What Could Have Been: Eight Movies That Should Be Nominated for Oscars But Probably Won't Be

By Justine Goodman Posted Jan 24th 2011 08:00PM

The countdown to the 83rd Academy Awards is on, with the official nomination press conference set for the early hours of tomorrow morning. As is the custom, bloggers and critics have been hypothesizing for weeks now as to which movies and actors will be recognized by the Academy. Everyone seems to agree that 'The Kids Are All Right,' 'The Fighter,' 'Black Swan,' 'Toy Story 3,' 'The King's Speech' and 'The Social Network' will pick up several nominations, including Best Picture. Nods for 'True Grit,' '127 Hours' and 'Inception' are also on the table.

But what about the many standout films and performances that are likely to be overlooked by Oscar this year?

"This year, there just aren't that many studio projects aside from 'Inception' and 'Toy Story 3' -- there's no 'Avatar' like last year or 'Wall-E' from the previous year," says Lucas Carter, vice president of LA-based production company Intrigue Entertainment and a former VP at The Weinstein Company, where he worked on the Oscar campaigns for 'The Reader,' 'Vicki Cristina Barcelona' and 'A Single Man.' "The surprise could be 'Winter's Bone.' 'True Grit,' which was snubbed by the HFPA [Golden Globes], will be nominated, possibly 'Blue Valentine.'"

"The 10th slot is always up in the air," Carter continued. "[But] the big titles are 'Kings Speech,' 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'Fighter,' 'The Kids Are All Right,' 'Inception' and 'Toy Story 3.'"

A quick look at this year's Golden Globe nominations -- which have historically served as a reliable predictor for the Oscars -- would suggest there were no such movies. After all, how dreadful must the other contenders be for a critical (and box office) bomb like 'The Tourist' to pick up three nominations? But in reality there were many films and performances that are every bit as worthy of Oscar gold as this year's predicted nominees, despite the fact that they probably won't receive any nominations.

Here are eight of them.

'Harry Brown':

Michael Caine's role as a badass British vigilante who takes down a gang of local hoodlums was one of the year's best performances.

'Mother and Child':

Sure, Annette Bening's role in 'The Kids Are Alright' was great, but her performance in Rodrigo Garcia's thoughtful (though shamefully underpublicized) drama was positively spectacular.

'Casino Jack':

Who but Kevin Spacey could make corrupt lobbyist and businessman Jack Abramoff seem lovable?

'The Ghost Writer':

Both Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan delivered excellent performances in Roman Polanski's intelligent thriller. If only Kim Cattrall had left her dreadful British accent at home, 'The Ghost Writer' might be a serious contender for Best Picture.

'Conviction':

While Hilary Swank is no slouch as the female lead in this under-hyped film, it is Sam Rockwell, as a man wrongfully convicted of murder, whose performance is truly remarkable.

'Greenberg':

The only consolation in knowing that neither Ben Stiller nor Greta Gerwig are likely to be nominated for 'Greenberg' is the thought of how much Greenberg himself would abhor everything about awards season altogether.

'Catfish':

With any luck, 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' and 'Inside Job' will receive nominations for Best Documentary, and they deserve to. But this low-budget documentary -- which has all the complexity and intrigue of a scripted film -- would be a welcome, if unlikely, addition to the category.

'I Love You Phillip Morris':

Jim Carrey's depiction of real-life gay con artist Steven Russell proves the actor has come a long way since 'Ace Ventura.' But, sadly (if as always), it seems there may only be room for one nomination for a gay performance, and this year it's going to lesbians.

Tags: oscars

Comments

(7)

Monday 24 January

By furiousk

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Hate to break it to you, but Kim Cattrall *is* British.

Tuesday 25 January

By marie

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Kim Cattrall was born on August 21, 1956, in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. At the age of three months, emigrated with her father, Dennis, and mother, Shane, to Canada, where a large number of her films have been made. At the age of eleven, Kim returned to her native country and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Upon her return to Vancouver, Canada, Kim graduated high school at age sixteen and won a scholarship to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

By Marcia K.

Too bad "Secretariat" hasn't been mentioned for anything. It's an absolutely wonderful, feel good movie - and the horse doesn't die in the movie.

Monday 14 February

By Sheila

I couldn't agree more about this film. I also thought Diane Ladd was wonderful in the film.

By Lazy

i think "My Name Is Khan" with Shahrukh Khan & Kajol should have been nominated as Foreign Movie in this category for sure. its a fauxpas that die academy award people really missed it.

By smarterThanYou

what about Spooner? matt lillard deserves an oscar nod for his performance.

By GPUPPY1

Sam Rockwell is one of my favorite actors. He has been under-appreciated for far too long. It's time he got some recognition for his fine work.

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