Mini-Countdown: 6 Most Oscar-Nominated Films Not To Win An Award

Sometimes when it comes to awards, you'll often hear people saying "it's an honour to be nominated". Well, for these six films, that honour would have to be enough because, despite ten Oscar nominations or more, they all walked away from the ceremony empty-handed.

Each film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Production Design, and either Best Original or Best Adapted Screenplay in their respective year, as well as having at least one nod in one of the four acting categories. 

Note: in the entries below, any number followed by an asterisk- e.g. (6*)- denotes that the film won in an acting category for which two or more actors/actresses from the featured non-Oscar-winning film were nominated.

1. The Turning Point (1977)
dir. Herbert Ross, starring Anne Bancroft, Shirley MacLaine, Mikhail Baryshnikov

This family drama set in the ballet world, with Bancroft and MacLaine as estranged sisters, was tied with weighty holocaust drama Julia for the most nominations for the 50th Academy Awards: both films had 11 nods apiece. But when the ceremony rolled around, the film would walk away with no awards, with Annie Hall (4*), Julia (2), Star Wars (3) and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1) triumphing instead. 

2. The Color Purple (1985)
dir. Steven Spielberg, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover

As with The Turning Point, The Color Purple (Spielberg's reverent adaptation of Alice Walker's novel) was tied for the most Oscar nominations at the 58th Academy Awards. Both it and romantic drama Out Of Africa both had 11 nods apiece. But again, once we get to the ceremony, it's again a zero win situation. Instead, Out Of Africa (5), The Trip To Bountiful (1), Prizzi's Honor (1*), Ran (1), Mask (1), and White Nights (1) winning out instead. 

3. Gangs Of New York (2002)
dir. Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis

With 10 nods, Scorsese's sweeping period crime drama had the second-highest number of nominations at the 75th Academy Awards [the highest number that year went to Chicago which got an impressive 13]. But, sadly, the film wouldn't win anything. Instead, Chicago (5), The Pianist (2), Road To Perdition (1), Talk To Her [Hable Con Ella] (1) and 8 Mile (1) won in its place. 

4. True Grit (2010)
dir. Joel & Ethan Coen, starring Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon

The Coen Brothers' remake of the 1969 Western True Grit had 10 nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards (second only to The King's Speech which had a round dozen). The original version was only nominated for two awards, but won John Wayne the Best Actor Oscar. Perhaps they were hoping the same would happen again for Jeff Bridges? Spoiler alert: it didn't. Instead, The King's Speech (3), Inception (3), Alice In Wonderland (2), The Social Network (1), and The Fighter (1) won in the categories for which True Grit had been nominated. 

5. American Hustle (2013)
dir. David O. Russell, starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence

With ten nods- including one each in the four acting categories for the second year in a row- American Hustle was the joint top nominated film at the 86th Academy Awards, with Gravity also getting 10 nominations. However, there was no love for David O. Russell's crime caper, with the Academy honouring 12 Years A Slave (2), Gravity (2), The Great Gatsby (2), Dallas Buyers Club (2), Her (1), and Blue Jasmine (1) in its place. 

6. The Irishman (2019)
dir. Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci

Scorsese's epic crime drama was one of three films to garner 10 nods for the 92nd Academy Awards (along with 1917 and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood). But despite this, The Irishman was going home empty-handed, with Parasite (2), Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2*), 1917 (2), Jojo Rabbit (1), Little Women (1), and Ford V Ferrari [Le Mans '66] (1) winning instead. 

Review: Ready Player One (UK Cert 12A)

Ernest Cline's debut novel Ready Player One was released in 2011 and critics were impressed by the , with one reviewer calling it 'the grown-up's Harry Potter'. Unsurprisingly, a film adaptation was commissioned almost as soon as the book was published. Now, it comes to the big screen, under the direction of Steven Spielberg (The Post, Lincoln), with a screenplay by Cline and Zak Penn. 

