10 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong | Video Essays | The Ringer

[@bucksdiaryfan]

I couldn't agree more about Denzel Washington in Malcolm X. That was a tour de force, one of the great biographical performances in the history of cinema. Not only did he portray Malcolm X beautifully, he skillfully made his way through Malcolm X's own dramatic post-prison change of character.

[@jaylouis8227]

Yes. Denzel absolutely deserved to win for Malcolm X. Unfortunately, Al Pacino had been robbed of Oscars for so long that they decided that was the year to finally make up for it.

[@emmalancaster2013]

Agree. Al’s was a body of work award.

[@matthewdigiacomo2580]

Frankly, any of the other four I thought were better. Downey Jr. in Chaplin was fantastic, Eastwood brought back the western with his performance in Unforgiven, Denzel is Denzel ... and perhaps the most underappreciated nominee was Stephen Rea in The Crying Game, which was outstanding. I think I'd still go with Denzel, but the other three certainly could have made a much better argument than Pacino.

[@leopimenta4395]

*10 times? In Oscar history? This vídeo is SO naive!*

[@maryk3458]

@@jaylouis8227 and nobody remembers training day

[@spiderguy418]

Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream losing to Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich is the first example that comes to my mind with this criteria…

[@dr.juerdotitsgo5119]

That one hurt. One of the most amazing performances ever lost to Pretty Woman 2.0

[@goji9000]

This. This is the one. This is the example I give each time I have a discussion with anybody about how out of touch the Academy is. Thank you for commenting this.

[@Lauren-fj9cf]

Problem was Jared Leto was the main role in that film but Ellen Burstyn refused to be nominated for supporting actress, if she allowed for that, which was more accurate, she would’ve won - but her performance was so much better than Julia Roberts, even though I think she’s great

[@erinpilla]

I actually agree now that Julia deserved to win. I used to be WHY JULIA?! But I re-evaluated Erin Brokovich after re-watching it three times. I realized the fact I watched it three times means Julia gave this film what it needed. If another actress did Erin it would have been an HBO filler. Her performance empowers me to this day.

[@HelloHello-tm7uc]

@@dr.juerdotitsgo5119 have you ever seen EB? what part of that is PW 2.0?

[@badateverything5392]

Tom Hanks is incredible in "Philidelphia", but Liam Neilson in "Schindler's List" is absolutely mesmerising. Neilson takes you, believably, from a cold-hearted Nazi businessman to a charitable business owner, to a philanthropist in a way that you cry with him when he sobs by his car at the end of the film.

[@Boatdrink]

Great list. Saving Private Ryan losing out to Shakespeare in Love has always ground my gears.

[@jamesalexander5623]

That's why Harvey Weinstein is in Prison!

[@pattiharvey1787]

Agree 💯

[@lonestar6709]

Even Ryan shouldn't have won. The Truman Show was easily the best American movie, that year.

[@girornsveinsson7970]

I agree 100% That was the first thing coming to my mind when I saw the title.

[@mixboy79]

Agreed, I was like WTF when I watched that show live.

[@jonhecht1749]

Can't really argue THAT much against Sam Jackson winning for Pulp Fiction, but just gonna say that Martin Landau is SO GOOD in Ed Wood, itself an insanely underrated film (and Burton's best).

[@rosswatson9144]

At the time I really had the sense he won for his entire body of work..remember most of those voters grew up on Landau in everything from hitchcocks north by northwest to the tv series mission impossible

[@marklulham3148]

He was really great a few years earlier in Crimes and Misdemeanours but he lost out there.

[@lpjewkes]

I concur

[@johnfulton4061]

Martin Landau was great in Ed Wood but he won for the same reason a lot of actors have won he was overdue

[@camhaugstad4726]

John Wayne got snubbed in 1956 for his role in The Searchers which was a much more dramatic and gripping performance than the role he did win for in True Grit.

[@benjamincox4211]

He also tried to punch Sacheen Littlefeather in the face at the 1973 Oscar’s so I’m alright with the Oscar’s not going his way

[@joonaa2751]

That year had like 25 pictures that were superior to AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

[@patighe]

You missed Ellen Burstyn, who got robbed for Requiem for a Dream, to Julia Roberts in Erin Brokovitch. In addition, even Gwyneth Paltrow thought Cate Blanchett should have won for Elizabeth over Gwyneth in Shakespeare in Love.

[@davids9520]

I've come to the conclusion that getting nominated for an Oscar multiple times and not winning the award, is probably better than winning an Oscar that some one else was more worthy of winning. People respect Hitchcock, who never won a best director Oscar, over some other director who only got nominated once, but in just the right year, to win an Oscar.

[@leviathanmg]

"Crash" over "Brokeback Mountain" should've been an extinction-level event for the Academy Awards.

[@JDHutchison]

Especially since Crash wasn’t just not the best, but arguably the worst nominee that year. Brokeback Mountain should have won by far, by Capote, Goodnight and Good Luck, and Munich were all better films.

[@leviathanmg]

@Veronica A. I remember it being the "gay cowboy movie." A close college friend had recently come out to a few us and he really wanted to go see it. We had to drive across town just to find a theater showing it, it was still in limited release. I can't recall my expectations going in but by the end of the film I was deeply moved, especially by Ledger's performance. Everyone mentions the Joker but for me his greatest performance is that of Ennis Del Mar

[@tedwolf1716]

Still will side with Ebert on this that Crash is a far superior movie to BBM.

[@car9melo]

Brokeback is overrated as fuck 😂😂

[@inwalters]

'Brokeback Mountain" was just more politically correct. If you're looking for the better film, "Crash" is it. Period. End of discussion.

[@acesovernines]

I agree with you wholeheartedly on Newman vs Kinsley, Stone vs. Huppert and all the other instances you have cited in the video

[@suarezguy]

Really don't get love for Paul Newman in The Verdict, he was good but I think not great.

[@bryanalstoncoxing]

What about Whoopi Goldberg for “The Color Purple”, Glenn Close for “Fatal Attraction” or Angela Bassett for “What’s Love Got To Do With It”? All were incredible in their performances

[@tenzen6899]

Glenn Close is the most robbed actress in History of Cinema she should have won 3 Oscars by now. For Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons and Hillbilly Elegy, but I do believe Olivia Colman in The Favourite deserved her win over Glenn Close in The Wife

[@patighe]

@@tenzen6899 I would add best supporting actress for "The World According to Garp." She was brilliant in that. To think that she may have to settle for a lifetime acheivement award breaks my heart.

