The 'What If' Academy Awards

Every year after the Academy Award nominations are announced the first argument always focuses on the snubs. This year the debate of race became a point of controversy when no actors of color were nominated in the four acting categories. In recent years there were films up for Best Picture but the notable director wasn't acknowledged (Ben Affleck for Argo). It's as unavoidable as death and taxes, but the bottom line is that whatever the final nominations are the Academy can't please everybody.

After the initial backlash dies down the experts begin to roll out their predictions, but nothing is ever certain. Many years early front runners end up being overthrown by the time the ceremony rolls around. Sometimes there's just the pure head scratcher (Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan, Crash over Brokeback Mountain), but a majority of the time the discussion comes down to two obvious candidates with the rumors of a potential upset.

This year the Best Picture category might be the most wide open in recent memory, with Spotlight, The Revenant, The Big Short and possible spoiler Mad Max: Fury Road slugging it out for the top prize. Whatever film ends up taking the trophy will be considered deserving, but how will it stand up ten years from now? At the 1995 awards Forrest Gump won the top honor over Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption, and at the time it seemed like the logical choice. However if I took a poll today of which of the three is the best film, I would put my money on Shawshank as the top choice. It’s the highest ranked movie on the Internet Movie Database’s top 250 list, where films are rated by IMDb users. Shawshank is also ranked higher than Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction on the American Film Institute’s Top 100. Sometimes the logical choice isn’t necessarily the right one. As this is only one example of how some films age better than others, the same can be said about performances. There have been multiple actors and actresses that were expecting Oscar gold only to be disappointed on awards night. The upsets never seem to end (Marisa Tomei, anyone?).

So what would happen if all of the losing nominees in the major categories were thrown back into a pool and were eligible to square off against each other? Who would the nominees be? It has the makings of an intriguing discussion, and I’m more than happy to set off the debate. When deciding on the following lists I tried not to let my personal preferences interfere with the more consensual nominees and prolific roles. The same current rules apply, with five candidates being selected in the acting and directing categories while ten films will vie for Best Picture. And yes, there will be snubs. So after much deliberating, may I present, the 'What If' Academy Awards.

Best Supporting Actress:

The Snubs:

Lauren Bacall as Hannah Morgan, The Mirror has Two Faces, 1996

Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, Almost Famous, 2000
Amy Ryan as Helene McCready, Gone Baby Gone, 2007

Ryan had one of the best performances of 2007 as the appalling mother of a kidnapped child, but came up short to Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton. After almost five decades, Bacall was nominated for the first time and had her acceptance speech ready, only to be devastated by Juliette Binoche and the indie The English Patient, which overtook the 1997 awards. Hudson was ready to follow in her mother Goldie Hawn’s footsteps, only to see Marcia Gay Harden win for the mildly seen Pollak. They all fall short of these more recognizable roles.

The Nominees:

Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil, The Exorcist, 1973

Glen Close as Jenny Fields, The World According to Garp, 1982

Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont, Singin’ in the Rain, 1952

Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, Psycho, 1960

Michelle Pfeiffer as Madame de Tourvel, Dangerous Liaisons, 1988

How can I not include a character whose head completely spins around and vomits green pea soup? Linda Blair lost to the then 10-year-old Tatum O'Neal for Paper Moon, although O'Neal is considered by many as a leading role. Dangerous Liaisons received acting accolades for Pfeiffer and Glen Close (Best Actress nominee), but ended up being shut out of any major awards in 1989. Besides Liaisons, Close was nominated five other times, and her performance in The World According to Garp is one of her best. Leigh is the catalyst of the most famous shower scene ever, vaulting Psycho to the thriller it is today.

And the Oscar goes to:

Singin' in the Rain wasn’t a substantial hit when it was first released, but now is the blueprint for the modern musical, ranking fifth on the AFI Top 100. As a silent movie star with the raucous voice, Hagen masters the part of Lina Lamont. It’s an underrated performance that has grown with the acclaim of the film, becoming one of the most meaningful supporting roles in motion picture history.

Best Supporting Actor:

The Snubs:

Jay Davidson as Dil, The Crying Game, 1992

Ed Harris as Christof, The Truman Show, 1998

Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winfield, Pulp Fiction, 1994

The Crying Game was one of the most talked about movies of 1992, and a big part was due to Davidson. He lost to Gene Hackman for Unforgiven, and will miss the cut due to these more established performances. Harris was upset by James Coburn for Affliction, and is the main highlight of an underrated film that deserved more award recognition. Jules Winfield is one of the coolest cats in movie history, but had the unfortunate timing of going against Martin Landau playing Béla Lugosi in Ed Wood, one of the best supporting performances of all time.

