If only we could all be this happy. Image via Forbes

There is nothing Americans love more than complaining about things that they know nothing about. Thus, the Oscars are a complainer’s paradise.

Yes, the Oscars are just an awards show, and not the end of the world. But scoring a nomination is actually important. For example, if Jennifer Aninston scored a nod for Cake, maybe we would finally be able to see it. Seriously, I don’t know a single non-critic who has seen the movie. I don’t even think Jennifer Aniston has seen it. But at the end of the day, it’s a hunk of shiny medal shaped like a naked bald dude holding a sword.

There is also the disparity between what deserves an Oscar and what will actually win an Oscar. A lot of films that win Best Picture are forgotten years later. For instance, let’s look at 2004. Million Dollar Baby won that year. I would argue that the most influential and memorable film of that year is Mean Girls. That is the one that everybody still watches and quotes, but of course it wasn’t nominated for any Oscars. It is not an Oscar movie; it is the kind of movie that people dedicate Tumblr accounts to.

When deciding what I think the biggest snubs were, I took into account both what I wish was nominated, and what would actually make sense as a nomination. Yesterday, I talked about which nominations made me happy. Today, I discuss which snubs make me sad. Cue the anger!

Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler

It is insanity that Gyllenhaal wasn’t nominated. Does the Academy hate weirdos or something? As the frighteningly ambitious Lou Bloom, Gyllenhaal created a sociopath as memorable as Norman Bates and Patrick Bateman. His performance is so physical: just look at his eyes; it looks like they were clamped open Clockwork Orange style and he never learned to shut them again. There are probably thousands of Lou Blooms out there who’s view of the world is crafted by internet comments and self-help books rather than actual life experience.

Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Oscar voters have never understood how difficult comedy is. In his performance as Gustave, Fiennes had to be silly and effete one moment, and martyr for the cause of humanity the next. He works his magic on you in an almost invisible way; you won’t realize how much you cared about his character until the very end. This performance is so unique because nobody else could have played it. Had Gustave been played by a different actor, he would have been insanely flat as Mortdecai. I am only saying this because both characters have mustaches. That’s enough for a comparison for me.

Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

Sure, Flynn had something of an unfair advantage, given that she was adapting her own book to the screen. But the fact that her story worked so well with very few changes (at least from what I have heard) is a testament to the power of her writing. Besides the brilliant twists and turns, the most genius part about this script was that it made it impossible to root for anybody. This is moral ambiguity done right.

Life Itself

I kind of snubbed Life Itself as well. I never wrote a review of it, and I neglected to include it in my year end list. This riveting documentary on the life of Roger Ebert was the definition of warts and all. We see his arrogance in his fights with Gene Siskel, and we even watch a feeding tube get shoved into his neck when he is hospitalized. This is a thorough celebration of a man who was both populist and elitist, and who completely changed film criticism forever. If you didn’t cry at the end of this, then you might be a sociopath. I will credit this snub to the fact that voters probably hate film critics.

The Lego Movie

When J.J. Abrams announced that “Everything Is Awesome” was among the Best Original Song nominees, people gasped. When The Lego Movie did not appear amongst the Best Animated Feature nominees, a million angry voices shouted, “everything is not awesome!” If commercial success can’t get you anywhere at an awards show, than creativity should. If you still doubt The Lego Movie is any good, than just realize that people are angry that a movie based on a toy wasn’t nominated for an Oscar. What a crazy world we live in.

Selma

The most talked about snub of the year has been of Selma. Now, Selma was nominated for the big prize, but the fact that it was left out of most of the other major categories is confounding. I do not want to charge the Academy with racism, even though their lack of diversity does not look good for them. The real issue for me is that David Oyelowo deserved some recognition for his incredible performance, which was beyond mere imitation. Plus, Ava Duvernay deserves credit for elegantly directing such challenging material. If you want to know more about why Selma got the cold shoulder, read this intelligent and level-headed piece over on Grantland.

Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

I have a feeling that the Academy didn’t take Snowpiercer as seriously as it should have because, well, it is a summer blockbuster. Don’t be so pretentious, guys. I still think of Tilda Swinton’s creepy and hilarious bureaucrat who is basically Kim Jong-un with a Scottish accent. It is like watching your weird aunt go on a power trip. Swinton might not have been nominated this year, but this character will be remembered for years to come.

Image via LA Times

In the opening minutes of Selma, Martin Luther King (David Oyelowo) is struggling with a big question: what message will he be sending if he wears an ascot to accept his Nobel Prize? It is a relatively small problem that means the world to Dr. King in the kind of film where we learn so much about a man we all thought we knew so well.

Most historical films would end when somebody receives such a big honor. However, Selma is partially a film about cementing your legacy, whether you are civil rights leader or the governor of Alabama, and Selma is smart enough to know that picking one defining moment of King’s life is no easy task.

Not naming the film MLK or Martin or King’s Speech was probably a good idea, given that its focus is much broader than the scope of King’s life. Selma mainly focuses on the buildup and fallout of the Selma Marches that took place in 1965 over the issue of voting rights. Much of the film involves MLK sorting through political muck in order to achieve his goals. Amazingly, this film makes “politics as usual” interesting, exciting, and infuriating.

Selma is directed by Ava DuVernay, who began her career as a publicist and then went on to be a documentary filmmaker. Her skills as a documentarian are in full force here, and at times this feels less like a script and more like reality. Very early on, a horrific event occurs. There is no sense of dread leading up to it in the form of music or foreshadowing. It is a normal day and then tragedy occurs. Something that a lot of films can get wrong is that nobody expects tragedy to happen. We live before it happens, and then if we survive, we just continue on.

DuVernay collaborates perfectly with Oyelowo to help the actor craft one hell of a performance. It goes beyond the fact that he has a both a good and a bad side (King’s extramarital affairs are alluded to). This was a man who had to ask for feedback on all of his speeches while at the same time, was stubborn to a fault when it came to his personal beliefs. Oyelowo has to capture every side and then when he has to actually give a speech, he is just as dynamic as King himself.

I don’t want to say that Selma is a political statement but in ways, it is. And it doesn’t throw it in your face the same way that other political films might. There are certain events in this film that will subconsciously remind you of things you have recently seen in the news. Think of it like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Cuckoo’s Nest is set in the early 1960s, but said a lot about the modern counterculture when it came out in 1975. Selma is a story from the past that happens to have a lot of foresight into the present day (and not in the Newsroom sort of way). The great thing about Selma is that it never feels like a textbook entry: it is as vivid, alive, and tangible as the present.

Brain Farts From The Edge

• Tim Roth’s southern accent borders on an Aldo Raine impression.
• There has been a lot of talk about how accurate Selma is, especially by those who used to work with LBJ. Additionally, the film doesn’t highlight the Jews who marched with MLK. I am not sure how much of the LBJ stuff is true or false, but is important to remember that it is actually okay when a biopic strays from the truth. As long as you don’t completely alter history, it is okay. Sometimes, fact needs to be sacrificed in order to tell a better story. LBJ takes a long time to completely jump on MLK’s cause, and that’s what makes it a better story. Nitpicking ruins good movies. Plus, you can spot a few yamakas in the crowd.
• A lot of great films unfortunately suffer from White Savior Complex. Remember when Brad Pitt came to save the day in 12 Years A Slave. You can argue amongst yourselves whether Selma has that problem. I think it doesn’t. After all, this is the story of a man who united people both black and white for a cause.
• There is a scene where Oprah (ever heard of her?) hits a cop. As this happened, an old woman behind me shouted, “good for you, Oprah!”