[@danielshinkle6686]

The fact that The Color Purple didn't walk away with all prizes was a crime

[@LuvTadnDixie]

Cher's performance in Moonstruck was NOT Oscar worthy. She was good in Mask, but Moonstruck was not worthy of an Oscar. Holly Hunter or Glenn Close were far better.

[@katherinemartin394]

Definitely agree about Angela Basset. Saw “Love…recently and she is flawless.

[@mateusivsc]

gwyneth paltrow winning against cate blanchett and fernanda montenegro in 1999 was really shocking too

[@billolsen4360]

Always remember what George C Scott said about the Oscars.

[@CALLMESIR...]

Weinstein payed for all those Oscar's he "won" that year. SIL was a piece of crap. It was cute with enjoyable performances. That's it. Blanchett should have won that Oscar. The comparison to Paltrow is rediculous.

[@jacquelinewesson1202]

absolutely, cate blanchett was brilliant, while gweneth Paltrow was mediocre

[@jimanderson5883]

Glenn Close was pillaged for "Fatal Attraction." Not that I don't think Cher was great in "Moonstruck," but 36 years later, people still remember and are frightened by Close's portrayal of the mentally-unbalanced Alex Forrest, whereas "Moonstruck" is barely remembered.

[@Robertbuccellatobooks]

I gotta disagree with you on one point Lemmon deserved the award in 1973 Pacino’s best actor Oscar was the nomination he lost for The Godfather Part II in 1974 against Art Carney’s absurd win!

[@leviathanmg]

Yes. That, to me, is the quintessential Pacino performance. Michael reigning in Hell by himself at the end of "Part II" is my favorite closing shot of any film.

[@suarezguy]

Pacino was excellent yes deserved to win but Carney was really good, at least a bit also deserving.

[@fool4singing]

I've always felt Glenn Close was robbed when she didn't get an Oscar for "Fatal Attraction." That performance is still talked about, and as good as Cher's performance was in "Moonstruck," it's wasn't as riveting as Glenn was in her performance. The Academy was overcompensating for snubbing Cher a couple years before for 1985's "Mask" like they've done many times over the years with other performers.

[@AserHapi]

Years later Cher was robbed for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, so it all evens out

[@fool4singing]

@@AserHapi Uhhh,..I'll leave that one alone.

[@graphiquejack]

Close also should have won for Dangerous Liaisons. Holy shit she was brilliant in that

[@cliffarroyo9554]

@@graphiquejack I think of DL as Close's best performance (so far). She walks right up to the edge of haminess but never goes over and is still mesmerizing.

[@ValmontRequin]

Glenn Close losing every time she was nominated still haunts me every year.

[@tlpricescope7772]

The most robbed actor in Academy Award history, and she should have won for “Fatal Attraction” over the ridiculous Cher performance in that stupid overrated “Moonstruck.”

[@davidanderson_surrey_bc]

Yep. Every time she was Close... but no cigar.

[@sharonalbanese8084]

It is insane that she still hasn't one a single oscar. Neither has Annette Bening or Amy Adams.

[@shiwooify]

Cher over Glenn Close for "Fatal Attraction" killed me.

[@dwaneanderson8039]

When I think of the Oscars getting it wrong, one example always comes to my mind. In 1978, "Annie Hall" won "picture of the year" over... "Star Wars"! Need I say more?

[@suarezguy]

They were both great, they both deserved to win. They were both so great that's almost an argument against such different films competing.

[@amdkhl]

100% agree about Isabelle Hupert. Not only is she one of the greatest living actors (of both genders) her performance in that film was genius. My other choice would be Gweneth Paltrow winning over Cate Blanchett in 1998.

[@bbcbbc1717]

Agreed, still have not got over that one!

[@petertrezise4545]

Cate Blanchett was robbed. I also agree with you about Isabelle Huppert. I first saw her in “The Lacemaker” she is so haunting in that film.

[@xpindy]

@@petertrezise4545 Robbed again this year.

[@colleen4ever]

And this year Cate Blanchett was robbed again! No disrespect to Michelle Yeoh but she should have won for Tar.

[@emmalancaster2013]

Blanchett & Huppert were indeed robbed. Huppert’s performance in “The Piano Teacher” remains one of my favorite performances by any actor, ever. Just an incredible talent.

[@edwardjones4870]

My nomination for an Oscar error is Lee Marvin winning as the drunken gunslinger in “Cat Ballou” over Rod Steiger in “The Pawnbroker.” Supposedly no one was more surprised that he lost than Steiger himself. He won the following year for “In the Heat of the Night” which in my opinion was a consolation prize for having lost the previous year.

[@RichardDicksondlyrch68]

Oscar has a looooong history of "You should have won for this so we'll reward you for this." There are consolation prizes all over the place. Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan is the gold standard. A triumph of campaigning over artistry. As for some others: -- John Williams' score for The Empire Strikes Back losing to Fame -- Munich losing to Crash -- George Miller losing Best Director to Alejandro Iñárritu

[@doktarr]

Anything losing to Crash. I honestly think there were dozens of more deserving movies that year.

[@gmr911]

The Revenant for Leo

[@muffinman2167]

Glorified pity award

[@cinemagoose]

The Departed for Scorcese

[@gmr911]

@@cinemagoose He should have won for prior work, but the Department is still damn good

[@toddbradford4700]

Saving Private Ryan losing to Shakespeare In Love was unforgivable. I really haven't given a crap about the Oscars since. Shakespeare In Love is a light weight silly fluff of a comedy with virtually no re-watch value that no one remembers. On the other hand Saving Private Ryan is an immortal classic war film that people will still be watching when my bones have crumbled to dust.

[@Adiz9809]

Awesome list. Would like to add 1979's Best Original Song - the mediocre and very forgettable "It Goes Like It Goes" (from "Norma Rae") won the award, but the real winner should have been the beloved and everlasting classic which is The Muppet Movie's "Rainbow Connection".