In 2045, the world has become desolate. To escape these harsh realities, people spend most of their time in the OASIS, a virtual universe where anything is possible. OASIS was created by the brilliant James Donovan Halliday, a 1980s pop culture aficionado. When Halliday died, he released a video announcing a treasure hunt through the OASIS, looking for the three keys that would unlock an Easter Egg which would give the winner Halliday's vast fortune... and total control over the OASIS. 

In the five years since Halliday's death, despite many attempts, nobody has completed the first task- a high-octane road-race- to get the key. That is until a young man called Wade Watts, who lives in Columbus. Ohio, and goes by the online name of Parzifal, works out how to beat the race. The contest is then on to find the other two keys- but Parzifal's victory puts him in the sights of Innovative Online Industries (IOI), a multinational corporation who seek to control OASIS for their own profit. 

First off, I haven't read the book, so I can't tell you how faithful an adaptation this is. But what I can tell you is that I now want to go and read the book- and I really feel I need to see the film again. It's just superb. 

Produced under the Amblin banner (who brought us the 1980s delights of ET, The Goonies, and Back To The Future, amongst others), the film is a loving tribute to geek culture in all its forms. There's been a bit of updating since the book was first published- there's references to 'Twitch streams' and one of the first places you see in the OASIS is a Minecraft world- but there are still references to classic Atari games, Dungeons & Dragons, John Hughes movies, The Iron Giant, anime, and so much more. In a way, it's almost overwhelming how much has been put on the screen; things like the scene in the Distracted Globe nightclub and the climactic end battle feature so many little easter eggs and references that repeated viewing would be needed to get them all. 

In the same kind of way that Avatar blended real world with fantasy, the film does a great job of differentiating between the two. Wade's real world in 'The Stacks'- mobile homes piled high on one another- looks drab and grim and gritty, whilst the OASIS looks bright and sumptuous. The CGI on the avatars looks great, and the worlds created in the OASIS all look amazing- even a note-perfect version of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining! 

So, visually, it's stunning- no surprise there. But Ready Player One also has substance beneath the sheen. There's some pointed social commentary on the use of technology to escape reality, the nefarious plans of corporations to monetise and control people, how the real world compares to the fantasy world created online, even down to making the simple point that you may know people online but how much do you really know them? There's a lot to think about. Plus there's also the quest narrative (something I particularly enjoy) to get invested in. 

Performances are strong across the board with Tye Sheridan (Cyclops in X-Men: Apocalypse) taking the lead role of Wade/Parzifal. He's great as the hero, a young man whose real world experiences are dreadful and seeks refuge in the OASIS, only to find the actions of the online world having real-world consequences. He's a geeky obsessive but one with social skills, and you really get behind him as he progresses through the egg hunt. Olivia Cooke plays Art3mis, another participant in the egg hunt whom Parzifal has an attraction to. Their relationship blossoms in both the real world and in the OASIS. Lena Waithe is superb as Aech, Parzifal's friend in the OASIS, who turns out to be someone very different in the real world. Win Morisaki and Philip Zhao complete the motley crew known as the Hi-5 as players Daito and Shoto respectively, with Zhao getting a lot of the laughs when his real-world identity is revealed. 

Ben Mendelsohn is great as Nolan Sorrento, the weaselly yet powerful head of operations for IOI. His attempts to manipulate the game in order for IOI to win are particularly villainous, which really gives you something to root against. Even when he tries to pass himself off as not just a corporate suit, he's just so supercilious and unpleasant that you can't wait to see him fall. He's provided with great support by Hannah John-Kamen as F'Nale, a handler for IOI who does the dirty work in the real world, and by T.J. Miller who voices an OASIS character called i-R0k, who does his dirty work in the virtual world. Miller riffs on his Deadpool character as the snarky support and also gets a few laughs.  

One other performance to note is that of Simon Pegg, who appears as Halliday's former business partner Ogden Morrow. Pegg makes the most of limited screen time to provide some heart to the situation. He also makes an uncredited cameo elsewhere in the film which is particularly nice when it's revealed. Finally, Mark Rylance reunites with Spielberg after Bridge Of Spies and The BFG to play Halliday. Halliday is a shuffling eccentric who finds the real world just that little bit too difficult to navigate, hence why he built the OASIS. It's a lovely supporting performance by Rylance, who also provides the voice of Halliday's avatar in the OASIS- a wizard with the rather lovely name of Anorak.

