Five Movies the Oscars Stiffed This Year

Columbia

#5) “The Ides of March”

An actually incredibly engaging political thriller about the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that goes on, in fact is going on right now. Some parts are incredibly stupid: reporters don’t blackmail people. But then again, that’s never stopped the Academy from nominating a movie.

Universal

#4) “A Dangerous Method”

It’s a movie about Freud and Jung arguing over how to treat a patient. Sound boring? Did we mention the patient is Keira Knightley? Or that her “problem” is that she likes being spanked? Or that it’s directed by awesome weirdo David Cronenberg? So basically this entire movie is “Keira Knightley is a naughty girl and wants to be spanked” for an hour and a half?

Paramount

#3) “Young Adult”

Yeah, yeah, everyone hates “Juno”, but this movie actually works pretty well because it’s entirely about how some people never get over high school, and nails it perfectly. Charlize Theron plays a huge bitch extremely well, and Patton Oswalt plays the nerd who got the crap kicked out of him so badly he walks with a limp. Even better, we’re not expected to like them or think they’re great people: this movie knows exactly how crappy these people are, unlike every other indie film about some vapid jerk going back home and discovering he’s a vapid jerk.

Studio Canal

#2) “Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy”

Ever wonder how spies actually work? That’s pretty much what this movie is all about. Incredibly well made, and very faithful to the original book.

#1) “Drive”

And here’s the biggest outrage of all.

“Drive” is actually everything the Academy wants: carefully acted, precisely scripted, directed by somebody who knows film inside and out. It’s probably one of the best movies of the last ten years.

And why doesn’t it have a nomination? Because it’s got a few gory scenes.

Sprout some balls, Hollywood.

Dan Seitz is the creative director at GammaSquad and the gadget guy at Guyism. For more of his Academy Awards musings, read along as he presents Five Awful Films That Won an Oscar.