[@andu1854]

Nice one

[@thewkovacs316]

it's 1980....and that was the year that kramer vs kramer swept the awards a forgettable abc after school special one of the most bizarre years in academy history

[@jefdukes641]

Absolutely!!! My favorite version is Willie Nelson's.

[@tommyo.3535]

This comment inspired me to check and see if "Suicide is Painless" was nominated for Best Original song. Unsurprisingly it was not...

[@emmalancaster2013]

Yes, and “Gonna Fly Now” should have knocked out the competition to win Best Original Song. The prize instead went to Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams’ pleasant, but hardly memorable “Evergreen” from the dreadful remake of “A Star is Born.” (Sample dialogue: “If you die, I will kill you!”) And somehow, the forgettable score from “The Omen” triumphed over “Rocky” for best original score. Insipid. EVERYONE knows “Gonna Fly Now” and many pieces from the “Rocky” score (“Down for the Count” is completely captivating) - is there ANYONE who can hum a piece from “The Omen”?

[@harshkamdar6120]

The Social Network is consistently on top of every best movies of the 21st century list. It's a shame it didn't win the Oscar.

[@bartsullivan4866]

Only seen it once and I found it riveting and I am not even on any social network platforms.

[@billolsen4360]

Most people hate Facebook, even if they can't do without it, that's why it lost.

[@MrJeepsters]

Ce film était très bien, peut être le meilleur de David Fincher.

[@helengraves7850]

Taxi Driver should have won over Rocky in 1977. I like Rocky; it's a lot of fun to watch, and the other nominees were worthy as well. But Taxi Driver is freaking amazing, a movie for the ages. (And side note: Peter Boyle's performance is a small gem.)

[@hmcnally]

1977... so many great movies for grown-ups...

[@NV2-Kauiki]

Kudos for the inclusion of Sissy. Her performance is legendary and still haunts even younger audiences today with the dawn of KZbin movie reactions.

[@patighe]

Oh, and Eddie Redmayne in the Therory of Everything over Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game? That was a travesty.

[@pipo801]

Both were very good in their movies, difficult choice

[@Supadupasebas]

I wonder how many video essays Jamie Lee Curtis is going to inspire for her best supporting actress win.

[@victorioushamza]

why?

[@tbrown5836]

yaa... no

[@damienburke4996]

JLC delivered an Oscar worthy performance…but it wasn’t as good as Stephanie Hsu’s

[@herosmerlose5784]

@@damienburke4996 agreed. I don’t know if, down the road, anyone will begrudge JLC winning. Right now, there’s some talk about if she deserved it over Angela Bassett. In the future, I think the talk will be if she deserved it over Stephanie Hsu.

[@linedwell]

She was on screen for maybe 20 minutes total, she barely did anything of note, she wasn't even the best nominee in that movie.. Stephanie Hsu deserved it far far far more

[@spencerkindra8822]

To me, number one is Goodfellas losing to Dances With Wolves and a very very close second is Saving Private Ryan losing to Shakespeare In Love. I honestly find myself flip flopping on those two because they're both such travesties but Goodfellas is the superior film by a hair.

[@zanehaus]

100% agree!

[@thewkovacs316]

number one will always be the big wins by kramer vs kramer in 1980.....nothing tops that

[@chrismacdonald2251]

DWW is my favorite film of all time.

[@spencerkindra8822]

@@thewkovacs316 What do you mean? Like that Apocalypse Now should've won instead?

[@craigjohnson6423]

You're right, except for the fact that Saving Private Ryan goes from great to merely passable about 25 minutes in, while Shakespeare in Love is great from start to finish. Other than that, you're right.

[@drell3813]

There's lots of historic ones but the horror genre continuing to be snubbed recently has been a huge blow. Mia Goth deserved at least a nomination this year for Pearl and we all remember the dismay over Toni Collette's Hereditary snub.

[@seblepage]

Both incredible performances by leading ladies in recent horror movies! I would also add Lupita Nyong’o in Us, but at least she got the recognition for 12 Years a Slave. Toni Collette is a criminally underrated and overlooked actress, and Mia Goth should be getting so much more attention than she is. In any other movie genre, she would be seen as the breakout young talent everyone’s talking about.

[@stewiegiligan]

Edward Norton (Primal Fear) losing to Cuba Gooding Jr ( Jerry Maguire). Mickey Roorke (The Wrestler) losing to Sean Penn for (Milk). Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) losing to Denzel Washington (Training Day). Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List) losing to Tommy Lee Jones (The fugitive).

[@suarezguy]

Sometimes two performances are both really good but so different it feels weird and hard to compare them, like Fiennes vs. Jones the roles were so different but I think they were both worthy, about equally worthy.

[@SWATTECHNOLOGIES]

So much agree about Pacino in GlenGarry, in my top five movies. And Lemmon's sad desperate portrayal of a has-been sales guy trying to save his daughter and win the sales lottery one last time is heartbreaking and probably the single best cast ensemble in a modern movie; Pacino, Lemmon, Spacey, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Alec Baldwin, Bruce Altman and poor Jonathan Price. If he only had those 3 days to get out of the contract!.

[@CoolHandLuke7]

I guess Art Carney over Pacino was too obvious to mention

[@ElBrillante4]

Yeah wtf

[@andu1854]

Was that the cat movie where he travels with a cat? Yeah this whole lifetime achievement award is so lame

[@joseesquer8739]

He even mentions most of Pacino's but somehow missed that.

[@gregwalker1913]

And not just Pacino but also Nicholson for Chinatown. Gene Hackman wasn't even nominated for The Conversation that year. Sheesh!

[@lls3676]

Just like Crash over Brokeback Mountain or Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan.

[@lonzo9569]

Gywneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love) over Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) was an earthquake of nonsense. Unbelievably bad Oscar decision.

[@okay5045]

Goodfellas deserves an Oscar right now

[@KPate-y5z]

An utter disgrace that Judy did not win for A Star is Born.

[@ht6743]

Crash winning over Brokeback Mountain is a major omission.

[@huangec]

Crash was so predictable and in-your-face. I found it formulaic and superficial.

[@angiea9620]

Jack Nicholson announcing Crash as the winner then going “wow” says everything about that win.