I cannot recommend Ready Player One highly enough. Chockfull of geeky references to keep even the most avid trivia buff busy, it's also got a lot of heart, a lot of adventure and more than enough going on to make the running time of 140 minutes disappear in the blink of an eye. Superb stuff.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Ready Player One is on general release from 29th March 2018.

Review: The Post (UK Cert 12A)

In 1971, the New York Times published a series of articles based on 'The Pentagon Papers'- leaked classified reports which demonstrated that successive US administrations (from Truman to Johnson) had in effect lied to the American public about the efficacy of the Vietnam War. When Richard Nixon used his position as President to bar the New York Times from publishing anything further, the Washington Post picked up the baton. 

This forms the basis of The Post, a biographical drama written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, and directed by Stephen Spielberg. 

Meryl Streep is superb as Washington Post publisher Katharine 'Kay' Graham. Taking on responsibility for the newspaper after the death of her husband, she is still trying to find her feet when the maelstrom over the Pentagon Papers hits. It's odd seeing Streep in a role where she's mousy or submissive; certainly, she starts that way. Graham is talked over, patronised to, and almost dismissed by some of the men who work for her. So it's a pleasure when she finds her voice and is unequivocal in her support to publish. She also has a powerful scene with Bruce Greenwood (who plays Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara) where Graham confronts McNamara about the lies he's told and the lives that have been lost as a consequence of them. Unsurprisingly, Streep got an unparalleled twenty-first acting Oscar nomination for her performance, and it's well deserved. 

Tom Hanks is good as editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee. Trying to enhance the reputation of the Post (from a 'small family paper'), he seizes on the Papers- and the court injunction against The New York Times, who initially published the first tranche of articles covering the revelations in the Papers- to get ahead of the game. He is the strongest advocate for freedom of the press- essentially 'publish and be damned'- but also realises what's at stake if the White House takes the paper to court. A fine performance.

Other performances of note are Sarah Paulson as Bradlee's wife Tony, who is underused but used to good effect when she is on screen; she gets a strong scene where she tries to explain how Kay would be feeling after being dismissed for so long; there's good work by Bob Odenkirk and Carrie Coon as two members of the editorial team who help to break the Post's coverage of the Papers, and a nice turn by Michael Stuhlbarg who plays New York Times editor A.M. Rosenthal. Bruce Greenwood is great as McNamara, and Matthew Rhys lends an air of defeated disillusionment to Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked the Papers. 

Like Spotlight and All The President's Men before it, The Post is also a paean to investigative journalism before the days of the Internet. Tracking down leads, going through reams and reams of paper to find their story; there's a great scene at Bradlee's house when the team are literally wading through hundreds of pages of the Papers (none of which are in order) to find what they'll lead with. There's also a real joy in seeing the front page being painstakingly typeset and a wonderful sequence where you see the entire newspaper being printed. 

Spielberg is a master storyteller and he elicits great performances from his cast. Because this is a biopic- and the result is a matter of public record- the whole story is less 'will they publish?' as 'how did it happen?'. There's a wonderful score by John Williams to add to the mood and the cinematography of Janusz Kaminski- from the boardrooms of Washington to the jungles of Vietnam, a swanky party to a busy newsroom- is superb. 

Not only is it a well made film, The Post is an important reminder of the need for freedom of the press to challenge and to hold to account those in positions of power. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Review: The BFG (UK Cert PG)

2016 is the centenary of Roald Dahl's birth so it's entirely apt that this year sees the release of an adaptation of one of his best-loved books: The BFG. A live-action version of Dahl's 1982 book has been in development for almost twenty-five years- there was a Cosgrove Hall animated version released on TV in 1989- but it's Steven Spielberg who has managed to get it onto the big screen.

