The Oscars nominations have been released, and I am excited for the growth in diversity included in films like Moonlight, Fences, and Hidden Figures. However, I do think there were some movies that were snubbed, despite being absolutely fantastic films. There are good movies out there that are not nominated for the ‘esteemed’ Academy Awards, which I hope to showcase in my article.
Kimi No Na wa (Your Name)
The biggest anime film to come out of Japan this year is Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name. It has even surpassed Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away as the highest grossing anime film of all time. Shinkai is a famous name in the anime industry for films such as Voices of a Distant Star, 5 Centimeters per Second, and The Garden of Words. Your Name has received critical acclaim already, being nominated for Best Film at the London Film Festival. This film follows the connection between two teenagers and the emotional entanglement they must endure due to the magical realism of the film. The animation, and music, for this film is stunning and story tear-jerking.
Long Way North (Tout en haut du monde)
This film, by animator and director Rémi Chayé, uses a unique animation style to make its source material blossom with beauty. This film is a example that the animation industry is growing all over the world. This film follows a Russian aristocrat in search of his family history. This film is beautiful, and worthy of a Best Animation nomination.
Big Fish & Begonia (Da Hai)
Another beautiful example of the developing animation studios around the world. This film, although lacking in plot, absolutely stunning visuals to make up for it. China has interesting developments in the realm of animation, which can be seen in the culmination of this film. This film is definitely on par with any of the films nominated for best Animation at the Academy Awards.
Indignation
Now, I may be seeing this film through rose-tinted glasses, since I read the book it was based on, but I thought it was completely fantastic. Because of this, I think the script deserves a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film is basically in the name: it is about the feeling of indignation. The film was able to encapsulate the feelings of the flawed characters in the book, and allowed the actors (Logan Lerman being one of them) to portray the feelings accordingly.
Pete’s Dragon
I was sceptical about this film. I saw the original, and it was not good. However, I was incredibly moved and intrigued by the newer version of the film. The story was so simple, yet drew powerful emotions out of me. It balanced character development, action, and exposition very well. However, the best part of the film was Oscar Winning actor Robert Redford, whose performance was one for the ages.
Sources
http://oscar.go.com/news/nominations/oscar-nominations-2017-view-the-complete-list-of-nominees
http://www.tvovermind.com/movies/5-biggest-movies-last-year-snubbed-oscars
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/2017-oscars-breaking-down-13-major-snubs-w462653
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2262345/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1920885/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5311514/
http://comicbook.com/anime/2017/01/16/kimi-no-na-wa-becomes-highest-grossing-anime-film-ever/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4193394/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2788732/