Film Feature: 10 Biggest Snubs of the 2014 Oscar Nominations

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

Best Actor: Robert Redford, “All is Lost”

With numerous performances this year worthy of the coveted “Best Actor” nomination, Robert Redford’s work in J.C. Chandor’s “All is Lost” made for its biggest snub. Providing a survival saga even more accomplished than James Franco’s nominated work in “127 Hours,” Redford completed the ambition of Chandor’s story, while giving the audience a leader to follow through 90 minutes of extremely sparse dialogue and procedural survival. A striking physical feat as well, “All is Lost” shows the classic charisma of Redford at its most pure, one that earns his character name of “Our Man.”

Switch Out: Bruce Dern in “Nebraska.” Dern might be a legend, but this role is not one of them.

Best Director: Spike Jonze, “Her”

In a year of films defined by their strength, Spike Jonze’s “Her” is a particularly special one, one with a vision of the future as inspired by today, and one that takes viewers beyond the usual images of flashy metropolises or technology. It is a project of very specific choices (and no belts?) but with a constant softness in its presentation that allows its inspired concept to unfold earnestly.

Instead of: For those to whom Jonze lost a nomination, once again it is team “Nebraska” that should be switched out, with Alexander Payne’s sentimentality getting the best of him, in work that plays far below his previous strengths seen in “The Descendants.”

Best Picture: “Inside Llewyn Davis”

While it may feature titles that should certainly be in place (“12 Years a Slave,” “Gravity,”) the list of “Best Picture” nominees certainly has some extra weight that could be replaced with even stronger fare. Especially in the spot of something like “Dallas Buyers Club,” the Coen Brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis” is more than deserving of a shot, and from an institution that has so-loved them previously. Even without receiving nominations for acting, screenwriting, or direction, the strength of “Inside Llewyn Davis” is so sound that it deserves top billing as a full package, with thorough craftsmanship evident in all filmmaking aspects. Even the cat leaves a great, poetic impression. Were the Academy’s Coen lovers too busy voting for “Her”?

Instead of: “Nebraska” or “Dallas Buyers Club,” take your pick. But thank you, Academy members, for at least not taking the “Saving Mr. Banks” bait.

By Nick Allen
Contributor
HollywoodChicago.com