This should probably be tomorrow's Top 5, but I still need to see Moneyball and don't want to make a best of 2011 list without seeing it. So, I moved this up a day because I am better prepared at the moment to write it. I tried to pick movies or people from movies that had not be recognized by the Academy in any way. Another criteria was I had to be able to pick a movie or person in the chosen category that didn't deserve the nomination over the movie I felt was snubbed. In other words, I may have felt Kristen Wigg could have gotten nominated for Best Actress but if I couldn't pick someone on the current Best Actress nomination list that shouldn't be there then she wouldn't be considered a snub. Also, this list is based solely on the movies that I was able to watch. Here are my Top 5 Oscar Snubs of 2011...
5) Conan O'Brien Can't Be Stopped: Best Documentary
This was probably my favorite documentary of the year. It doesn't have a deep message or support a cause or teach us anything of importance, so it's no surprise that it got ignored by the Academy. It is, however, an entertaining look at life as a celebrity. You got to see an unguarded Conan deal with touring, fans, and on a small level, the fall out of his parting with NBC. It's a funny intimate documentary that I feel deserved a little recognition. Much more so then To Hell And Back, which I felt I'd seen many times before.
4) Super 8: Best Picture
I know in this day and age the Academy doesn't feel that big budget action flicks like this are worthy of a nomination, I mean, if The Dark Knight isn't Oscar worthy what blockbuster is, but this movie deserved something. The movie had everything that made past Spielberg films Academy Award winners, great story telling, deep characters, amazing special effects, more so than the Spielberg film nominated this year, War Horse. It may not have been overly sappy, a quality that seems to make a movie a contender, but it was certainly more award worthy than War Horse, The Descendants or Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close.
3) Mel Gibson in The Beaver: Best Actor
I realize there isn't a shot in hell that Mel Gibson will ever get recognized by the Academy again, and I certainly don't condone any of his behavior or beliefs that have led to the black-balling, but that has nothing to do with the man's ability to act. I don't feel this dark quirky film got enough attention in general, forget about Gibson's portrayal of an emotionally disturbed toy company owner struggling to save his marriage. And it probably suffered just because of the Gibson stigma and that's sad. I thought Gibson's performance was much more deserving of recognition than George Clooney just playing George Clooney in The Descendants.
2) Albert Brooks in Drive: Best Supporting Actor
I don't really understand this one at all. Albert Brooks' performance seemed like the perfect performance for the Academy to acknowledge. A dark turn from a comedian. We've seen it a dozen times. Brooks was amazing as a total bad ass and the perfect mob boss. I am totally blown away that he didn't get recognized. I haven't seen Moneyball yet, but I can't imagine Jonah Hill was better and Kenneth Branagh certainly didn't hold a candle to Brooks.
1) 50/50: Best Picture
This was my favorite movie of the year and should have been a shoe in for a Best Picture nod. It was hilarious, incredibly sad and deeply poignant, yet some how flew under everyone's radar. Maybe because it stared Joesph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan nobody took it seriously. I don't know, all I know is a ton of people missed a great movie. It was ten times the movie The Descendants was. It was more compelling than The Artist. It was more heart warming than both War Horse and Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close. If you missed this movie rent it tomorrow, you won't be disappointed.
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