[@Marceaystreet]

Crash is an amazing movie. Way better than Brokeback Mountain.

[@suarezguy]

I think Munich was a lot better than either.

[@GjpgrD]

I still haven't gotten over Al Pacino's greatest, bravest, most heartbreaking performance in Dog Day Afternoon losing to Jack Nicholson basically playing Jack Nicholson in Cuckoo's Nest. And The Verdict was hands down Paul Newman's best role among many. But Goodfellas & its director losing to anyone or anything is unforgivable! And how about Ralph Fiennes' terrifying turn in Schindler's List losing to Tommy Lee Jones' career award for The Fugitive? Aaarrrggghhh!!!

[@thereserystedt3883]

I started to watch The 68th or the 69th Oscars Acadamy Awards. I never realised Ralph was nominated the same year as Tommy Lee Jones. All I could think of was Leonardo was robbed for his role in "Whats eating Gilberg Grape". But of course Ralph should have won that year. That was one of his most memorable and strongest character in so many ways. I will never understand why Tommy was even nominated for The Fugitive?? It wasn´t anything special about his performance. Miles and miles far away from both Leonardo and Ralph.

[@emmalancaster2013]

Jack Nicholson has three roles: crazy fun Jack, crazy mean Jack and crazy old Jack. Not a great actor.

[@emmalancaster2013]

@@thereserystedt3883 body of work type award

[@raindrops21_9]

I so agree with you re Pacino and Dog Day Afternoon - he's sublime, the best performance of his incredible career. Also agree on Fiennes as Amon Göth over TLJ's bland performance in The Fugitive - what an injustice!

[@pattiharvey1787]

Agree 💯 about Tommy Lee Jones and Ralph fiennes. Fiennes should've got the Oscar not that god awful Tommy Lee Jones!👍

[@johnmillholland6550]

To make matters worse Emma Stone also won Best Picture that year😊

[@patighe]

🤣

[@TriggerMN]

Emma Stone won Best Picture? I’ve never heard of that movie.

[@blanco655]

Titanic winning best picture over LA Confidential and even Boogie Nights is preposterous.

[@andrewwilton5017]

faye dunaway deserved her oscar for network.

[@thewkovacs316]

i agree with this....she is brilliant

[@bbcbbc1717]

Agreed, her performance was epic along with Finch made that movie.

[@seanlarajames708]

She shouldve won for Chinatown or Bonnie and Clyde. It was a pity Oscar.

[@andrewwilton5017]

@@seanlarajames708 no, those were incredibly competitive years and her best performance is actually network i feel, shame for sissy but it was a good year

[@bryanalstoncoxing]

@@seanlarajames708 She was excellent in all 3 roles though. I loved her performance in Network and is the only actress of that era I could see bringing the right level of intensity and dark humor to the demanding role

[@MrCarlosandres94]

There is no mishap. Samuel L. Jackson is Gold in PF and there is NO movie without him nor a more quotable character. That said, Martin Landau was more an amazing performance on top of a career oscar. He was Bela Legosi.

[@jefdukes641]

Samuel L. Jackson plays Samuel L. Jackson in every movie he's in.

[@leviathanmg]

Yeah, some years it's tough. There are winners who benefit from weaker competition and then nominees who lose out only because the field is stacked that year with instant-classic performances. I felt bed for Mickey Rourke losing out to Sean Penn who already had an Oscar but admittedly I had only seen "The Wrestler" when the awards aired. I watched "Milk" and it's my opinion that Penn deserved the award more for that than he did for "Mystic River."

[@MrHootiedean]

@@jefdukes641 The one performance where I thought SLJ didn't play himself and should have won the Oscar but wasn't even nominated was Django Unchained. But Waltz got the win for basically a lead role.

[@jefdukes641]

@@MrHootiedean I stand corrected - you're right. I also apologize to Mr. Jackson - as he indeed got 'lost' in this role! But just this one time! LOL

[@Laura-fw1jo]

Lugosi . And yes , Landau deserved it.

[@BroadwayGuy]

Grace Kelly winning instead of Judy Garland is one of MANY reasons I hate the Academy Awards.

[@xpindy]

Interesting that Grace Kelly uglified is better looking than Judy Garland prettified.

[@ZPD-doo-DAH]

Cher in Moonstruck over Glenn Close for Fatal Attraction. Although I love both movies, Glenn Close was robbed.

[@paulbates2626]

This has been brought up on various forums and lists. 1998 best picture winner “Shakespeare In Love” over “Saving Private Ryan” was giant mistake. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t agree that that was strange decision.

[@suarezguy]

I think Life is Beautiful was a lot better than either.

[@mournwood]

It's like the Oscars (and the Grammys) are playing this never ending game of catch up. Each year sees an award go to someone they owed an award from 2 years ago, when they gave that years award to someone they had owed an award from 3 years before because they gave THAT award to someone they owed an award from the previous year...and so on.

[@cdallapiccola]

Robert De Niro, The Deer Hunter. A performance for the ages. Jon Voigt won, for Coming Home, that year.

[@QuirkyGirl10]

@Carlo Dallapiccola I believe it was in the book, ‘Oscar Dearest,’ that I read the backstory re the ‘Deer Hunter’ camp vs the ‘Coming Home’ camp. There was a real behind-the-scenes soap opera rivalry between the two. If I recall correctly, Jon Voight was even quoted as saying that he was glad he beat out De Niro for the Oscar.

[@cdallapiccola]

@@QuirkyGirl10 Fascinating. I'll have to read that. Coming Home is an excellent move, and Jon Voigt gives a wonderful performance. But Robert De Niro...in my book, it's his greatest performance ever. Yes, even better than Travis Bickle and Jake La Motta.

[@davidbrady1825]

Cate Blanchett not winning an Oscar for TAR is up there with Glenn Close not winning for Dangerous Liaisons.

[@peteradaniel]

Wrong. Tár is definitely overrated

[@davidbrady1825]

@@peteradaniel The Academy sadly chose Narrative>Merit

[@randomguy6695]

See, I would have to disagree with you on that one. Despite what you may think, Michelle Yeoh was very much deserving of the award. She played essentially very different characters, and expressed a lot of emotion and quite a bit of acting range all at once. (See what I did there?) I did watch Tar and I’ll be honest, all I saw was Cate Blanchett being Cate Blanchett except for about three scenes towards the end of the movie.

