2018 Oscar Snubs in Each Major Category

The Academy released its nominations for the 90th Academy Awards earlier this week, causing film fans to offer their two cents as to which performances and films were the most deserving of each award.  But which performances and films were the most egregious 2018 Oscar snubs?  Let’s take a look:

Best Cinematography – Wind River

Wind River has had relatively no presence in the awards discussion due largely to the Harvey Weinstein scandal.  However, in the opinion of this critic (and countless other movie fans), Wind River is one of the best looking movies of the year.  Each frame makes you feel incredibly cold — seeping into your body as Jeremy Renner trudges through the snow-filled mountains of Wyoming.

There’s obviously some other elements in play here that kept Wind River from becoming an Oscar favorite, but any movie that creates a rich atmosphere that stays with you long after the movie is over deserves recognition.

image via Collider

Best Visual Effects – Thor: Ragnarok

The filming of Thor: Ragnarok took place primarily in front of a green screen, meaning that visual effects artists had to create the zany, trippy world in the superhero flick completely from scratch.

The Best Visual Effects category was fairly stacked this year, but there’s definitely an argument to make for replacing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 with Thor: Ragnarok in the pool of nominees.

image via Vanity Fair

Best Original Screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread)

Daniel Day-Lewis said it himself when he noted that Paul Thomas Anderson and he laughed during the pre-production of Phantom Thread as they crafted the script together only to later become fairly depressed as filming began.  They realized that they created something that was pretty vile.  In fact, Day-Lewis noted that this movie broke him as an actor.

Phantom Thread handles some pretty rough themes — all of which remain under the surface in a very subtle manner.  PTA crafted a haunting look into the darker side of relationships, making something that is very worthy of Academy recognition.

image via Rolling Stone

Best Adapted Screenplay – Jack Thorne, Steven Conrad, and Steven Chbosky (Wonder)

If you haven’t seen Wonder, then you missed out on one of the cutest movies of 2017.  The sleeper hit was a great adaptation by all accounts, weaving in different storylines and points of view that showed how someone with a physical ailment affects the people around him — in both a positive and negative sense.

With less skilled writers, Wonder may have turned into a very manipulative movie that felt fake and contrived.  While there’s certainly a “Hollywood” element to the film, it’s very thoughtful — and ridiculously cute.

image via Variety

Best Supporting Actress – Holly Hunter (The Big Sick)

Holly Hunter was considered by many as the biggest of the 2018 Oscar snubs.  She ran through The Big Sick like a wrecking ball, doing anything to make sure that her daughter would recover from her bizarre illness.

Her performance seemed to have it all.  She was loud yet very layered, unafraid to yell at the top of her lungs and then softly cry to show her vulnerability.

Don’t worry, Holly Hunter, MovieBabble’s got your back.

image via Entertainment Voice

Best Supporting Actor – TIE between James McAvoy (Split) and Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me by Your Name)

James McAvoy isn’t even on most lists of the 2018 Oscar snubs, showing how little praise he is receiving.  It didn’t help that Split released in theaters last January, but James McAvoy offered one of the most insane — and vulnerable —  performances of 2017, going out of his way to find new ways to shock audiences as he switched between each of his 23 different personalities.

However, Michael Stuhlbarg is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, acting very calm and collected for the entirety of Call Me by Your Name‘s runtime.  He’s personally responsible for one of the most profound and beautiful speeches in film over the last year.  Honestly, he deserves a nomination for that speech alone.

image via Hollywood Reporter

Best Actress – Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game)

Molly’s Game was Jessica Chastain’s movie.  She owned the screen, strutting around with her fake hair extensions and dominating each poker room with her intelligence.

Molly’s Game left some critics feeling a little cold, possibly causing Chastain to not receive a nomination as a result.  But, there’s no denying that she was easily the best part of the movie.  Ripping off Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue at a furious pace is no small feat!

image via CardsChat

Best Actor – Hugh Jackman (Logan)

This was the year that the Academy should have recognized a superhero movie as just a movie.  Hugh Jackman’s performance in Logan is far more than just a solid outing as a favorite comic book character.  He delivers a layered performance as a man trying to find purpose in life before he dies, facing mortality despite thinking that he was once immortal.

This process is merely a heightened version of the human condition, showing the fear that many have as they wonder if they made their time on Earth worth it.  You see the pain on Jackman’s face every step of the way, making his performance one of the more affecting turns of 2017.

image via Pop Sugar

Best Director – Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name)

Luca Guadagnino made Call Me by Your Name something more than just a movie circling around a homosexual relationship.  Call Me by Your Name is a very specific story about a very specific time, and yet the movie is completely relatable.  Not only is the movie one of the more distinctive films of 2017, the actors trusted him enough to become absurdly vulnerable.  This movie is raw and emotional, and the director needs all the praise in the world for such an achievement.

image via IndieWire

Best Picture – The Florida Project, Blade Runner 2049, I, Tonya, Wind River, and Logan

So you’re telling me that The Post is better than each of these five films?

The Post has become an easy target for derision, but it is worth noting that there were only nine nominees for Best Picture when the rules allow for a maximum of ten.  There are well-defined reasons/biases that Blade Runner 2049, I, Tonya, Wind River, and Logan (among many others) didn’t get nominated.  Whether they’re correct or not is an entirely different story.  Regardless, those reasons are present.

There doesn’t seem to be a discernible reason why The Florida Project wasn’t nominated, however.  It’s a story told through the eyes of poverty-stricken children that includes a famous actor.  It would appear that the film hits all the “markers” that the Academy looks for in a film.  Maybe they thought it was too real?  Or, better yet, maybe most of the elderly voters for the Academy didn’t see the movie.

image via The Independent

Thanks for reading!  What are some other glaring 2018 Oscar snubs?  Comment down below!

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