Unpopular Oscars Opinions

I love awards season, but I also hate awards season?

I watch almost all of the major award shows: Emmys, Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Indie Spirit, and of course, the Oscars. I see the movies, read the reviews, and make my predictions. My sister and I used to fill out ballots and see who had the most correct predictions.

However, every award show I watch I will yell at the TV, rant on twitter, and question the rest of the world. The past few years, I have not only been disappointed in the nominations but also in the movies being made. I feel that TV has taken over and is producing better content.

This year is no different. Going into the Academy Awards on Sunday February 9th, I don’t think there will be much of a surprise on what wins and I’m not happy about it. Why not share some of my unpopular opinions of this year’s nominees.

Best Picture:

• • • I wish Knives Out got more recognition – I thought this movie was so much fun with a wonderful cast and I felt like it was slighted a bit. I don’t know if that was because of the genre or what. Rian Johnson did get nominated for Original Screenplay, but I have a feeling he has no chance.
    • NO FEMALE DIRECTORS – This is just embarrassing. Greta Gerwig took this beloved classic, showing audiences insight into this family and giving us strong female characters that were so relatable even in 2020. Other female directors: Lulu Wang, The Farewell; Marielle Heller, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
    • Is there any way we can have a tie? – Greta Gerwig and Taika Watiti should both win for Adapted Screenplay. Gerwig adapted that book so incredibly well in the way she formatted the movie. She also managed to make me like Amy March! And Jojo Rabbit was one of my favorite movies of the year with its wit and heartfelt story.
    • Best Actor – So you’re telling me that Rami Malek, with that god awful set of chompers, lip synced his way into an Oscar win, but Taron Egerton can’t even get nominated…? – The fact that Rocketman only received one nomination (for Best Song, of course) is a damn crime. Best Costume Design? Hello? I also feel that if Joker and Marriage Story had been released in different years, Adam Driver would have taken Best Actor because he did such a strong performance, but no one came close to Joaquin Phoenix
    • No Frozen II for Best Animated Feature? – Frozen II was a beautiful movie and deserved to be nominated. Disney took one of its biggest movies in the last few years and made a unique and original sequel with incredible songs.
    • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was not that good – When I saw it, I thought it was fine. It was long—you could cut a good forty-five minutes to an hour out and be good—it felt like two movies. Leo and Brad gave great performances, but not as good as winning Best Supporting Actor for Brad, which he’s been sweeping across all award shows. As much as I don’t like Quentin Tarantino as a person he is a good writer, but this wasn’t it.
    • Just give Tom Hanks the Oscar – related to the bullet point above, Tom was Mr. Rogers! And he was fantastic! A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood deserved more recognition in general
    • Why the big fuss over Laura Dern? – I really loved Marriage Story, but I don’t really get why Laura Dern is getting praised for her part as the divorce lawyer. She was fine, but it wasn’t that much of master performance. Give it to Florence Pugh.
    • Marvel – I know award shows don’t like to acknowledge genre films, but 2019 closed the chapter on a 10 year journey, weaving together 22 movies culminating in Avengers: Endgame. This is an incredible feat and deserves some recognition on Hollywood’s Biggest Night.

So those are my gripes and rants, but you better believe I’ll be sitting there on Sunday night, watching all five hours of the Oscars to rant some more.