10 Oscar-Worthy Films That Didn't Win One
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• For more than a year now, voices have been heard expressing doubts about the objectivity of the jury of the main American film award "Oscar" – they say, they give votes to not the best films for the sake of their own considerations.
• One such vote belongs to Stephen Arnell, film critic and Spectator columnist, who has compiled his own list of ten unfairly underprivileged Oscar winners. And you know, it’s hard to disagree with him, it’s even strange how many films that later became cult passed by the jury.
10. Nicefellas
- Genre: crime drama, gangster film, comedy
- Country: USA
- Rating Film search: 8,1
- Rating IMDB: 8,7
- DirectorStory by: Martin Scorsese
- MusicStory by: Pete Townsend
• Stephen starts his list with Goodfellas, which in 1990 was left behind by Kevin Costner's beautiful but somewhat boring film Dances with Wolves. The story of an infiltrator in the world of good Indians is certainly beautifully filmed, it has pleasant music, but it does not have the magic that accompanies a truly good movie.
• But in "Goodfellas" this magic is abundant. To this day, it is considered one of the best films of Martin Scorsese, and this is a venerable director whose portfolio includes many excellent and box office films. The Boys is a kind of pinnacle of gangster film that no one has been able to surpass since then. The film is tough, dynamic, very stylish, and the language of the characters is worth a special mention – flowery, juicy and obscene.
• The plot centers on the story of Henry Hill, a character brilliantly played by Ray Liotta. The camera follows the hero as he grows from boy to man and slowly but steadily climbs the hierarchical ladder of organized crime. The audience witnesses all the ups and downs of his criminal life, but at the same time, the film remains more than just the sum of Henry's criminal exploits – like any good movie, it saddens and laughs at the same time, and gives food to both the mind and the heart.
9. Pulp Fiction
- Genre: black comedy, thriller, drama, neo-noir
- Country: USA
- Rating Film search: 8,6
- Rating IMDB: 8,9
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Music: various compositions
• In 1994, the choice of film critics was between the tapes "Forrest Gump" by Robert Zemeckis and "Pulp Fiction" by Tarantino. As with the Goodfellas, American film critics chose to take the path of least resistance. And they preferred the reliable and tear-squeezing picture of Zemeckis to the postmodern film, daring, deconstructing and skillfully beating clichés.
• But "Pulp Fiction" over time has become a cult film, a classic film that has had a tremendous impact on the entire film industry. Even after a quarter of a century and a huge number of citations in mass culture, the film has not aged a bit and seems to get better with each subsequent viewing.
• Superbly filmed scenes, masterfully written dialogue, a great soundtrack and an innovative yet captivating script, it all grabs the viewer and keeps the viewer in suspense until the very end.
8. Fargo
- Genre: black comedy, thriller, drama
- Country: USA
- Rating Film search: 8,4
- Rating IMDB: 8,1
- DirectorStory by: Joel and Ethan Coen
- MusicStory by: Carter Burwell
• In 1996, the epic, rather long-winded and mainstream The English Patient was given an Oscar, and the Coen brothers' black comedy Fargo was left out. But in this story about murders in snowy Minnesota, told in a humorous style, the talent of the Coen brothers was revealed to the fullest not only as screenwriters, but also as directors.
• Ten years later, the picture finally received recognition – in 2006 it was included in the US National Film Registry, which contains paintings of high historical, cultural or aesthetic value.
• Fargo is first and foremost a love story for people living in the American Outback, as well as a superbly crafted murder thriller that sometimes rises to true Shakespearean heights or descends into the depths of black humor.
7. LA Secrets
- Genre: thriller, neo-noir, drama
- Country: USA
- Rating Film search: 7,9
- Rating IMDB: 8,2
- DirectorStory by: Curtis Hanson
- MusicStory by: Jerry Goldsmith
• It's hard to resist a blockbuster like James Cameron's Titanic. With a truly royal scale, he rolled over all the competitors on the way to the coveted golden statue. And among the applicants was the painting "Secrets of Los Angeles."
• Although the film flopped at the box office, grossing only $53 million on a budget of $35 million, it is considered by film critics and audiences to be one of the smartest, most subtle and well-made neo-noir films ever made.
• What makes L.A. Confidential a masterpiece is the superb performance of the star ensemble, thoughtful screenplay, and dramatic tension. With them, even the usual “good cop, bad cop” motif turns into a spectacular sight.
6. Save Private Ryan
- Genre: military drama
- Country: USA
- Rating Film search: 8,2
- Rating IMDB: 8,6
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- MusicStory by: John Williams
• Now it's even surprising how "Private" could give way to the rather mediocre "Shakespeare in Love" – a film that has not stood the test of time. But Saving Private Ryan was quite worthy of an award, if only for its innovative battle scenes, and some of the cinematic techniques used in the film have entered film art textbooks.
