Ten Un-nominated Film Performances

The WGA-SAG/AFTRA Strike has passed one hundred days. The box office receipts for both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have been very impressive (Greta Gerwig is now the first female director to steer a film past a billion dollars in ticket sales). I have just finished serving as a volunteer at a film festival in Montreal, Canada (one piece about the first part of my time served is already up; will cover the rest of it later). So, I am thinking about movies, particularly, the way that Hollywood behaves.

The stories and evidence of the choices made by Tinseltown are well-documented and clear for anyone with any interest in its history. And yes, I did call it Tinseltown…y’know, tinsel, that stuff that you toss on a tree and ends up making a mess that you cannot really clean up. I teach a media course where my students are very vocal about the mess, and they have often asked me how I feel about it.

Hollywood is Hollywood. It is a city – city? Sounds more like its own planet, like Disneyland/world, Graceland and Silicon Valley – and it has its own rules. It was once described by a critic as a city where “you can be encouraged to death”. I agree. Encouragement has its limitations. And to give their highest awards to the people who give the town its glitter makes sense…and also discouraging for the rest of us who know that mistakes were made, talent was ignored, and reality wrecked.

Sorry, reality is not really touched by these choices. But I am. And that is why I came up with this list on another weekend where I have been thinking about why I love the films I love; the performances, moments, lines and emotions that stay with me when the reel ends.

My list is only a list of actors who did not receive an Academy Award nomination for their work, not the ones who were nominated and never won (yes, I have that list in my head as well). Some of them were in box office failures, which explains the lack of a nod in their direction. Some of these performances are now recognized as the heart of the films they appeared in; roles that changed the way the film developed. It is completely biased towards the films I love and it could have run to at least a hundred fine talents. No apologies given.

And in no particular order:

Reese Witherspoon – “Election”:

Ah, Tracy Enid Flick, the ultimate go-getter of all go-getters in a high school where they probably could not function without her energy and drive. Witherspoon is determined to be the best of the best, and it is rather terrifying how she plays Matthew Broderick’s Jim McAllister, a high school teacher who should probably just let his best student run the class (she has already destroyed a colleague who had an affair with her). A horror film wrapped up in a comedy (how else could you honestly depict high school life). Yes, I pick Flick.

Tommy Lee Jones – “No Country for Old Men”:

I know that Javier Bardem stole the film as Anton Chigurh, but I ask you to imagine this film without the steady hand of Tommy Lee Jones as the voice of authority. It is a true yin-yang film that needed the darkness to be shadowed by the light of a sheriff who is still trying to understand the motivations of criminals and their victims (Josh Brolin was also excellent as a man who simply does not understand the forces coming after him). It is a marvelous role that shapes the narrative and sad conclusion of the Coen Brothers’ best work.

Kevin Spacey – “Se7en”:

Of course, we know what we now feel about Mr. Spacey (hard to forgive a coming out that includes sexual assault as a tag line), but this performance, long before any allegations were revealed, is still terrifying, still key to the whole film, and still quotable:

“You’re looking for me”; “We see a sin on every corner…”; “Her pretty head.” No spoilers. And they did not put his name on the poster (wise move; they did not need to reveal too much). One of the best in a very dark film.

Jeff Bridges – “Fearless”:

Did you see this one? I watched this as a rental and could not shake Mr. Bridges performance from my mind. He has survived a terrible plane crash and realized that fear can be overcome (he was afraid of flying before he took off for a meeting with a partner who died during the trip). His recovery program is personal. He takes risks, such as walking blindly through traffic, standing up on the top corner of a building…and dancing, and consuming food that once almost killed him (strawberries have their own role in the film). Rosie Perez’s Carla was nominated by many critics, including the Academy, but Bridges is the one to watch.

Robert Shaw – “Jaws”:

People still wonder about this one (wait until you get to some of my other choices). Shaw’s Quint is one of the most perfect matches between an actor and a role that I have ever seen. And to pull of that performance in a film about a killer shark seems like a small miracle. There should have been some recognition that the Indianapolis monologue itself would be studied and analysed for the rest of film history. Respect, Mr. Shaw.

