The award season has ended as the Oscars closed off the night this past weekend. Of course, this year’s award season is unusual compared to other years. Given the circumstances of the pandemic, movies were delayed, and theaters had to shut down. Therefore, it has not been the most glamourous year for cinema, but all the award ceremonies managed to overcome the setbacks and adjusted their format and eligibility rules accordingly.
While the movie industry continues to celebrate the artistry, creativity, and innovation of filmmakers at these award functions, several amazingly crafted films were overlooked at this year’s award season.
Da 5 Bloods
Netflix was packed with a list of award-worthy films last year and managed to take home a whopping seven Oscar awards, the most out of any streaming service. Unfortunately, a few of their movies missed the mark, especially Da 5 Bloods.
A movie about four African-American war veterans on an adventure to find their hidden gold, Da 5 Bloods was Spike Lee’s latest project that many pundits were confident was Oscar material. The performance by Delroy Lindo was the highlight of the film, showcasing his character’s trauma from the Vietnam War. However, the war film was shut out of the award season, with only Oscar nomination being for Best Original Score. However, an award snub for Lindo in any acting category was unforgivable.
One Night In Miami
The fantastic One Night in Miami was Regina King’s directorial debut, and she showed quite an impressive effort in making the film. She captured the nuance of the four significant figures (Sam Cooke, Jim Brown, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali), given the tension of the civil rights movements, and presented the importance of these people who tried to make a difference with their individual beliefs and values.
The drama film seemed like a strong contender for the awards, especially Best Supporting Actor for Leslie Odom Jr. and Best Director for Regina King. Odom Jr. consistently received nominations for Best Supporting Actor but lost to Daniel Kaluuya. However, King lost her momentum late in the award season and missed out on Best Director. Although the film was not likely to win big given the competition this year, it seemed almost guaranteed that the film would take home one award for Best Original Song for “Speak Now.” Surprisingly, it lost out there to Judas and the Black Messiah‘s “Fight For You.”
Palm Springs
Considering Promising Young Woman was the closest thing to a comedy nominated, it is clear that this year’s award season had little love for true comedy. One shut out, in particular, was Palm Springs. While the concept of time loops is nothing unusual for films, Palm Springs took it to a different and exhilarating level. It landed on several critics’ top ten lists, thanks to the performances and story.
While the romantic comedy had garnered some attention early in the award season with a few nominations at the Golden Globes, it soon was ignored in later ceremonies, especially the Oscars. Despite the brilliance of the screenplay that should have at least deserved a nomination, it was overshadowed by Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which ended up taking up one of the final spots.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Given that the film was acting heavy and had beautiful costumes of the ’20s, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was one of Netflix’s top contenders going into the award ceremony. It consistently received nominations in leading acting categories with big wins for Chadwick Boseman at the Golden Globes and Screen Actor Guild Awards. Since the film was adapted from a play by August Wilson, it seemed like a perfect Oscar movie to receive nominations for Best Picture.
Although the drama movie won a few awards like Best Costume Design, it missed any chance of a Best Picture or Best Adapted Screenplay nominations at all major ceremonies. Despite the strong performances by Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis, they shockingly did not win their categories at the Oscars. The Oscars also rearranged the order of the Best Actor at the end with the implication that Chadwick would win, only for him to lose and the ceremony to end abruptly as Anthony Hopskin was not present to accept the award.
I’m Thinking Of Ending Things
Netflix’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things was one of the more under-the-radar movies of 2020. However, it had one of the most complex and riveting stories with spectacular performances and captivating cinematography. Unfortunately, this drama directed and written by Charlie Kaufman received little attention from major award ceremonies.
Despite the competition, this had quite the unique visuals and story that made it deserving of cinematography and adapted screenplay nominations. Despite the efforts, the film was ignored in a larger spectrum.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
While Never Rarely Sometimes Always received universal acclaim for its powerful and emotional story of a teenage girl’s strength and ability to go forward with a medical procedure for her pregnancy, it was overlooked. It was billboarded with a relatively new cast, yet their performances were impressive and remarkable.
Both Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder received recognition for their performance at several small award ceremonies, with Flanigan managing to win a few of them. Unfortunately, the bigger award functions completely ignored the film and showed their lackluster attention to small indie films.
The Invisible Man
Based on the book by H. G. Wells, The Invisible Man was a worthy adaptation, thanks to the thrilling story, performances, and visual effects. As good as it is, it had little chance of going after awards like Best Picture.
However, it seemed the film would have some potential, particularly in the technical categories like Best Visual Effects and Best Film Editing. Despite the craftiness of the film, it sadly received little recognition even in those specific categories.
On The Rocks
While Palm Springs was just one comedy film overlooked, On the Rocks was another one that was snubbed. The film focuses on the father-daughter relationship, portrayed by Bill Murray and Rashida Jones, that certainly left a marking as an entertaining comedy movie.
Early on, it seemed that the film had lots of award potential, particularly for nomination in the screenplay and supporting actor for Murray. Although Murray managed to grab a spot for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, he was overshadowed by other performances at the Screen Actor Guild Awards and Oscars. While Daniel Kaluuya was destined to win in the prospective category, it is disappointing that Murray gave one of his best performances and could not secure at least a nomination in later award ceremonies.
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Even though The Forty-Year-Old Version had a long shot at receiving any recognition at these award functions, there is no denying that the film was one of the best movies last year, presented by Netflix. As the director, writer, and actor, Radha Blank showcased a refreshing and inspiring film about a struggling playwriter’s journey into finding her voice.
Despite the film having little chances, Radha Blank surprisingly received a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the BAFTAs. Although this was a one-off, it clearly showed that the film had quite the creativity and artistry to be an award-winning movie and had the potential to receive nominations for its recognition if those ceremonies showed their attention.
Boys State
Documentaries are meaningful and captivating to watch, especially for AppleTV+’s Boys State. The film had an inspiring story about a group of teenage boys who tried to build a representative government from scratch. It became one of the best documentaries of the year, was even listed by the National Board of Review as one of the top five documentaries and landed on Barack Obama’s best movies list.
Despite receiving nominations at several smaller award ceremonies, Boys State was shockingly overlooked at major awards, including the Oscars. It was one of the bigger upsets and remains so even after the award season has now ended.
