The Academy denies deserving films of nominations
This year, many of the Oscar nominations were well-deserved. Nearly all of the films nominated for best picture were universally praised, but, like always, many worthy films were not nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in any category. Here are 10 of the best films released in 2012 that received zero Oscar nominations:1. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (DVD and Blu-ray releases scheduled for Feb. 12) This might not be the best film of last year, but it was the one that I connected with the most. I wish I knew the characters in real life. Stephen Chbosky wrote and directed the film, which is adapted from his own novel. The film has only been out for a few months, but I already think this high school dramedy is my generation’s “Breakfast Club.”Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Supporting Actor (Ezra Miller)Best Supporting Actress (Emma Watson)Best Adapted Screenplay (Stephen Chbosky)2. “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” (now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix Instant)Since this film was released in its home country of Turkey in 2011, it would have been eligible at last year’s Oscars. Since it was released in the United States at the very beginning of 2012, I included it here. This beautifully shot existential police procedural is a long, demanding film that will be trying for some audiences. It’s also a masterpiece.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Foreign Language FilmBest Director and Best Original Screenplay (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)Best Cinematography (Gökhan Tiryaki)3. “Bernie” (now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix Instant)The Oscars often ignore comedies, and this year they snubbed one of the best performances of the year, dramatic or comedic. Jack Black gave the best performance of his career so far in Richard Linklater’s howlingly funny gem of a film, “Bernie.” Even the costumes were laugh-out-loud funny. At least he was nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical or Comedy.Deserved Nominations:Best Actor (Jack Black)Best Costume Design (Kari Perkins)4. “The Deep Blue Sea” (now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix Instant)Rachel Weisz, a previous Oscar winner, gave a stunning, heart-wrenching performance in this post-WWII British drama. Writer/director Terence Davies masterfully adapted Terence Rattigan’s play for the silver screen, and the film is greatly enhanced by the stunning performance and beauty of Weisz.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Actress (Rachel Weisz)Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (Terence Davies)Best Cinematography (Florian Hoffmeister)5. “Oslo, August 31st” (now on DVD and Netflix Instant)The Oscars like to nominate films with characters struggling with addiction, but this depressing documentary-like Norwegian drama about a recovering drug addict was not nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Since only one film per country can be nominated at the Oscars, dozens of extraordinary foreign films do not end up with any nominations each year.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Foreign Language Film6. “Cloud Atlas” (Blu-ray and DVD releases scheduled for Feb. 5)This nearly three-hour sci-fi epic received wildly mixed reviews when it came out and did poorly at the box office in the U.S. Rarely does a big budget, special effects-laden extravaganza with this much heart, soul and passion come from Hollywood. The filmmakers truly, deeply cared about what they were putting out into theaters, and it shows.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Adapted Screenplay (Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski)Best Costume Design (Kym Barrett, Pierre-Yves Gayraud)Best Make-Up and Hairstyling (Natasha Nikolic, Sian Richards, Daniela Skala)Best Production Design (Hugh Bateup, Uli Hanisch)7. “Holy Motors” (Blu-ray and DVD releases scheduled for Feb. 26)Crazy films rarely get nominated for Oscars, and this film is certainly crazy. This French film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year and blew people away. France decided to select the safe, Oscar-friendly “The Intouchables” as their country’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards. Now that is crazy.Deserved Nominations:Best PictureBest Actor (Denis Lavant)Best Director (Leos Carax) Best Foreign Language Film8. “Compliance” (now available on Blu-ray and DVD)Academy members also tend to leave controversial films off of their Oscar ballots. This “based on true events” shocker features one of the strongest female performances of last year. Ann Dowd plays the manager of a fast food restaurant who receives a prank phone call from a man claiming to be a police officer. The length to which she follows his orders is chillingly played out and grounded by Dowd’s realistic performance.Deserved Nominations:Best Supporting Actress (Ann Dowd)9. “Dark Horse” (now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Netflix Instant)Todd Solondz’s painfully, woefully hysterical comedy is the writer/director’s answer to the man-child films of Judd Apatow (“The 40 Year Old Virgin”). Abe (Jordan Gelber) is a fat loser in a state of arrested development who still lives with his parents (Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow). His severely depressed, almost catatonic girlfriend is played by Selma Blair. The whole cast is excellent, but she is especially a riot.Deserved Nominations:Best Supporting Actress (Selma Blair)10. “The Raid: Redemption” (now available on Blu-ray and DVD)One of the best action movies in years. This Indonesian martial arts film is a head-smashing, arm-breaking, neck-snapping good time. The fight scenes are so brilliantly choreographed and staged that they feel like song and dance numbers ... just with more carnage.Deserved Nominations:Best Foreign Language FilmBest Editing (Gareth Evans)