[@tbrown5836]

@@davidbrady1825 you think michelle yeoh wasn't great in EEAAO

[@craigjohnson6423]

Blanchett played the same role but better in an episode of Documentary Now! And she was funnier there, too.

[@paulteague6837]

Tommy Lee Jones over Ralph Fiennes 1994 Best Supporting Actor. Fiennes is the definition of evil in his portrayal of the real-life Amon Goeth.

[@johnbrowne3950]

Not too difficult to figure out why Fiennes wasn't picked.

[@thebigwagyu]

I don’t care about the King’s Speech, I’ve never seen it, but the fact that it went over The Social Network will always bring a smile to my face. The Social Network is by far the most overrated movie of the last few decades, it’s Fincher’s Sixth best film (Zodiac, Gone Girl, Fight Club, Seven, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and then The Social Network) and you’re comparing it to Citizen Kane???

[@suarezguy]

Thought Panic Room and Se7en were Fincher's only really good movies.

[@alel3544]

The most robbed artist was Ennio Morricone with "The Mission" score.

[@melanie62954]

How the heck did he not win?

[@alel3544]

@@melanie62954 Yeah, how the heck.

[@davidnaumann5511]

Bette Midler for the Rose over Sally Field in Norma Ray. “I was robbed” as Better says!

[@mountart2]

Not sure I agree with Judy Garland over Grace Kelly. Grace seems to be acting as opposed to Judy's over-acting.

[@Geek37664]

I’m going to disagree on A Beautiful Mind, it’s in my top 30 of all time favorite films. Regardless if it holds up to scrutiny, it has stellar performances from a number of my favorite performers and it’s one of the few films that treats mathematics in a positive light. It’s one of the more daring films that Ron Howard has ever made and I have to give him credit for going the distance. I will agree that Lynch is the better director and Mulholland Drive is the superior film, but A Beautiful Mind is not as bad as people make it out to be.

[@suarezguy]

Yeah, Ron Howard has been pretty middling in everything else but A Beautiful Mind was great, sure it is pretty intentionally prestige but it is appropriately so and it earns and succeeds in and as that. Now The King's Speech I would agree was intentionally prestigious without really being impressive in or as that.

[@spencers2556]

I love that I get to hear what a masterpiece The Social Network is followed by a trashing of La La Land. My two favourite movies!

[@xpindy]

@@sij809 Both films are over rated- possibly because their competition was so weak.

[@jerrettbarkley456]

La La Land should of won best picture. Nobody is EVER GOING TO TALK ABOUT MOONLIGHT. Unless you actually bring up LA LA Land. I can’t stand modern black struggle movies.. As a black man myself.

[@spencers2556]

@@jerrettbarkley456 That’s a good point, but it’s pretty indicative of the Oscars best picture winners of the last 10-15 years. There isn’t a single winner that people return to, but they were pandering to socially “important” issues of the respective time period (for the most part).

[@woodside4life]

@@jerrettbarkley456I feel you on that.

[@woodside4life]

@@spencers2556 Good point. I had to go back over a decade to find a Best Picture winner I’ve watched more than once.

[@CashelOConnolly]

David Lynch is so above the Oscar’s that he wouldn’t piss on one of their statues if his life depended on it!

[@robertocervera912]

Cate Blanchett should have won for Elizabeth, over Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love

[@lpjewkes]

Spot on with all of these except Faye Dunaway/Sissy Spacek. As terrific as Spacek is in CARRIE, Dunaway was absolutely brilliant in NETWORK. In fact, Dunaway gives one of the great performances of the 70s, as Spacek does in the 80s with COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER. Samuel L. Jackson should have been nominated for Best Actor for PULP FICTION as he has nearly as much screen time as John Travolta. Martin Landau had a true supporting role in ED WOOD and was masterful!

[@nathanielberntson8883]

Cate Blanchett vs Gwyneth Paltrow, need I say more

[@bbcbbc1717]

Agreed, Cate should have won!!

[@andreideferrer]

Fernanda Montenegro over both of them on that particular race

[@jamesalexander5623]

Yes! Cate can act and Gwyneth sort of does.

[@OziJo1]

Will we look back at this years Best Actress in the same way? I loved Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere but Cate Blanchett’s performance in Tar was extraordinary.

[@seblepage]

To be fair, Cate Blanchett is exceptional in everything she does. One of the best actresses of her generation, I’d say. But she’s already won twice. Michelle Yeoh may not have been quite as good, but it was an Oscar honouring her career more than anything. No one really had a chance over Michelle Yeoh this year.

[@Sheren0133]

@@seblepageThat’s shouldn’t be count as fair. Like you said (w no disrespect), “Yeoh May not have been quite as good, but it was… honoring her career”. Then it should be a career honoring award, and not a best performance award.

[@seblepage]

@@Sheren0133 I agree with you completely. I didn't mean to say that the Academy is right in giving awards that cover an entire career rather than a specific performance. It's just the reality of things. The Oscars are a popularity contest, and members vote for what's trendy or for what appears right in the eyes of Hollywood and/or the general public. There's also a lot of lobbying that happens. Oftentimes, if a particular actor, director, writer or whatever appears to be "due" for an Oscar, they will often get it despite the fact that they were not necessarily the best in their field that particular year.

[@sharonalbanese8084]

You are right, but this type of thing happens over and over. I think thats why jamie leigh curtis won as well. ​@Sheren0133

[@rykimoto]

Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan, Crash over any other movie, Forrest Gump over Shawshank Redemption, etc.

[@jjstraka1982]

Forrest Gump over Shawshank is not a travesty. Shawshank wasn't even seen by most people til years afterwards. Forrest Gump was a cultural phenomenon akin to Titanic. Nothing was going to beat it.

[@LuvTadnDixie]

Grace Kelly winning the Oscar for Country Girl over Judy Garland's performance in A Star is Born was a big upset.

[@cliffarroyo9554]

Kelly was also in Rear Window (an all time great movie) and Dial M for murder (also great) in the same year. So that probably pushed her past Garland should have won in 44 for Meet me in St Louis.

