Oscars 2018: The movies that SHOULD have been nominated

In a perfect world, every single one of our favourite movies would get multiple Oscar nominations. And, while we understand there’s never enough awards to go around, sometimes we really can’t fathom the decision-making process when it comes to the process of choosing who gets celebrated.

The following films and people definitely deserved recognition at the ultimate movie awards show.

1. Michael Stuhlbarg, Best Supporting Actor – Call Me By Your Name

The man who delivered everyone’s favourite Call Me By Your name speech (seriously, it’s the best part of the movie) had quite a year. Appearing in not just one, but THREE Oscar contenders (he also pops up in The Post and The Shape Of Water) Stuhlbarg seemed like a guaranteed Best Supporting Actor pick.

Of the three, Call Me By Your Name was the most impressive, but he didn’t end up being nominated for anything, which is a huge shame. Our best guess is that his trio of fantastic performances split the vote, which seems a bit unfair.

2. Robert Pattinson, Best Actor – Good Time

Robert Pattinson delivered a career-best performance in the Safdie Brothers’ superb crime thriller, which somehow failed to earn a single nomination at the 2018 Oscars. As desperate bank robber Connie Nikas, the former Twilight star gave the kind of transformative turn usually lapped up by the Academy, but he ended up being completely overlooked despite the rave reviews.

What’s the Oscars loss is your gain, as the excellent Good Time is streaming on Netflix UK right now.

3. Paddington 2, Best Picture

Okay, now we’d like to talk about movies aimed at kids. The Oscar voters rejected Paddington 2 and BOSS BABY has a Best Animated Oscar nomination. We’re not even going to try to understand why ONE OF THE MOST DELIGHTFUL FILMS EVER MADE didn’t get recognition at this year’s ceremony, when Boss Baby (Boss Baby!) did.

Don’t get us started on Paddington 2 losing out on Best British film to Three Billboards at the BAFTAs. It’s almost enough to make us throw our marmalade sandwiches at the wall in disgust (almost, but not quite – marmalade’s too delicious to waste).

4. Barry Keoghan, Best Supporting Actor – The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

Okay, so we do sort-of understand why Killing Of A Sacred Deer was completely snubbed at the 2018 Oscars – it’s a super-dark horror film that makes you squirm in your seat more than it makes you stand up and applaud.

But it contained a performance that was the equal of anything released in the past twelve months; Barry Keoghan’s mesmerisingly sinister turn as as Martin, a young man stalking Colin Farrell’s heart surgeon Steven. Farrell himself praised Keoghan’s performance, it’s a shame the Academy didn’t.

5. Steven Spielberg, Best Director – The Post

Steven Spielberg is an Oscar mainstay – with seven Best Director nominations. And The Post is not only up there with the best of his movies, it’s very in-tune with the politics of the moment.

Still, as it stands, the Best Director category is one of the strongest we’ve seen in years, and Spielberg will probably have another chance soon, so we’re not too upset about this one. And we’re sure the three Best Director trophies he’s already won will comfort him on the night.

6. The Florida Project, Best Picture – The Florida Project

A major critical favourite, The Florida Project was on basically every single Best Picture prediction list in the run up to the nomination announcement.

But, as it turned out, not enough Academy voters saw this sleeper hit, because it was ignored in almost every single category – only getting recognition in for Best Supporting Actor, which felt a bit like a consolation prize.

Don’t get us wrong, Willem Dafoe is great in it, but there are so many other reasons to celebrate this glorious film about a poor family living from day-to-day on the outskirts of society.

7. Wonder Woman, Best Picture

It seemed to be the movie of the moment. The first film on the frontline of Hollywood’s recent equality debate, decimating the argument that superhero films starring women don’t do well at the box office. Not only that, it was a war film, a genre that the Academy loves.

Add in a solid Oscar campaign from Warner Brothers and a Best Picture nomination was guaranteed. Until it wasn’t, with Wonder Woman failing to do a Dark Knight and achieve recognition for a comic-book flick on Oscar night.

8. Martin McDonagh, Best Director – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards seems to be scooping up every award going – whether it’s at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild or the BAFTAs. The film is the current favourite to get the Best Picture trophy, and McDonagh himself has been nominated for the Best Original Screenplay. So why no Best Director nod?

It’s bizarre – with the controversy surrounding the film’s perceived racism clearly not the reason (it would be snubbed in every category if that was the case). Maybe the Academy’s forgotten how important the director is to a film’s quality?

9. Ridley Scott, Best Director – All The Money In The World

When the allegations about Kevin Spacey’s sexual harassment hit Hollywood, Ridley Scott acted quickly to erase the actor from his upcoming Getty biopic. Scott drafted in the astonishing Christopher Plummer to replace Spacey as John Paul Getty, and turned around a complete re-edit fast enough to stick to the original release date (which had been weeks away when Scott embarked on what seemed like an impossible mission).

You might have been expecting the Academy to pay tribute to this miraculous feat of direction / editing, but not this time. Maybe the controversy around the reshoot’s pay disparity between Michelle Williams (who was also robbed of a nomination) and Mark Wahlberg had an effect.

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