Lupita Nyong’o – “Us”:

A moment in nomination history that still irritates. Ms. Nyong’o had won an Academy Award for her first performance on film (“12 Years a Slave”), and perhaps they felt that she was already justly laurelled for her career…for now. But that performance in Jordan Peele’s follow-up to “Get Out” is terrifying, unique and extremely difficult to imagine anyone else pulling off (she gave me a sore throat after I watched the film). Perhaps she will get that second touch very soon. But until then…I hope she realizes how much we understand her doppelganger role and what it means for those…real Americans.

The Entire Cast of “Fame”:

I expect to be challenged on this one. There are plenty of other casts that deserves such a group award (“The Godfather”, “Pulp Fiction”, “The Dark Knight”, etc.), but many of those films had performances that were nominated and even won an Oscar. For “Fame”, the only awards given were for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Original Song (you are probably already singing it in your own head as you read this). But there was no love for the kids at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. This feels wrong, since we spend over two hours with them as they face all the triumphs and pitfalls that a life devoted to the arts of dance, music, acting and so forth can bring. It is a wonderful movie that Hollywood should have awarded beyond their standard trophies and titles.

Jack Nicholson – “The Shining”:

Now, to be fair, the Academy was never a fan of horror films (“The Exorcist” and “Jaws” were both nominated for best picture in their respective years; no wins came their way). If they were, Sigourney Weaver would have her Oscar by now. Jack was already awarded for “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” after several years in a row of nominations, and it looked like he would not win another one for quite a while (“Terms of Endearment”, anyone?). But seriously, how could he not even be considered for his role as Jack Torrence, the worst father-husband-caretaker you could ever be stuck with in a snowstorm. Those scenes and moments haunt the viewer forever, and they still deserve our admiration. All work and no play, Academy…?

Malcolm McDowell – “A Clockwork Orange”:

If you have made it this far, I have probably shocked you with at least one or two of my choices. I think you might be in the mood to never forgive me for my decision to write this. And if you consider this entry, you should be very angry…just not with me. As Alex DeLarge (or Alex Burgess – check the newspaper article in the film), McDowell is a real force of nature who becomes the only figure in the film that we can root for, no matter what he does. And yes, I said it: no matter what he does. I once watched the film on a special horror film night at university, and the audience began offering him advice after the accidental killing of the Cat Lady. So, maybe it is not so odd that he was not even nominated for an award (Gene Kelly froze when he met McDowell at a party; remember the “Singin’ in the Rain” attack? So did Gene).

In the name of full disclosure, I met Malcolm McDowell at ComicCon, and he was a complete gentleman. He even admired the fact that I taught at a college (handshake and autograph proved as much). So, he makes my completely unbiased list.

And how shall I end this list?

Jimmy Stewart – “Vertigo”:

A box office failure (a rarity for both Hitchcock and Stewart); a film that ended the successful collaboration between both men (Hitchcock blamed part of the film’s failure on the age of his lead actor); a very weird and disturbing film that touches on necrophilia and stalking (too timely). It is also a former Sight and Sound Greatest Film of all Time, and one of many Hitchcock films that film students are encouraged to study, break down, analyze, and admire. And I do admire this one…although it is not my favourite Hitchcock film. Those themes are really disturbing and “Rear Window” is a far more pleasant ride…even with the murder.

Oh, yes, the nomination. This one received none in the acting categories, or for direction, or production, or music. Yes, Hitchcock was given the shaft for one of his darkest films, and Stewart was not recognized for stretching his talent beyond that whole aw-shucks persona that can grate after a while (even I found that Midwestern charm a little annoying). His former detective John ''Scottie'' Ferguson is one of the great performances where an actor does not stay in his lane (who could truly predict where the film was heading?). A set of posthumous awards should be considered all around.

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