As in every other year, the Academy did not nominate all of the cast and crew members who deserve nominations, and fans again are left wondering why their favorite performances, songs or films got snubbed.
While it's impossible to please everyone, there were some performances this year that really should have been given more consideration. Here are some of the best aspects of movies in 2016 that deserved a nomination but were snubbed instead.
Amy Adams in "Arrival" or "Nocturnal Animals" Amy Adams was expected to be nominated for at least one of her lead roles in 2016, either for "Nocturnal Animals" or "Arrival." Instead, she was not nominated at all, which surprised and infuriated many. Instead, Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress once again, making this her 20th Oscars nomination and further upsetting fans of Adams’ work this year. Many viewers and critics are also upset that Michael Shannon was not nominated for his acting work in "Nocturnal Animals."
Martin Scorsese for "Silence" Martin Scorsese is one of the most well-known and well-respected names in cinema history, and he is definitely a friend of the Academy Awards. Over the years, he has had two films nominated for Best Picture and he won Best Director after, six other nominations, for "The Departed" in 2007. So why did his more than 20-year-long passion project, "Silence," get snubbed nearly across the board? It was only nominated for cinematography, and although that was well-deserved, the director, cast and the film in its entirety definitely deserved more recognition.
Any song from "Sing Street" John Carney returns to music cinema yet again after the great films "Once" and "Begin Again," both of which were nominated for Best Original Song Oscars. However, his 2016 film about high school kids who start a band in 1980s Dublin did not receive any recognition in this year’s nominations. The songs “Drive It Like You Stole It” or “Up,” or really any other song written by Carney for the film could easily have been nominated for Best Song this year, and it’s a shame that not a single one of them was.
"The Little Prince" for Best Animated Film. The Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature have always been spotty; sometimes, the film deserving of the Oscar, as in the case of "The LEGO Movie," will be missing from the nominees, and instead, completely obscure films fill those slots. While my vote this year goes to "Kubo and the Two Strings," it was shocking to see "The Little Prince" missing from the list of nominees. Based off of the classic French book of the same name, this movie has so much more great material and imagery than one can normally expect to find in animated films.
Two Snubs for Best Original Screenplay:
"Captain Fantastic" There were many original films I saw this year that absolutely wowed me, and "Captain Fantastic" was one of the most surprising. Almost every online resource that predicted nominations thought that Matt Ross’ original film would surely earn a nomination, but they were all wrong. Not all original films are great films, but this film is certainly both. "Captain Fantastic" was even more than fantastic — it is a beautifully told story with excellent characters, cinematography and every other aspect. Matt Ross gives us a very intelligent, hilarious and endearing tale about expectations and being the best person possible for the benefit of yourself, as well as those around you. There are so many moments in this film that are memorable, and worth a re-watch.
"Swiss Army Man" This film would get my award for “Most Originality,” if there was such a category. This film exceeds expectations — there's a lot to love in the story of one man trapped on an island with only a corpse for company. One of the most notably hilarious and impressive aspects of the movie was the score. The message of acceptance of others and oneself is surprisingly timely, and "Swiss Army Man" manages to wrap lessons about how to be a better person into the surreal narrative. I would say that "Swiss Army Man" is a beautiful movie; the originality, humor and cast make writer/directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s film a diamond in the rough. This gem of a movie discusses life, love and friendship in a very thought-provoking and enjoyable way.
