Culture Crash: The Films We Wish The Oscars Nominated

Oscar nomination day always comes with a lot of controversy and talk of snubs. This year definitely didn’t have any shortage of snub talk, but most of it was focused on movies that were nominated for Oscars, missing out on certain categories. While those conversations and worthwhile and will continue through Oscar Sunday itself, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the countless great movies of 2023 that received zero nominations at this year’s Academy Awards.

I was one of the many people hoping The Iron Claw could sneak into Best Picture or, at a minimum, for Zac Efron to get a nomination for Best Actor. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. That’s okay, The Iron Claw remains one of my favorites of 2023 and seems like a movie destined to make a big splash on streaming. I was also hoping Viola Davis could secure a spot in the Best Supporting Actress race for her role in the Michael Jordan sneaker movie Air. She already has one Oscar on four nominations, so this isn’t the most devastating snub of all time, but she really is incredible and she grounded Air with a lot of humanity as Deloris Jordan.

All of Us Strangers, a sad, lonely tale about a gay man who seemingly communes with his late parents as he begins a situationship with his neighbor, was one of the most earnest and emotional movies I watched all year, and I was hoping for some recognition at the Oscars, whether it was for Andrew Scott as a lead actor, the movie’s script, or even in Best Picture. It just missed at the Oscars but it has been nominated and won at several other ceremonies, and it’s absolutely worth your time and tears.

I also thought Rachel McAdams was spectacular in Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?, Penelope Cruz was a force in Ferrari, and the technical craft all over David Fincher’s The Killer was the best of the best. But in the end, there are only so many nominations to go around. Art isn’t made to win awards, and despite their lack of nominations, movies like All of Us Strangers and Air will stick with me long after the Oscars come and go.