It”s Oscar season folks. That means constant social media posts ranking the greatest Oscar films ever made. Yet, sometimes, whether it”s due to internal Academy politics or people simply not understanding great art, a movie gets flat-out snubbed and ignored. Instead of praising those films already awarded, let”s take a look at some films that weren”t nominated and flew under the radar.
Sam Balas
Rawr
“The Day The Earth Stood Still” (1951)
One of the kings of the science fiction genre, “The Day The Earth Stood Still” is an absolute classic. It”s mysterious, it”s bold and it bravely defied the Cold War attitudes of tension and conflict without being preachy. Do yourself a favor and watch this on Netflix.
“Groundhog Day” (1993)
It”s one of the most parodied, loved, and played movies of all time. It”s equal parts hilarious and thought provoking, to the point of being studied by theologians as an illustration of spiritual rebirth. I suppose the Academy”s love for serious dramas prevented them from turning a new leaf.
“The Shining” (1980)
If you ever want to lose faith in Hollywood, take the time to watch this movie and marvel at the fact that it wasn”t just snubbed of any sort of Oscar nomination, but instead won a Razzie. For those not in the know, the Razzie awards are like the Oscars but for terrible movies. How anyone could think this was somehow the worst movie of 1980 is beyond me.
“Reservoir Dogs” (1992)
“Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?” With that line Quentin Tarentino launched himself into the upper stratosphere of Hollywood stardom. He now plays the part of critic darling, which makes it even more curious that one of his best works, “Reservoir Dogs,” was totally ignored.
“Do The Right Thing” (1989)
Spike Lee is notorious for being one of the most outspoken celebrities on racial issues. His 1989 classic was considered dangerous at the time. The modern Black Lives Matter movement makes you wonder how this film would be received today.
“Fight Club” (1999)
It”s funny. It”s crass. It”s shocking. Everything about David Fincher”s epic dark tale was what audiences love, and Academy voters hate. Now considered a cult classic story of men fighting against “the man,” at the time this action story was completely snubbed.
“Wall-E” (2008)
This movie should not have succeeded. Instead of using culture-referencing jokes that catered to the lowest common denominator, this Pixar masterpiece managed to create a funny, charming and wonderful animated film with minimal dialogue and simple characters.
“The Dark Knight” (2008)
Want to know why the Academy has a reputation for being snobby? It”s because they refuse to acknowledge great movies if it falls into the dreaded “comic book” genre. “The Dark Knight” will go down in history as one of the most powerful crime dramas of all time, yet the Academy refused to give the film its due credit.
Sam Balas can be reached at [email protected]