• Steven Spielberg used all his talent and all the resources available to him to create one of the greatest war films ever made.
5. Gosford Park
- Genre: drama
- Country: UK, USA, Italy
- Rating Film search: 6,8
- Rating IMDB: 7,2
- DirectorStory by: Robert Altman
- MusicStory by: Patrick Doyle
• Violence, skeletons in the closet, sexual tension and, of course, murder, Gosford Park has it all. Director Robert Altman takes the classic English detective formula and turns it on its head.
• The story begins when aristocrats in the 30s gather at Sir William's estate to shoot outdoors. These are wealthy people, the color of society, and they are accompanied, of course, by servants. At first glance, everything goes chin-chin – the top is resting, the bottom is working, and these two worlds do not intersect in any way. However, sooner or later, the viewer begins to understand that everything in the house is not going as it seems at first glance, and these two worlds are intertwined much more closely than it might seem.
• In 2001, Gosford Park lost the Oscar to a worthy but somewhat predictable film about the brilliant schizophrenic mathematician John Nash.
4. Munich
- Genre: thriller, drama
- Country: USA, Canada, France
- Rating Film search: 7,4
- Rating IMDB: 7,5
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- MusicStory by: John Williams
• Even the director of the film "Crash", Paul Haggis, did not understand why he was awarded the "Oscar". The collection of short films about the hard life of Los Angeles residents overtook both the famous "Brokeback Mountain" (the story of same-sex love between two cowboys), and "Munich" by Steven Spielberg, which, according to Steven Arnel, is much more worthy of the award.
• Munich is based on real events. During the Olympics, a terrorist attack was carried out in this German city, followed by a retaliatory operation by Israel.
• What separates justice from revenge? This is the theme of Munich, a powerful and perhaps one of Spielberg's most compelling and thought-provoking works. From political and social threads, he creates a whole tapestry, which depicts terrible pictures of violence and the price that has to be paid for it.
3. Social network
- Genre: biography, drama
- Country: USA
- Rating Film search: 7,7
- Rating IMDB: 7,7
- DirectorStory by: David Fincher
- MusicCast: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
• In 2010, several strong films were presented to the film academy. Won The King's Speech, a worthy film about King George VI's speech problems.
• However, another film looks much more interesting – a sarcastic portrait of the "golden boy", the creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, brilliantly played by Jesse Eisenberg.
• This is the story of a teenager who becomes the world's youngest billionaire and the website he created, which reaches over a million users in just two years. This is not a boring production drama and not a laudatory ode to Zuckerberg, but a subtle, intelligent and caustic film about creativity, conflict, friendship and betrayal.
2. Grand Budapest Hotel
- Genre: tragicomedy
- Country: USA, Germany
- Rating Film search: 7,9
- Rating IMDB: 8,1
- DirectorStory by: Wes Andersen
- MusicStory by: Alexandre Desplat
• Director Wes Andersen's distinct visual style emerged from his first films and has been honed to perfection ever since. Amazing attention to detail, composition that is a pleasure to follow, masterful use of slow motion and much more, coupled with a compelling storyline, make "Hotel" a real masterpiece.
• And in the film there is a chase, a love story, nostalgia for the Europe that has gone forever in the 30s, colorful scenery and, of course, an exciting plot.
• However, in 2014, Birdman, directed by Alejandro Iñarittu, received an Oscar, which is also a very worthy film, which has earned recognition from both viewers and critics for its interesting plot and masterful shooting technique.
1. Favorite
- Genre: historical film, comedy-drama
- Country: UK, Ireland, USA
- Kinopoisk Rating: 7,3
- IMDB rating: 7,5
- DirectorStory by: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Music: various compositions
• In 2018, the film “Green Book” won the Oscar, which, despite the sharp “black-and-white” agenda that is relevant in the United States, could not fail to please either one or the other. Some saw in it a social order with a mediocre plot and acting, others were unpleasantly surprised that the story was told from the point of view of a white character.
• According to Stephen Arnel, another film was much more worthy of an Oscar – a comic drama or a dramatic comedy by the Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, known for his postmodern "Lobster".
• This is the story of two cousins who seriously clashed among themselves for the right to serve Queen Anne. In the struggle for royal favor, all means are good – from flattery to intimidation.
• Do not be afraid of the director's avant-garde past – The Favorite is perhaps one of his most accessible films, while retaining his signature style. A comedy of manners, a baroque comedy, an allegorical exploration of the nature of power, and at the same time just a good film that is easy to watch, but not so easy to end.