[@jp3813]

Tommy Lee Jones gets a lot of flak for winning Best Supporting Actor in the 66th Academy Awards for his role as Samuel Gerard in "The Fugitive". The other nominees were: Ralph Fiennes as Amon Göth in "Schindler's List" John Malkovich as Mitch Leary in "In the Line of Fire" Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" Pete Postlethwaite as Giuseppe Conlon in "In the Name of the Father" The snubs include Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in "Tombstone", Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern in "Schindler's List", Sean Penn as David Kleinfeld in "Carlito's Way", certain actors in "True Romance", etc...

[@wlmbarker1]

All great performances. Some others were Jeff Daniels in “Gettysburg,” Robert DeNiro in “This Boy’s Life,” Jack Lemmon in “Short Cuts,” Chazz Palminteri in “A Bronx Tale,” Larenz Tate in “Menace 2 Society.”

[@howardtowner9468]

That's a heck of a good list. Fiennes should have won that every time. I think it was his character that lost it for him there

[@jp3813]

@@howardtowner9468 Funny thing is that comments under a "Tombstone" video always claim that Val Kilmer deserved the Oscar that year. But when the nominees are listed out, all of a sudden people aren't so sure anymore. Research has been made so easy by the internet yet most users still don't bother.

[@briantuma1502]

Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s “impersonation” in Capote over Heath Ledger’s understated performance in Brokeback Mountain

[@eviljeff1297]

Crash over Brokeback Mountain still upsets me.

[@silverscreamers2305]

The upset I always go back to is Ellen Burstyn losing to Julia Roberts in 2001. Julia was great that year, but Ellen deserved it.

[@patighe]

Ellen was at the top of her form. One of the greatest performances in the history of cinema. Julia was fine, but her win was due mainly to Oscar's unfortunate tendency to award portrayals of real people, no matter how much better the competition was. .

[@erinpilla]

Looking back, I think Julia deserved to win it. I will be honest, I used to be on the Ellen train. I watched Erin again, and I realized, Julia's performance was empowering. It was a feel-good performance that was ahead of its time. If she won for that now, social media would have gone crazy celebrating it

[@patighe]

It may have been a feel good performance, but it was not ahead of its time. It was typical of most biopics of the era. Ellen's performance was visceral, heartbraking and one of a kind.

[@erinpilla]

@@patighe I understand. The Academy has never been one to award who is the best. They award who is the best for the time

[@safk29]

Great clip!! One that always confuses me was 2000’s masterpiece Requiem for a Dream. Ellen Burstyn should have won best actress over winner Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich.

[@matthewcloranmusic7745]

THIS! One of the biggest mistakes.

[@michaeladkins6]

Im glad Julia Roberts won. She wont win for anything else. But, Burstyn was amazing.

[@beowulfthedane]

You also missed 1978 where a boring ass New York movie that anyone not from Newyork, L.A. or Chicago would just not get and box office proves it beat what was perhaps the greatest Science Fiction Film ever that still holds up now 45 years later. Star Wars was not only better than Annie Hall, it was better directed, it was better written, it had better music, better visual effects, and better acting. I grant you the dialogue was a bit cheesy, but the story alone kept audiences glued to the screen. Annie Hall you could go to the bathroom and the kitchen for a snack and not miss anything. Darth Vader and the Storm troopers alone had better costumes. Alec Guinness was brilliant as Obi-wan Kenobi. Carrie Fisher in her first lead role was iconic. The first sci Fi film to win an Oscar for best picture was none. No Science Fiction film has ever won Best Picture because Hollywood doesn't like Sci-fi and because they make money. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was fantasy and not sci-fi but it deserved every Oscar it got.

[@lastmatinee]

I’m honestly surprised you didn’t include the travesty that was Crash winning Best Picture over Brokeback Mountain…. Or Jennifer Lawrence winning Best Actress over Naomi Watts for The Impossible.

[@sharonalbanese8084]

I really hope Naomi Watts wins some day. She should've been nominated for Mulholland Drive too, she was amazing in that and wasn't even nominated.

[@scottlouis]

Terrific list. My automatic thought goes to Crash over Brokeback Mountain. I recall being floored. Like being punched in the gut.

[@thadtaylor126]

Crash, outside of Michael Peña, is bad, and is the most ridiculous Oscar bait movie I’ve seen.

[@jc2333]

Brokeback mountain is better

[@jothishprabu8]

I don't understand the hate around that movie. It's pretty decent imo.

[@michaeladkins6]

@@jothishprabu8 Its the probable reasoning of why the bad movie won.

[@paulinegallagher7821]

@@jothishprabu8 decent? the patronizing playing with racist stereotype tropes was insulting. Oooh the horrible white woman who hates and distrusts Mexicans, changes her mind in a heartbreaking (NO, cringe as hell and insulting) moment of 'clarity' with her very put upon maid. Matt Dillon we find isn't a racist after all' how could he be when he rescues Thandi Newton from a burning car? who cares if hes a sexual molester?? hes not a racist and he looks after his ailing dad, that's the main thing. Ryan Phillipe, the genuine good guy who inexplicably does something awful near the end of the movie, HES the real racist. Oooh, mind blown! don't judge a book by its cover! that's the mind numbingly tone deaf and wrong as f 'message' in this movie. Awful, just awful. The fact the director is a creep in real life does not surprise me.

[@sfitz0076]

Not sure I understand how Ben Kingsley is doing brown face when his father is Indian.

[@anthonys.8569]

Yeah this guy's logic is all over the place. Arguing that and Dances with Wolves is just white savior bs is super short sighted. Not even the point of the film...not sure where this guy gets his opinions from on race

[@tommyo.3535]

I think he mentioned it just to be aware that the portrayal could potentially spark that discourse, not necessarily to say it is definitely brownface

[@billolsen4360]

@@anthonys.8569 the producer of this video is just going on his own feelings and prejudices like everyone else.

[@Shimmy-xg9xu]

To me, the most egregious one is Sean Penn winning for the exceptionally forgettable Mystic River over Bill Murray's haunting performance in Lost in Translation.

