“Clemency”

Neon’s “Parasite” is one of the year’s biggest Oscar contenders. If only the distributor’s “Clemency” made as much noise in this year’s acting races. Chinonye Chukwu’s prison drama won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and should’ve had Alfre Woodard at the front of this year’s Oscar race for Best Actress. Woodard earned nominations at the Gotham Awards and the Indie Spirit Awards, where “Clemency” is also a Best Feature nominee. Aldis Hodge’s heartbreaking supporting performance was also worthy of a lot more Oscar buzz this season.

Director of Photography Eric Branco 

Editor Phyllis Housen

“Greener Grass”

Of course Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe’s suburban satire “Greener Grass” was too wacky and too inexplicably surreal for Oscar voters, but that doesn’t excuse the fact the Academy overlooked some of the season’s most eye-popping production design. “Greener Grass” looked like a comedic riff on the hallucinatory style of David Lynch, and that the film pulled off such striking artistic design on an indie budget is all the more of an achievement.

Production Designer Leigh Poidexter

“Dolemite Is My Name” 

Eddie Murphy’s film career came roaring back to life thanks to “Dolemite Is My Name,” an uproarious biographical drama about musician, stand-up comedian, and blaxploitation icon Rudy Ray Moore. Murphy was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical” and was always viewed as an underdog to land an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Murphy got close to winning an Oscar for “Dreamgirls” but was shockingly beat in the Supporting Actor race by Alan Arkin of “Little Miss Sunshine.” “Dolemite” could have been the comedian’s return to the big show.

Production Designer Clay Griffith

Original Article by by Zack Sharf, IndieWire

The nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards have been announced, and movies such as Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Sam Mendes’ “1917,” Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” all walked away with multiple nominations as expected. As is the case every Oscar season, a handful of the year’s best movies were left snubbed by Academy voters. While many of these films were long shots, it’s still disappointing when movies as amazing as “Midsommar,” “The Farewell,” “Her Smell,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Booksmart,” and “Uncut Gems” have zero Oscar nominations among them. Fortunately, the Oscars are just the Oscars and dozens of great films get snubbed every year.

Below is IndieWire’s annual list of great movies completed rejected by Academy voters. Only films that qualified for Best Picture have been considered.

“Uncut Gems” 

"The Farewell"

"Honey Boy"

"The Last Black Man in San Francisco" 

"Diane" 

"Hustlers"

"Waves"

"Booksmart"

"Midsommar"

"Clemency" 

"Portrait of a Lady on Fire"

"The Nightingale"

"A Hidden Life"

"Luce"

"Her Smell"

"The Beach Bum"

"Greener Grass"

"High Flying Bird"

"Queen and Slim"

"Monos"

"The Report"

"Wild Rose"

"Gloria Bell"

"Apollo 11"

"One Child Nation"

"Dolemite Is My Name"

"Atlantics"

Full Article