Most Snubbed: 7 Movies I Thought Deserved Oscars (2017 Edition)

It's time once again for the Oscars! In a historic year too. 'La La Land' has a whopping 14 nominations. Dev Patel is making genuinely great movies again. Amy Adams...wasn't nominated? Well one thing that's not historic is there are a few movies that didn't get the attention they deserved. Granted, this list was harder to curate this year because I actually think the nominations are pretty solid. Still, there are a few that I'd like to see get that golden statue. Most of these are long shots but hey, a kid can dream.

Like many people, I had no idea who Chris Pine was before Kirk. Back then, he seemed like a perfectly good actor. Maybe he'd get a superhero role, and that'd be the end of it. In the years since I didn't exactly see him breaking that mold, but he was always solid. He always seemed like he could maybe do something great. Then Hell or High Water happened. By far, his best performance and a real show of his strengths. I was hoping he'd at least get a nomination this year.

It's also the dirtiest this pretty boy has ever looked, but that's an achievement for costume design.

I think I've been in love with Amy Adams since 'Enchanted'. How could I not be. She played a real life princess. That love has only grown since then as Adams has delivered again and again with several incredible performances. I loved her in 'The Fighter', 'American Hustle', 'Doubt', 'Julie & Julia'. The list goes on and on. I also loved her in one of my favourites of last year, 'Arrival'. This year is a tough category for actresses, but I'd like to see Amy Adams immortalized for her work, and finally get the award she deserves.

I can't think of anyone better suited to be the ambassador of earth. 

You can tell I kinda liked this movie right? As with Chris Pine, I thought Ben Foster could've easily snagged this award. In fact, in making this list I realized I couldn't put up one without the other. They play off each other so well. Foster plays a raw volatile force of nature, that his brother, played by Chris Pine, must keep in check. Their roles are so dependent on that relationship, and they both deliver in spades. To see them both accept awards for that would've been perfect in my eyes.

If there were an award for best onscreen duo it'd be these two. 

I wish Queen of Katwe hadn't been so forgotten. It sort of came and went. It's solid, moving, and features yet another fantastic performance by Lupita. A nomination would've solidified the movies place in history, and maybe garnered it the attention it deserved. Beyond that, N'yongo's role as the mother of a chess wiz is an important one. One that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of living in poverty as a woman. For all the movies that came out last year, Queen of Katwe stuck with me, because it not only showed powerful women but also powerful women of colour. Breaking perceptions of themselves, without the aid of a white saviour.

One of the greatest living actresses. 

This was probably the most pleasant surprise of 2016. I absolutely adore 10 Cloverfield Lane. A movie that is delightfully tense, grimy and severely unnerving. Its one of the only times I would use the term Hitchcockian. It has all the classic suspense elements. It's claustrophobic. Mysterious. Damn if the cast isn't pitch perfect as well. Not for nothing but Damian Chazelle, director of 'La La Land' worked on the script for this film which was brought together by Dan Trachtenberg. Watching '10 Cloverfield Lane' in a dark theatre by myself was absolutely one of my favourite experiences of 2016. Definitely worth a nomination.

I was very much afraid of John Goodman after watching this movie.

Again, one of my favourite movie-going experiences last year. The Nice Guys is just a complete thrill. Shane Black delivers on his classic style of irreverent humour with enough profanity to make Tony Montana blush. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are excellent and playing almost parodies of themselves. It wasn't just another action movie. The movie felt fresh. It dispenses with so many tropes that bog down movies of this type. It was brimming with creativity. I never expected it to get an award, but damn that would have made me smile.

Shane Black has yet to disappoint me. Even his worst movies have moments of brilliance. 

Not one of my favourite movie-going experiences last year. My absolute favourite. 'Kubo and the Two Strings' is an absolutely astonishing movie. It's a story of a young boy caring for his disabled mother. Told through an epic adventure story, as Kubo comes to terms with the responsibility that rests on his young shoulders. It's about growing up and the difficulties that come with it. I wish more movies were like Kubo. Movies that felt like they came from a place of truth. It's easy to be cynical about film. Show business is a business after all. Watching Kubo was a reminder of what movies were for. Aside from all that, it looks phenomenal. It's an incredibly beautiful film which isn't afraid of colour, and the best stop-motion animation I've ever seen. If I could see one movie win the best picture award this year, it would be 'Kubo and the Two Strings'.

If you must blink, do it now. 

As I said, it wasn't a bad selection for this year's Academy Awards. This was a year where I actually saw plenty of the movies that were nominated. Denzel will probably get another one for Fences, but Dev Patel's turn in Lion is nothing to sneeze at. If it goes to Gosling, they should burn the building to the ground. Same goes for if Viola Davis doesn't get her trophy. Unlike last year, I'm more concerned with the ones that were nominated that the ones that weren't. That's a good sign.