[@matthewkirkhart2401]

Unless it was an Oscar for overacting ... if that is the case than yes, Penn should have one. But if it is for acting, no way should he have won, I agree. I dare people to go back and watch Penn's performance in Mystic River now. I actually like Penn as an actor, but every time I watch it all I can think of is, "who is this, it isn't Sean Penn!" It's just so over the top and, for lack of a better word, "unnecessary" for the movie.

[@Shimmy-xg9xu]

@@matthewkirkhart2401 I couldn't agree more!!! Every word, perfect!

[@Victor-cr5rr]

I disagree

[@KPate-y5z]

I could not agree more. Murray was superlative in that film while Penn for me was underwhelming and took histrionics to overacted extreme.

[@ApocalypseKurtz]

Great list and presentation, Mr. Nayman.

[@branagain]

That’s Bruce Willis behind Paul Newman when the jury reads the verdict. I can never unsee that.

[@billfisher9238]

i know you don't want to go back that far, but Cliff Robertson's CHARLY over Peter O'Toole's Henry ll in LION IN WINTER is probably the biggest goof i know of.

[@ABC-sc2ip]

YES! This!

[@nevbarnes1034]

Is _Annie Hall_ seriously a more important film than _Star Wars?_

[@debbiemcnamara7059]

Austin Butler for Elvis! Elvis Best Picture.

[@deenice7155]

The Color Purple will forever be on the list for snubs. Pick a category. Supporting actress, actress and score come to mind immediately. The actors and actresses aged several times on camera, played the hell out of their roles and had true star quality turns in iconic roles. Whoppi carried that movie in a tour de force performance. Her first performance if memory serves me correctly. And her supporting actress award a few years later just didn’t feel like a true “make up” award

[@t221000]

I 100% agree with you about "Training Day". That was an over the top one note performance that did not deserve the win.

[@celestialdemon1316]

Agreed. Denzel Washington winning over Tom Wilkinson upset me.

[@matthewrosenthal753]

I also agree about Training day but Denzel should have won for Malcom X and honestly this one should’ve been either Will Smith for Ali, or Sean Penn for I am Sam.

[@suarezguy]

A little over the top but very far from one-note.

[@Jim21500]

It’s been talked to death but brokeback mountain really should’ve won over crash

[@TheLauren800]

I was really expecting to that to be on the list! to me that one of biggest upsets ever!! still annoyed me. next is the social network loss. such a good movie

[@nofx87]

Gotta be the biggest snub ever in my book. I can't remember the cast time I heard anyone mention the movie Crash.

[@celestialdemon1316]

I liked Brokeback Mountain, but my favorite that year was Good Night and Good Luck. Both should have easily won over Crash.

[@suarezguy]

I think Munich was better than either.

[@SkolneyVikings]

Jackson should have won for Pulp, but he is clearly a supporting actor compared to Travolta on screen time alone.

[@colleen4ever]

I got one: Won: Michelle Yeoh for 'Everything, Everywhere, All At Once' Should have won: Cate Blanchett for 'Tar'

[@jcurbaez]

... though Blanchett seems to be reprising her Blue Jasmine role...

[@rhythmoriented]

@@jcurbaez except in this film she learned how to play the piano, speaks three languages fluently, punches like a gangster and creates a character that will be discussed for decades.

[@jothishprabu8]

I think we can all unanimously agree that nobody cares about Shakespeare in Love

[@michaeladkins6]

Judi Dench got her Oscar for 10 minutes of screen time.

[@chrisweidner4768]

Indeed. Well said. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kelleyceccato7025]

@@michaeladkins6 Consolation prize for Oscar's big mistake the year before.

[@danielflynn8530]

Do you think they made some mistakes for the most recent 2023 Oscars? I think Jamie Lee Curtis is great but I think some of the choices for Supporting actresses could have won.

[@seblepage]

I love Jamie Lee Curtis and was glad she won, but yeah it felt like an honorary Oscar to celebrate her prolific career more than honouring an exceptionally good performance. In the same movie alone, Stephanie Hsu was more memorable and impactful.

[@fastbowler]

I do remember A Beautiful Mind very well; Russell Crowe was excellent in it, and probably better deserved the Oscar for that performance over Gladiator.I It's not the best Oscar Big Picture winner, but it's not too shabby. But really, Ron Howard should have won for Apollo 13 (not nominated!!) over Mel Gibson' directing for Braveheart (which I loathed;' yeah I said it), and Howard didn't have to win for A Beautiful Mind. Recently heartbreaking for me was Michael Keaton not winning over Eddie Redmayne. And I dare say it, Everything Everywhere All at Once will be outpaced in cinematic legacy by The Banshees of Inishirin and Tar.

[@1019q]

yes.

[@geraldposchl5603]

Very recent: All Quiet on the Western Front. How can this complete destruction of one of the most important novels of all time be honoured with an Oscar?

[@alextrivunovic644]

Carney over Pacino 1975. How is that not number 1 on any list like this?

[@benfranklin1533]

Seriously! The guy literally names every 70’s Pacino movie except The Godfather Part II lol. Easily one of the top three biggest acting robberies.

[@alextrivunovic644]

@@benfranklin1533 bizarre! I'm beginning to think very little research was done for this piece.

[@travisbickle1601]

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather part 2 is the greatest performance in American cinema, absolutely robbed.

[@1trschaefer78]

What about Shirley MacLean in The Apartment losing to Elizabeth Taylor in Butterfield 8? Big mistake...

[@joelalbertogarza7048]

Yeoh over Blanchett is gonna be on this list within the next couple of years.

[@kishandev9947]

nope....not really

[@peteradaniel]

Sorry but Blanchett is basically playing a carbon copy of Blue Jasmin, right down to her acting in Lydia Tár’s eventual demise. Yeoh was unrecognisable in EEAAO. Tár isn’t even an interesting film. Her demise is completely unrealistic and it would be immeasurably more interesting if she got away with her behaviour, because we all know that’s actually what happens. If you know anything about the industry we all know the “Me too” movement only ousted the ‘long in the tooth’ conductors who should have retired years ago. There’s been no change in hierarchical abuse.

