Oscars 2018: 10 years of movies that deserved Best Picture

The Academy Awards 2018  will air this Sunday night, and with the event right around the corner, we take a look back at some of the biggest Best Picture snubs of the last decade!

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Every year the Academy gets together to vote on what they consider to be the best films of the year. With so many films to choose from, sometimes even a worthy flick can slip through the cracks. Sometimes the reasons are political, and sometimes it has to do with the number of great films released in a given year. Not to mention the amount of money studios pay to put a movie up for award consideration. It’s a fascinating race to watch but one that never seems to get old for the Hollywood zeitgeist.

With the Academy Awards coming up this week, we decided to take a look at some of the films that were passed over for the Best Picture category through the last decade. Corresponding to each ceremony year, here are the films that were snubbed in the Best Picture race:

2008- Gone Baby Gone

The 2008 Academy Awards was quite the competitive year with films like There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men shining strong. One movie, in particular, was outshined by the weight of the quality of the year. The movie  Gone Baby Gone was a masterful directorial debut by Ben Affleck. Luckily for Affleck, he found redemption years later with his much-deserved win for Argo. This being said, a decade later Gone Baby Gone doesn’t get enough love.

The film, unfortunately, had to compete against films like Juno, Atonement, and other juggernauts, but it’s a film that definitely got snubbed, and arguably so.

2009- The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan made a superhero film that changed our perception of the genre. The film is riddled with complexity and themes that people still write about to this day. In Heath Ledger’s performance of the Joker, the film is dialed up to 11, and because of his intensity, everyone else is a better actor just being in the same room. This was a movie grossly snubbed back in 2009 and was pushed aside in exchange for other forgotten films like The Reader.

The Dark Knight should’ve been a contender for Best Picture, but politics got in the way of a much-deserved nod.

2010- 500 Days of Summer

The 2010 Academy Awards was a fascinating year. This was the first year the Academy decided to expand its Best Picture selects beyond five picks. The category was undoubtedly competitive with huge contenders including Avatar, Up, District 9, and the low budget winner The Hurt Locker. With such a vast category that year, the one film that was tragically overlooked was the indie darling 500 Days of Summer. It wasn’t even considered for Best Original Screenplay which is disappointing.

The film itself was a subversion of the romance genre and took an unpleasant look at the ugly side of relationships. These types of romances Holywood purposely avoids portraying on the big screen. This was a welcomed approach and the execution has more charm than one would expect. Not all relationships are fairytales, and it’s a great film that reminds us of this. For this alone, it should’ve had a Best Picture nomination, especially above the likes of Avatar— no offense James Cameron.

2011- The Town

This one surprised me. Looking back, I thought I remembered Affleck’s follow-up getting more recognition than it did. The only nomination it earned was Best Supporting Actor for Jeremy Renner. That said, the film had a tough road with such contenders like The Social Network, Inception, Black Swan, and others impressing the Academy the same year. I’m sure one can argue against it being placed in the Best Picture category, but if The Fighter deserved a nod, then so did The Town. Both films added something to their respective genres, and The Town is a film that has sparked conversations long after its release.

2012- Warrior

Warrior is a movie I continue to think about even today. Director Gavin O’Connor made a fight film that was powerful beyond measure about the struggles of broken families, and how brothers work through problems. The entire film builds to a mighty emotional crescendo that will make even the strongest of males need kleenexes. The film itself was reviewed well, but come Oscar time only managed one Best Supporting Actor nomination for Nick Nolte. While this nomination was heavily deserved, the film itself had more right to be honored in the Best Picture category than the poorly reviewed Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

2013- Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson, like Rodney Dangerfield,– “Gets no respect.” In previous years, the Academy was more than okay with honoring quirky comedies like Little Miss Sunshine and Juno. In 2013 though, Anderson got bested out by Silver Linings Playbook, and Django Unchained. This said, the maximum amount of slots for Best Picture is10, but for some reason, this was not considered. Luckily, two years later Anderson did find redemption with a Best Picture nod for The Grand Budapest Hotel.

2014- Prisoners

Feel free to disagree, but Prisoners was an incredibly well made American debut for Denis Villeneuve. The film had intense and ugly moments which probably turned some Academy members away, but there’s a lot here that needed more recognition – including a riveting performance by Hugh Jackman. The film only went on to snag one nomination for cinematographer Roger Deakins and was virtually absent in every other category–including Best Picture.

2015- Guardians of the Galaxy

That’s right I said it! I do not think people give this movie enough credit, including the Academy. This film should’ve failed but for whatever reason, despite its insane premise, not even a talking raccoon could turn audiences away. James Gunn made some of the weirdest characters in the Marvel universe and made them so lovable. For this alone, the film should be a Best Picture contender, but the Academy doesn’t seem to like “fun.”

The film was the 3rd highest grossing film of 2014 and maintains a 91% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. It did manage to achieve nods for Visual Effects and Make-Up and Hairstyling, which is great, but underwhelming. Even Logan managed to get Best Adapted Screenplay, which Guardians of the Galaxy certainly deserved.

2016- Inside Out

First off, let me be clear that I realize this won Best Animated Feature. Why is it that the Academy deems it necessary to not recognize animated films in the Best Picture category because of this? The only animated films that have been nominated since 2009 are Up and Toy Story 3, and let’s be real here, Inside Out is miles better than those movies.

The film also picked up a well-earned Best Original Screenplay nod, but with such a well-crafted vision it should’ve earned Best Picture. It’s a beautiful movie that is timeless and has a lot to say about the way our psychology is shaped as children.

2017- Deadpool

I’m probably losing you here, but bear with me! Deadpool had a strong lead up to the Oscar season including award recognition by the Producers Guild of America. Ryan Reynolds even earned a Golden Globe for his performance. Sadly, this is never a sure thing for being an award contender, but again, the Academy does not like “fun” movies lately.

The film is arguably not meant for Oscar voters, but part of me has to wonder if the Academy will ever loosen up to relate with fellow audiences on movies such as Deadpool. One can hope. This aside, Ryan Reynolds seemed to have a solid sense of humor regarding the snub last year.

2018- The Florida Project

Without a doubt, this snub makes absolutely no sense. The Florida Project might be an indie film, but it’s one of the best films of 2017. The subject matter is undeniably authentic, and the performances even more so. It’s a movie that puts a magnifying glass on a certain type of life, one with fewer choices and more struggles,  and challenges how we judge these lifestyles.

The film did establish itself in one major category with Willem Dafoe as Best Supporting Actor. Even so, this feels like a tragic misstep by the Academy with their choice to shut it out of all the other categories– including Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and even Best Supporting Actress for Brooklyn Prince. It deserved better.

Next: Oscars 2018: Why Get Out deserves to win Best Picture

The Academy Awards will air on ABC this Sunday, March 4, 2018 at 5pm PST.

What do you think? What movies do you consider as Best Picture snubs? Sound off in the comments below!