The Oscars Snubs That Still Don’t Sit Well With Us
While many of our favorite films have been nominated for a prestigious Academy Award, there are a few that were just as phenomenal and didn’t make the list this year.
BET.com gathered the top five films we felt should’ve had a place in one of the categories for this year's Oscars.
Swan Song
Mahershala Ali is one of the best actors of our time and is no stranger to receiving winning an Oscar, as he already has two under his notch. In 2020, the New York Times ranked him the 23rd best in their list of the 25 Greatest Actors Of The 21st Century.
And doing double duty in his role in Swan Song proved that he should’ve been nominated. To play a clone version of yourself onscreen and nail it is very hard to do. The Golden Globes recognized his efforts and it would’ve been even better if the Academy did the same with this performance.
Passing
How did the Academy not acknowledge this film is beyond us. Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson gave us noble performances in this film through their storytelling and infectious chemistry. The black-and-white drama gave audiences the nostalgia of old Hollywood cinema with a modern twist.
“Best Actress,” “Best Supporting Actress,” and “Best Picture” nominations should’ve easily fallen in their laps. Rebecca Hall, who pulled a Tyler Perry and wrote, directed, and produced the movie, deserved all the wins during this award season.
The Tragedy Of Macbeth
While Denzel Washington rightfully earned his “Best Actor” nomination at this year's ceremony, the film itself failed to secure a spot in the “Best Picture” category and it’s still mind-boggling.
From the cinematography to the plot and the epic performances, the film was an all-around hit and should’ve been a contender. Washington brought theatre to the big screen and told a magnificent story that continues to be a topic of conversation. While Denzel may end up with an award win, the movie itself deserved the same fate.
Respect
How did Jennifer Hudson and the Respect film not receive any awards for this year’s Oscars? To be handpicked by the late, great Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, J-Hud delivered an exceptional performance, while truly immersing herself as the famed singer and made fans remember why we fell in love with Franklin in the first place.
Her jaw-dropping performance will make one think about why she wasn’t nominated for “Best Actress” or the film itself, not nominated for “Best Picture.” This was meant to be Hudson’s season and while the movie received praise from critics, it would’ve been great to her receive those golden statuettes from the Academy.
The Harder They Fall
This film was definitely robbed as the Black western not only had a star-studded ensemble, but this was such a different film for the Black experience and every actor tapped to the movie delivered.
Audiences received a history lesson and were given incredible fight scenes, a beautiful score, and amazing direction from the mastermind Jeymes Samuel. How could The Harder They Fall not have been a contender and how could none of the actors secure a spot as a nominee is unfortunate.
The movie will forever be considered a winner to audiences and that’s what matters most. However, the Academy dropped the ball with this one.
Ty Cole is a New York-based entertainment reporter and writer for BET.com who covers pop culture, music, and lifestyle. Follow his latest musings on Twitter @IamTyCole.