[@joelalbertogarza7048]

@@peteradaniel Lydia Tár is closer to an amalgamation of both Fletcher and Neiman in Whiplash than Blanchett’s role in Blue Jasmine. The movie is essentially Whiplash through a classical music lens. I never said Tár should’ve won Best Picture, I was referencing the Best Actress award. I love Michelle Yeoh, she’s one of the best martial artists to ever grace the screen, and she shows that off in EEAAO (which I am in fact a fan of even though it gets a bit oversaturated towards the end; I’ll turn on Crouching Tiger if I wanna watch Yeoh really kick ass). But her “acting chops” are by no means anywhere close to Blanchett’s in Tár. There are some immense subtleties that she portrays in that role, and I went in to that movie expecting not to like it. As someone who’s been playing in professional orchestras for the last decade, the level that Blanchett reaches to portray a modern-day “crooked but knowledgeable conductor” is out of this world. The Academy is known for giving out participation awards, and the reality is most likely the fact that Blanchett already has 2 Oscars, Yeoh has none (and in fact was the first Asian woman to ever receive one), and EEAAO was winning everything else that night anyway so it pretty much just rounded out the night. We all know how the Academy likes to play favorites - it’s actually kind of comical since, in the end, it ends up mirroring the actual plot of Tár. And yeah, whatever “message” Tár is trying to convey is also considerably muddled towards the end. That doesn’t change the fact that Blanchett absolutely kills that role. My pick for Best Picture would’ve been Banshees, flawless from beginning to end.

[@peteradaniel]

@@joelalbertogarza7048 obviously we’re both professional musicians, therefor we should both understand the idea of making a horse race out of an interpretive art form like acting is absolutely ridiculous. Imo EEAAO getting it’s flowers is completely deserved. It was a film coming from the perspective of an new type of American family and explored it’s subject matter with immense philosophical fortitude, combining both western and eastern cultures in philosophy, to end up with something that was distinctly American. That’s the first time I’d ever seen that successfully portrayed on film. I don’t like your racially charged implications with regards to Michelle Yeoh winning a participation award on behalf of her being Asian. To justify Yeoh’s performance I would just look at the multiple different characters she had to embody in order to bring the role to life. It was a real tour de force in acting technique, similarly with Ke Huy Qwan’s multi award winning performance. Btw both also won golden globes and SAG awards, not to mention the multiple critics choices they also won. So if this is the academy playing favourites how does that explain the multiple awards which were previously bestowed. The only other film deserving of the top award, imo, was Women Talking. Banshees was a god awful, hackneyed diatribe from Martin Mcdonaugh who was just regurgitates the gore porn of Lieutenant of Inishmore to tell a Weak and pointless story of two people who break friendship. It pretends to be philosophical but ends up being pointless and without any substance. This is just my opinion and we’re both entitled to them, especially in interpreting film.

[@joelalbertogarza7048]

@@peteradaniel Most Oscar winning films are also the same films that win directly before that at the Golden Globes, SAG, BAFTA, etc etc. It’s entirely a self-celebrating Hollywood parade of itself. A lot of ppl predict Oscar winners (and are usually right) based on who/what’s been winning in the award circuit previous to it. Should also be obvious since they’re all essentially the same movies that make it through this rotation. Pretty sure there are hundreds of movies that, in 5-10 years, people will agree were miles better than a majority of the stuff that ended up on this award circuit. The Academy (or any of the other Hollywood award festivals) playing favorites = the Academy making picks that are “flashy” or garner more attention = the Academy picking someone because they’re the first to do something (Yeoh being the first Asian woman to win an Oscar, Brendan Fraser getting his first Oscar, Jamie Lee Curtis getting her first, etc etc). It’s not because “she’s Asian,” it’s because “she’s first.” People love stories about “firsts.” Those stories are more click-bait worthy than “Cate Blanchett wins her third Oscar.” Everyone knows the Oscars or any of these Hollywood awards are by no means representative of what the actual best films and actors are. That’s kind of the point of this video, that the Oscars get it royally wrong a ton of the time. Hollywood is a business that’s sole purpose is to make money through entertainment, and these award circuits are products of that. They’re bred with the purpose of getting people talking and getting people interested. It’s not a spelling bee.

[@williamclinton7959]

What about Edmond O’Brien over Lee J Cobb for his role as Johnny Friendly in ‘On the Waterfront’…….scandalous decision

[@nikksann]

You forgot Shakespeare in love over Saving private Ryan in '99

[@tiffanywitherspoon8722]

Great video, thanks for sharing.

[@Justinrombough]

Goodfellas not winning is an all-timer!

[@maryannangros8834]

Peter O'Toole EIGHT bleeping Times

[@vincentschmitt7597]

11: giving the Oscar for best costumes to Ghandi over Tron. The attire from Ghandi was taken directly from real life. Tron's were entirely new and creative.

[@joeland87]

We’re not going to talk about Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan, or Glenn Campbell getting robbed for his heartbreaking original song I’m not gonna miss you?

[@Burnster612]

Love Adam dearly but give him a good mic (also on The Big Picture:)

[@orpheus9037]

Second guessing the Oscars is a full time cottage industry at this point. What I've learned from watching these award shows over the years is that the films being honored are secondary - as is the question of their quality, or lack thereof. The principal purpose the Academy wants to achieve with its annual show - that is, when the formula of the show is working correctly - is to honor films in a way the gives an emotional payoff for the audience, basically a feel good encounter with movies that everyone can partake in as a form of emotional investment.This is particularly notable in the acting awards, where each nominee represents a particular emotional story line with a potential payoff should they receive the award. This was perfectly illustrated this year with awards going to Brendan Fraser, an actor whose career had literally fallen into limbo that last few decades, and Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian actress to win the Best Actress award.

[@emmalancaster2013]

Cannes is the award show for serious film. U.S. awards are for fun, popular or sentimental films.

[@peteradaniel]

Sorry but I disagree with your opinion on Faye Dunaway. She acts as the archetype for the emerging girlboss in a world soon to be engulfed by corporate culture. She also represents the cynical side of second wave feminism. It goes to show, these are just opinions and no one way is correct.

[@gtt85]

Would add Michelle Yeoh over Cate Blanchett. Yeoh gave a great performance supported by a visual feat, whereas Cate carried the movie with a performance of a lifetime.