{"id":5236,"date":"2020-04-10T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T13:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/?p=5236"},"modified":"2020-04-10T08:00:22","modified_gmt":"2020-04-10T13:00:22","slug":"the-films-that-got-away-without-a-best-picture-oscar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/?p=5236","title":{"rendered":"The Films That Got Away (Without a Best Picture Oscar)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Charissa Roberson<\/em><\/p>\n

One problem with annual awards ceremonies like the Academy Awards, which recognize the \u201cBest Picture\u201d of the year, is that often there are numerous excellent films vying for the same prize. Award-worthy films can fall by the wayside, simply because there happens to be a highly competitive field that year. But these nominees are still \u201cOscar-caliber,\u201d even if they did not take home the coveted golden statue\u2014and they deserve to be remembered and watched just as much as the winners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider the 2015 Academy Awards. That year, the Best Picture category was packed with superb films, although only one could win. \u201cBirdman\u201d took home the prize, but it would be remiss to disregard the other films nominated that year. \u201cAmerican Sniper,\u201d the heart-wrenching true story of a U.S. Navy Seal, received a nomination, along with biographical dramas \u201cThe Theory of Everything\u201d and \u201cSelma,\u201d which follow the lives of Stephen Hawking and Martin Luther King, Jr, respectively. At the 2016 Oscars, \u201cBrooklyn\u201d and \u201cRoom,\u201d starring actresses Saoirse Ronan and Brie Larson, fell short of the Best Picture prize. However, both films feature riveting performances from their two rising stars, and their stories are complex and moving. Steven Spielberg\u2019s Cold War drama \u201cBridge of Spies\u201d also featured in the 2016 nominees, starring Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance in a poignant story of trust and humanity. 2017 saw another jam-packed Best Picture category, including such nominees as \u201cHidden Figures,\u201d \u201cHacksaw Ridge,\u201d \u201cLion,\u201d and \u201cFences,\u201d among others. With so many films released in the same year, the Academy had to choose from a host of worthy candidates. \u201cArrival,\u201d a rare science-fiction pick, even received a nomination that year. However, in the midst of such a competitive field, the alien linguistics film could not hope to make history by winning the Oscar.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2018, a science-fiction film did take home the big prize (\u201cThe Shape of Water\u201d), but other genres got pushed aside, including the horror film\/social commentary \u201cGet Out.\u201d Even if Jordan Peele\u2019s film did not win an Oscar, it still certainly deserves accolades for its inventiveness and razor-sharp insights. Also featured that year were two World War II dramas: \u201cDarkest Hour,\u201d focused on political giant Winston Churchill, and \u201cDunkirk,\u201d Christopher Nolan\u2019s visionary account of the evacuation that changed history. One year later, at the 2019 Academy Awards, an even wider variety of genres were admitted to the Best Picture nominees. \u201cBlack Panther,\u201d the epic superhero film of the decade, made history as one of the few superhero films nominated for the Academy\u2019s most prestigious prize. However, it failed to earn the final nod, along with acclaimed foreign-language drama \u201cRoma\u201d and the electric \u201cBohemian Rhapsody.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The trend of swollen award categories continued in the most recent 2020 Oscars. Korean dark-comedy \u201cParasite\u201d earned a well-deserved victory, becoming the only film to win both Best Foreign-Language Film and Best Picture. This film\u2019s merit is undisputed, but unfortunately its sweeping win meant that other exceptional films nominated this year couldn\u2019t compete. Don\u2019t forget that \u201cJoker\u201d also received a nomination, along with Greta Gerwig\u2019s fresh new take on \u201cLittle Women.\u201d \u201cJojo Rabbit,\u201d a World War II satire prompting both laughter and tears, also featured among the nominees, as well as the technologically and emotionally inspiring \u201c1917.\u201d Add Martin Scorsese\u2019s 3-hour epic \u201cThe Irishman\u201d to the mix (plus even more nominees), and you have a loaded Best Picture Category with a wide range of outstanding films. The Academy, unfortunately, could only recognize one. We as viewers, however, don\u2019t have to choose, and we can give all of these films the attention and recognition that they deserve.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Charissa Roberson One problem with annual awards ceremonies like the Academy Awards, which recognize the \u201cBest Picture\u201d of the year, is that often there are numerous excellent films vying for the same prize. Award-worthy films can fall by the wayside, simply because there happens to be a highly competitive field that year. But…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-5236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-summer2019"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brackety-ack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}