It's perhaps no accident that one of the production companies logos that appears before the film is Amblin Entertainment - known for producing some of the best childrens' films of the 1980s (such as ET, The Goonies, *batteries not included and Who Framed Roger Rabbit). The tone of the film is reminiscent of some of Amblin's best films, which makes for a strangely nostalgic feel to the film.

The film follows the story of a young orphan girl called Sophie who, one night, comes across a giant walking the streets of London. Afraid that Sophie will tell the world about him, the giant grabs her and takes her off to Giant Country. Soon, Sophie realises that this giant is very different to the others- he's smaller and is bullied by the bigger giants, he doesn't eat humans (preferring to eat slimy vegetables known as snozzcumbers) and he likes to go collecting dreams. Sophie then decides she's going to call him the Big Friendly Giant- or BFG for short. Between them, they come up with a plan to get rid of the other giants but they're going to need some help- from none other than the Queen of England!

It's a combination of live action and motion capture, with some of the most beautiful visual effects you'll see in cinema this year and a truly warm and wonderful lead performance by Mark Rylance as the BFG.

Reuniting with his Bridge Of Spies director, Rylance puts in a lovely and very gentle performance as the BFG, handling the mangled form of speech like a pro- there's never a truer word spoken when he says 'what I says and what I means is two different things'- and providing a very believable empathy with Sophie. Similarly, Jemaine Clement is clearly having a ball as the villainous Fleshlumpeater, main antagonist and bully of the BFG (although I did at times think it may have been Sacha Baron Cohen).

Ruby Barnhill's performance as Sophie mostly eschews the annoying precocious child-actor cliches and- considering she would have been playing against a man in a motion capture suit- does well to convey the sense of size and scale. Penelope Wilton is mostly dignified as the Queen- the rather bizarre Blazing Saddles-esque fart scene notwithstanding-, and there's lovely support by Rafe Spall and Rebecca Hall as members of the Queen's household.

Visually, it's an absolute treat- and may even be worth catching in 3D if you can (although I saw it in 2D). The cinematography of Janusz Kaminski and the visual effects by Weta Digital are truly sublime; the BFG's foray into Dream Country is especially stunning. Even the dark, rainy, cobbled streets of early morning London have a real charm to them. John Williams' magical, whimsical and balletic score is the cherry on top of the cake.

Adaptations of Roald Dahl's books have, for me, been a bit patchy. However, The BFG is an absolute triumph. Gloriumptious, as the big man himself might say,

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Review: Bridge Of Spies (UK Cert 12A)

Inspired by true events, Bridge Of Spies tells the amazing story of James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance lawyer who- during the height of the Cold War- was asked to defend Rudolf Abel, a Soviet spy (Mark Rylance) who had been arrested for espionage. Later, Donovan was asked to help negotiate the prisoner exchange of Abel for a captured American pilot (Austin Stowell).

Hanks is always a safe pair of hands. Here, he's an engaging presence as Donovan, a gee-shucks All-American guy, determined to play fair even in the toughest circumstances. It's the kind of role James Stewart would have played if this had been made in the 1950s. He puts his professional reputation on the line, first by defending Abel and then trying to appeal the decision. It puts his family in the firing line (literally, at one point) but he is prepared to go all the way to Berlin- and have to lie to his family- to help facilitate the exchange. It's a solid performance throughout.

Rylance puts in a dignified and measured turn as Abel, his voice barely raising throughout. He's remarkably calm, even in the face of a possible death penalty. When asked if he's nervous or afraid, Abel replies stoically 'would it help?' His accent wanders occasionally, although generally settles on a Scottish burr. He has some great interplay with Hanks and the two make a good pairing. As for the other actors, it's a solid job across the board even if the characters aren't particularly fleshed out. Amy Ryan isn't given much to do as Donovan's wife (although she is a warm and sympathetic presence) whilst Alan Alda feels wasted in the role of Donovan's boss. Stowell does well as the clean-cut All-American boy although his characterisation doesn't really go much beyond that. 