And the nominees are:

Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, 1993

Ralph Fiennes as Amon Göeth, Schindler’s List, 1993

Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessep, A Few Good Men, 1992

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, The Godfather, 1972

Joe Pesci as Joey LaMotta, Raging Bull, 1980

Besides Robert De Niro, Raging Bull was shut out by Ordinary People at the 1981 awards, and Pesci was one of the casualties, seeing Timothy Hutton take the trophy. Pesci’s performance in the now iconic film makes him deserving to be on this list. In 1992 Nicholson was no stranger to Oscar, already winning for roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Terms of Endearment. The courtroom scene in A Few Good Men is one for the time capsule, and it’s mostly due to Jack’s explosiveness while verbally sparring with Tom Cruise. He ultimately saw the same fate as Davidson, and watched Unforgiven take home Best Supporting Actor, Director (Clint Eastwood) and Best Picture. Pacino holds the distinction of playing one of the most notorious characters in all of cinema, but in 1972 he was also up against his costars James Caan and Robert Duvall. Voters decided to stay away, and gave the award to Joel Gray for Cabaret. We all know the tortured Oscar history of DiCaprio, but he was fresh off his stint on Growing Pains when he was recognized with his first nomination for the mentally challenged Arnie Grape. It’s still one of the best performances of his storied career.

And the Oscar goes to:

Was this category in 1993 one of the best ever? The Oscar ended up going to Tommy Lee Jones for U.S. Marshall Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive, more than likely due to delivering his famous “I Don’t Care” line. However Schindler’s List has become one of the most unforgettable and significant films of all time, and Fiennes’s performance as the merciless Nazi commandant is still haunting to this day. It might not be as prolific as the other nominees, but it’s a performance worthy of Oscar gold.   

Best Actress:

The Snubs:

Jessica Lange as Frances Farmer, Frances, 1982

Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada, 2006

Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard, 1950

Besides being the subject of a Nirvana song, Frances Farmer was an actress in the late 1930’s before being committed involuntarily to numerous psychiatric institutions and eventually being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Lange’s portrayal of Farmer is considered one of the best performances of her career, but was up against another powerhouse performance in Meryl Streep for Sophie’s Choice. Currently Streep has been nominated a total of 19 times, so when she’s not up for an award it’s usually a surprise. Any number of Streep’s roles could have been vying to make the top list, but her turn as the vindictive Miranda Priestly is a fan favorite. Swanson was only one of the snubs in this category at the 1951 awards. Unfortunately she didn’t make the cut for her now classic role, but her fellow nominee did.

And the nominees are:

Kate Blanchet as Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabeth, 1998

Ellen Burstyn as Sara Goldfarb, Requiem for a Dream, 2000

Bette Davis as Margo Channing, All About Eve, 1950

Judy Garland as Esther Blodgett / Vicki Lester, A Star is Born, 1954

Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Harris-Johnson, The Color Purple, 1985

That fellow nominee would be Bette Davis. Both Swanson and Davis lost to Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday, which is looked at nowadays as one of the biggest head scratchers in Oscar history. Davis is regarded as one the greatest actresses of not only her generation but of all time, and All About Eve is considered by many as her finest performance. Shakespeare in Love not only stole Best Picture, but its influence trickled through the rest of the awards in 1999. Gwyneth Paltrow surprised many by besting Blanchet and her acclaimed performance. Burstyn is flat out unsettling as an addict to amphetamine pills, but the Academy felt it was Julia Robert’s turn, who won for Erin Brockovich in 2001. As a woman living in the South that overcomes racism and abuse, Goldberg’s loss to Geraldine Page for The Trip to Bountiful is not the only mockery against The Color Purple, with director Stephen Spielberg not even receiving a nomination.

And the Oscar goes to:

There might not be a more unfortunate story in Hollywood than Judy Garland. Known for her deep, rich voice, she struggled with addiction most of her adult life until she died of a barbiturates overdose at the age of 47 in 1969. Her most recognizable role of course is The Wizard of Oz, but A Star is Born is Garland at her best. She was considered the frontrunner by many at the 1955 awards, but was distraught when Grace Kelly won for The Country Girl. Garland plays a nightclub singer that turns into a movie star, and it’s still one of the finest lone performances in modern cinema. Her loss to Kelly is still one of the more disappointing Oscar moments, and it’s a show-stopping performance that deserves to be acknowledged.

Best Actor:

The Snubs:

Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951

Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, Gone with the Wind, 1939

Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia, 1962

How can I exclude Brando when Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Karl Madden all won for their performances in Streetcar at the 1952 awards? Humphrey Bogart beat out Brando for The African Queen, and Bogey’s going to play spoiler again. Even though Gable owns one of the most famous lines in movie history, Gone with the Wind belongs to Vivien Leigh and Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Academy Award. Peter O’Toole is notorious for not being appreciated by Oscar, holding the record for most nominations (eight) without a win. One more snub is not going to hurt.

And the nominees are: 

Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, Casablanca, 1943

Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver, 1976

Dustin Hoffman as "Ratso" Rizzo, Midnight Cowboy, 1969

Jack Nicholson as J.J. Gittes, Chinatown, 1974

Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard, American History X, 1998

Is it surprising that we see Jack again? There’s never been an actor with as much diversity and range as Nicholson, proven with his 12 total nominations (most ever by a male actor). It’s still a wonder why one of the most renowned private investigator’s in all of cinema lost to Art Carney for Harry and Tonto in 1975. Hoffman has done well at the Oscars, winning twice for Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man. Even though his performance in Midnight Cowboy is arguably his best, the Academy felt it was time to honor John Wayne, who won in 1970 for True Grit. We watch as De Niro gradually turns on the paranoia as Bickle, one of the most recognizable movie characters of all time. He saw Peter Finch take the prize for Network, mostly due to his prolific “Mad as Hell” speech. Norton was not the only one surprised when Roberto Benigni exuberated his way onstage at the 1999 awards. Norton’s dark turn as the neo-Nazi who finds redemption after a stint in prison is one of the fiercest performances you will ever see, but the Academy choose to play it safe with the sympathetic Benigni.

