I think the Academy Awards do a decent job of nominating deserving films and people, but there have still been dozens (hundreds?) of snubs over the years. This has become even more of an issue since about the year 2000, when the overall quality of movies began skyrocketing to what we have now. Think about it - every year, we get: a handful of "serious" Oscar contenders, a slew of summer blockbusters, and a sprinkling of critical darlings that make their rounds at film festivals. All this? Annually? It's crazy.
So, this list is going to be a fantasy Academy Awards for me. An "Alternate Universe Oscars," if you will. Here you'll find the "big" categories - Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. (I've blended Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay together.) I've also modified the 4th and 5th categories to simply Best Performance based on gender, regardless of screen time (no "supporting" nonsense). I've assigned winners for each year since 2007, which was when I graduated from high school, and really became obsessed with movies. Sometimes, my winner might overlap with the Academy's. Often not, though.
Sound good? Don't care? Okay! Read and enjoy!
- Best Picture: Michael Clayton
- Best Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
- Best Screenplay: No Country for Old Men
- Best Female Performance: Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
- Best Male Performance: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
2008
- Best Picture: The Dark Knight
- Best Director: Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
- Best Screenplay: Frost/Nixon
- Best Female Performance: Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Best Male Performance: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
* Honorable Mention: Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
2009
- Best Picture: Inglourious Basterds
- Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
- Best Screenplay: Up
- Best Female Performance: Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
- Best Male Performance: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
2010
- Best Picture: The Fighter
- Best Director: Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
- Best Screenplay: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
* Honorable Mention: The Social Network
- Best Female Performance: Melissa Leo - The Fighter
- Best Male Performance: Christian Bale - The Fighter
2011
- Best Picture: Drive
- Best Director: Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive
- Best Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
- Best Female Performance: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
- Best Male Performance: Michael Shannon - Take Shelter
2012
- Best Picture: Argo
- Best Director: Ben Affleck - Argo
- Best Screenplay: Lincoln
* Honorable Mention: The Cabin in the Woods
- Best Female Performance: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
- Best Male Performance: Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
2013
- Best Picture: Gravity
- Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
- Best Screenplay: The World's End
- Best Female Performance: Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave
- Best Male Performance: Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years A Slave
2014
- Best Picture: Interstellar
- Best Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu - Birdman
* Honorable Mention: Bong Joon-ho - Snowpiercer
* Honorable Mention: Jennifer Kent - The Babadook
- Best Screenplay: Nightcrawler
- Best Female Performance: Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
- Best Male Performance: Michael Keaton - Birdman
2015
- Best Picture: Spotlight
- Best Director: F. Gary Gray - Straight Outta Compton
- Best Screenplay: Ex Machina
- Best Female Performance: Daisy Ridley - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
* Honorable Mention: Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
- Best Male Performance: Sylvester Stallone - Creed
* Honorable Mention: Benicio del Toro - Sicario
2016
- Best Picture: Hell or High Water
- Best Director: Damien Chazelle - La La Land
- Best Screenplay: The Witch
- Best Female Performance: Amy Adams - Arrival
- Best Male Performance: Anton Yelchin - Green Room