The script- by Matt Charman and Joel & Ethan Coen- is tightly plotted and, in places, surprisingly wry. The threat of nuclear war is ever present and the point comes home in Donovan's young son and his school lessons. Steven Spielberg's direction is as good as you'd expect. It's a long film (141 minutes) but really doesn't feel it; you get swept up in the story. The entire look of the film is just superb - the period detail is spot on and even the bombed out ruins of Berlin look authentic. 

I went into Bridge Of Spies with, admittedly, not very high expectations. I was expecting a solid drama. Instead, I got an exceptional piece of film-making, telling the story of an American hero who very few people will have heard of (and more should). 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Review: Lincoln (UK Cert 12A)

A biopic of the Sixteenth President of the United States could cover a multitude of subjects, but Steven Spielberg's Lincoln focuses specifically on the President's efforts to get the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution (which outlawed slavery) passed by the House of Representatives. Please note, there is no vampire hunting here.

There is an absolutely towering performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. Exuding great charisma and a quiet stoic dignity, Lincoln is a softly-spoken man absolutely determined to get the Thirteenth Amendment through. A scene towards the start of the film explains his position clearly: were the Civil War to end before the amendment was passed, any slaves freed by the Emancipation Proclamation may be re-enslaved. Every word is considered, thoughtful, intelligently spoken; it appears Lincoln was a formidable orator and a good storyteller and Day-Lewis rises to these challenges with aplomb. 

The star-studded supporting cast all rise to the challenge set by Day-Lewis and all deliver sterling performances. Whilst the performances of Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln (steely, damaged, devoted) and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens (wry, determined, forthright) have also been rightly acclaimed during awards season, there are several equally as brilliant performances throughout. David Strathairn is great as Lincoln's Secretary of State William Seward who counsels Lincoln against pushing for the Thirteenth Amendment against the conclusion of the Civil War; similarly Hal Holbrook gives a nice turn as Republican politician Francis Preston Blair who tries to arrange an agreement between the Union and the Confederacy. There are nicely turned performances by James Spader and John Hawkes as two operatives used by Seward (and Lincoln) to procure the necessary votes to get the Amendment through. 

There isn't a great deal of physical action in this film- the opening scene of the battlefield is short and the rest of the action takes place in darkened smoke-filled rooms as the verbal pyrotechnics begin. Screenwriter Tony Kushner crafts a strong, dense web of words for the actors to negotiate. This is a very talky piece, make no mistake, and- at two-and-a-half hours long- your attention span may well get tested. It could almost be a stage-play. But despite that (or maybe because of it), this is an intelligent piece of film-making. Spielberg's direction is, as always, assured and passionate; cinematographer Janusz Kaminski does some of his best work here and (as you would expect) John Williams' score is just sublime.

Despite the fact that you know the ending before you go in (spoiler alert: the Amendment is passed), the final vote of the House is a masterclass of filming as each name is called and asked to vote. It's beautifully done as Mary keeps tally for the votes left needed to win and the Union soldiers on the field receive the scores by telegraph. Meanwhile, the stoic Lincoln sits and waits in the White House.

This is my type of film. Well-written, expertly directed and wonderfully acted, it touches on an important moment of history and doesn't dumb it down. I have a slight niggle with the ending (as I didn't see it necessary for it to end on his assassination) but it's a purely personal matter and doesn't detract from the preceding two and a quarter hours of pure cinematic brilliance.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Tez 

Programme 16 - Snow White And The Huntsman, Prometheus and Jaws

Programme 16 is now available (click here to view at VideoMajic.tv)!


We take a look at fairy-tale fantasy Snow White And The Huntsman, Tez finally gives his opinion on Prometheus and Rhys casts his eye over the re-issue of original summer blockbuster Jaws.


Podcast versions are here and here - podcast subscribers can also get not one, but two, exclusive chats - Rhys' review done straight after a midnight showing of Prometheus and an extended, geeky spoiler-y chat where we both discuss Ridley Scott's return to sci-fi.


Enjoy!