And the Oscar goes to:

Rhett Butler might have given the single most famous line in movie history, but Rick Blaine is chock full of them, and nobody delivered them better than Bogey. Now I’m not taking anything away from the 1941 winner Paul Lucas or the film Watch on the Rhine, but the way that both Casablanca and Bogart’s character have prospered over time make this somewhat of a shocker. There might not be more of an association between an actor to a single film, and due to Casablanca’s now iconic status, Bogart takes the prize.

Best Director:

The Snubs:

Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey

George Lucas, Star Wars, 1977

Sidney Lumet, Network, 1976

I’ve give Lucas credit for bringing us one of the most innovative films ever and driving moviegoers to the theater in 1977 with the original Star Wars. I take it away from him for producing Episodes I through III. Lumet has some solid films under his belt, and as a director has been nominated four times. His most notable loss came in 1976, when the underdog Rocky surprisingly took home Best Director and Best Picture. Kubrick has four nominations for directing but zero wins, mostly because his work is widely overrated.

And the nominees are:

Frances Ford Coppola, The Godfather, 1972

Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window, 1955

Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull, 1980

Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction, 1994

Orson Welles, Citizen Kane, 1941

Tarantino’s first foray to the Oscars was for what is still his best film, an intertwining and authentic crime story that comes at you from all angles. The Academy once again decided to play it safe and award Robert Zemeckis for Forrest Gump. The same safety net was in place at the 1981 awards when Robert Redford won for Ordinary People over Scorsese. Like Casablanca, Raging Bull has only improved with age, becoming one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time. Scorsese continued to be shunned by the Academy until his win in 2007 for The Departed. Another pioneer that Oscar ignored was Hitchcock, being nominated five times with zero wins. Out of his nominated films, Rear Window is his most significant, blending artistry with his signature suspense. When Citizen Kane came out there wasn’t a film like it from a cinematographic standpoint, and it’s still amazing that the only Oscar it won was for Best Original Screenplay. How Green Was My Valley won Best Director and Best Picture in 1942.

And the Oscar goes to:

Although Citizen Kane changed the landscape of filmmaking, no film has embedded itself in the American social consciousness more than and The Godfather and the saga of the Corleone family. Still considered one of the biggest travesties in Oscar history, the Best Director at the 1973 awards went to Bob Fosse for Cabaret. Coppola won for The Godfather II in 1975, but the foundation was laid out in the original film. Every aspect of the film makes it a masterpiece, and Coppola is the obligatory choice for the award.

Best Picture

The snubs:

Chinatown, 1974

Jaws, 1975

Network, 1976

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982

Pulp Fiction, 1994

If Lumet and Tarantino are snubs in the directing category, it's only fitting to include their films in the discussion for Best Picture. Spielberg has a long relationship with Oscar, and two of his early films are still beloved today, even if one of them makes you want to stay as far away from the ocean as possible. Chinatown is a staple of neo-noir that includes one of the most unexpected shockers in all of cinema. These are all classic films, but casualties against the following heavy hitters.

And the nominees are:

The Wizard of Oz, 1939

Citizen Kane, 1941

Sunset Boulevard, 1950

A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951

Star Wars, 1977

Apocalypse Now, 1979

Raging Bull, 1980

Goodfellas, 1990

The Shawshank Redemption, 1994

Saving Private Ryan, 1998

There's not much more I can exaggerate about these movies. Before the era of DVDs, On Demand and Netflix, who didn't huddle around the television whenever The Wizard of Oz was on? Star Wars was a film ahead of its time, and has become so influential that it has infiltrated all areas of our modern day pop culture. Disregarded by some critics when it was released, Raging Bull has transformed not only into a classic sports drama but one of the most revered American films in filmmaking history. Beginning with The Godfather, movie fans have come to love the Mafia genre, and Goodfellas carried on that heralded tradition. Shawshank is solid proof that a movie can grow and resonate with an audience over time, evident with its IMDB rating. And no modern film was robbed more by Oscar than Saving Private Ryan, which brought us to the forefront of war and heroism more brutally than any film we've ever seen. All of these timeless movies came up short for Oscar, and if there's anything that the Academy has taught us, there can only be one winner.

And the Oscar goes to:

There isn't a more game changing film in history than Citizen Kane. Instead of its performances and storyline, the film is celebrated for its editing and basic camera work that rejuvenated how movies were made. The simple word "Rosebud" forces you to hang on until the end, and the simple phrase has developed into one of the most anticipated movie climaxes of all time. It currently ranks at the top of the AFI list, and has become the biggest snub in all of Oscar history.

Be sure to check back later in the week for this year's Oscar picks.