Two years ago 2WC started a tradition of acknowledging a few of the many forgotten performances (at least as far as the Academy of Motion Pictures is concerned) with the first annual Woulda Coulda Shoulda Awards. Unfortunately the intended tradition went by the wayside last year to make room for coverage of shorts (animated and live-action), animation, and a month-long homage to film.
So this year we present the second somewhat-annual Woulda Coulda Shoulda Awards. Enjoy:
Best Actor:
- Zer: Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) — I know, nominating Tom Hanks for an Academy Award is a bit cliché. To be fair, he’s still 13 nominations behind Meryl Streep. Clichés aside, Tom Hanks truly did deserve a nomination for this role. He gives a raw and real performance that along with the breakthrough performance of Barkhad Abdi, makes this film Oscar worthy.
- Stephanie: Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis)—I understand (to a point) leaving the film out of the best picture category, but Oscar Isaacs is fantastic in this film…and he sings.
- 2WC: Daniel Brühl (Rush)—One of the few movies we’ve seen this year that didn’t make it to a review, and there’s a great story behind why. Let’s just say the weather gods interrupted our first viewing.
Saw the first 1/2 of @rushthemovie today, great film up until the power went out...now contemplating all possible outcomes.
—
Two-Woman Crusade (@The2Women) October 06, 2013
Yet even in its fractured presentation, this performance was wonderful.
Best Actress:
- Zer: I’d like to preface my choice (or lack thereof) with this — I think that Meryl Streep is an incredibly talented actress. However, it seems to be an Academy requirement to nominate her for every role she plays. Isn’t about time we give someone else a shot? So for this category, I would like to choose all of the talented actresses out there who did not get this spot, because Meryl Streep gets nominated for an award every time she steps in front of a camera.
- Stephanie: Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks)—She’s a spoonful of sugar and a serious literary bad ass. Emma Thompson is the heart and soul of this amazingly touching film.
- 2WC: Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)—Technically, this is not a leading role, but we love Ms. Banks as Effie. If she didn’t break your heart in this movie, you may not have one.
Best Picture:
Before we move on to the “Best Picture” nominees, a little explanation may be in order. Although faithful followers of the Crusade will be all too familiar with 2WC’s frustrations over the ridiculous mathematical rules for Best Picture nominees. For the newbies, here’s the deal: the Academy can nominate up to 10 films for “Best Picture.” This year, once again, only nine were deemed worthy (List of Eligible Films), or to put it in their own language (best read aloud in your best Monty Python “holy hand grenade” voice, as is the custom):
The pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Best Picture award. There may not be more than ten nor fewer than five nominations; however, no picture shall be nominated that receives less than five percent of the total votes cast.
And with that, we give you 2WC’s nominees for the tenth “Best Picture” nominee:
- Zer: Frozen—I know it’s already nominated for best Animated Feature, but I always like to see an animated film break into this category. If Toy Story 3 deserved this honor, I don’t see why Frozen doesn’t, too.
- Stephanie: Much Ado About Nothing—Joss Whedon’s wonderfully simple, modern take on this Shakespearean classic is so full of joy and wit it’s impossible not to love it. How the Academy managed to pass on this small, but with a big name attached to it, film is beyond me. My favorite of the year, hands down.
- 2WC: Star Trek: Into Darkness — This is a reach, we know, but there’s a point to be made here. The Academy has always had a sore sport for the blockbusters, which is a shame. Yes, the big budget parades of pyrotechnics can be plot nightmares, but just because we live in a world where Green Lantern‘s happen, doesn’t mean there aren’t big-budget wonderfully told stories out there. So we ask you Academy, don’t judge a film by size of its franchise but by the quality of its story. Think about it.
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…bi-daily smile…
