or the upcoming "Batman vs. Superman"). Which makes Steve McQueen in danger of the Academy pulling the same shenanigans for 2014, because "12 Years A Slave" has almost the same strong lead in this race like "Argo" did.
Best Picture
The Snubbed: "American Hustle"
It's hard to snub the Best Picture because that's the reason why they enlarged the list up to 9 nominees and this year looks like most of the must-be names are in. Out of those names though, David O. Russell's "American Hustle" and Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" are in a little danger of getting snubbed because of their similar themes about money and hustling. There is plenty more other movies on the waiting list, so if the Academy are thinking of putting more variety in their subject matters, it could be Russell's that could get hustled out since he already won an Oscar last year, and Martin Scorsese is due for another.
Cinema Online, 06 January 2014