Brad Pitt has now been proclaimed the top film producer for both television and film this year. He won Monday night at the Emmys as executive producer of Best TV Movie “The Normal Heart.” He took home the Best Picture trophy at the Oscars in March for “12 Years a Slave.”
These are his first victories at both of these awards shows. It was his second career nomination at the Emmys, with the first in 2002 as a guest actor on “Friends.” At the Academy Awards, he has lost all three acting bids (“Twelve Monkeys,” 1995; “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” 2008; “Moneyball,” 2011) and one for Best Picture (“Moneyball,” 2011).
HBO’s “The Normal Heart” is an adaptation of Larry Kramer‘s play about the beginnings of the AIDS crisis in New York during the 1980s. In the Best TV Movie category, it defeated “Killing Kennedy,” “Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight,” “Sherlock: His Last Vow,” and “The Trip to Bountiful.”
The film “12 Years a Slave” was adapted from a true-life book by former slave Solomon Northup in the 19th century. At the Oscars, it defeated “American Hustle,” “Captain Phillips,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Gravity,” “Her,” “Nebraska,” “Philomena,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
In a very short period of time, Pitt has accomplished half of the coveted EGOT status with his Emmy and Oscar wins. So far in his caeer, he has received no Grammy or Tony Awards nominations.
Being a talented actor doesn’t automatically equal an Oscar win. The narrative surrounding Leonardo DiCaprio this year, as an example, is that he’s a frequently overlooked performer who deserved an Oscar win years ago, but likely will collect one on Sunday both for The Revenant, and for the movies for which he might have been snubbed.
With this in mind, Ranker polled its readership to find out the most talented actors who’ve yet to win an Academy Award. The list is a murderer’s row of extremely gifted performers, though the main thing they all share in common is the sad fact that their names haven’t been called from the stage of the Oscars, and they haven’t had to give an Oscar speech. Some of these are jaw-dropping omissions. All 10 of them are true headscratchers. Here are the 10 actors who should have an Oscar by now, ranked by their worthiness, as well as the roles that should have won them a little gold man, in my humble opinion.
10. Brad Pitt
Nominated: 3 times for acting, though he technically took home an Oscar as a producer on the Best Picture-winning 12 Years a Slave. Pitt’s also part of the team nominated for The Big Short, though not for his supporting turn in the solid ensemble.
Should Have Won: For playing a deranged (but possibly brilliant) mental patient in Terry Gilliam’s Twelve Monkeys.
9. Harrison Ford
Nominated: Once, in 1986 for Witness. Ford is the example that proves that box-office might doesn’t translate into awards success. The A-list legend has numerous money-making franchises on his resume, and an empty trophy case at home. Not that Ford hasn’t dabbled in dramatic fare. The Academy just hasn’t recognized him.
Should Have Won: For The Fugitive, playing a range of difficult emotions as an innocent man on the run from the law. (Bonus points for helping his co-star, Tommy Lee Jones, win an Oscar for the same film.)
8. Robert Downey Jr.
Nominated: Twice, for a dramatic role (Chaplin) and a comedic role (Tropic Thunder).
Should Have Won: For Tropic Thunder. Long before he sold his soul to Marvel, Downey was a versatile actor who’d surprise audiences with his choices. As great as he was in Wonder Boys, Less Than Zero, Chaplin and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, his straight-arrow take on pretentious celebrity in Ben Stiller’s searing satire should have earned him an Oscar.
7. Ralph Fiennes
Nominated: Twice, for Schindler’s List (1993) and The English Patient (1996).
Should Have Won: For Schindler’s List, where he played a monster of a man on screen (something the Academy usually devours). I also doubt anyone would complain if his work as the purely evil Voldemort had been recognized for an Academy Award.
6. Liam Neeson
Nominated: Once, also for Schindler’s List. That’s right. Long before he was an action hero, kids, Liam Neeson was a respected thespian. Doing this list, I’m surprised that he hadn’t earned more Oscar nominations. Unless he breaks free from the action genre, his number’s going to stay at one.
Should Have Won: For Nell, where the rugged and durable Neeson charmed audiences opposite Jodie Foster (who did grab an Oscar nominee for her work in the role).
5. Ian McKellen
Nominated: Twice before, for Gods and Monsters (in 1998) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (in 2001).
Should Have Won: This year, for Mr. Holmes, actually. Sir Ian was outstanding in Gods, and created an iconic character in the Rings series. But his portrayal of an aging, and fading, Sherlock Holmes was fantastic, and it’s criminal that his performance was overlooked by the Academy this year.
4. Edward Norton
Nominated: A veteran of the Oscar circuit, Ed Norton has been nominated three times for: Primal Fear; American History X; and the most recent Birdman.
Should Have Won: For American History X. I loved Norton in Primal Fear and Birdman -- and he no doubt has fans from Fight Club -- but the actor transformed himself in every way possible for American History X, and that should have earned him the statue that year.
3. Johnny Depp
Nominated: Three times, for his first Pirates of the Caribbean; the heartwarming Finding Neverland; and the dark and dreary Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Should Have Won: As much as I’d like to recognize some of the roles Depp created with Tim Burton (from Edward Scissorhands to Ed Wood), I think Johnny Depp did Oscar-worthy work in either Donnie Brasco or the first Pirates movie, where he lost himself in the boozy, swooning Jack Sparrow.
2. Leonardo DiCaprio
Nominated: Leo has been nominated a whopping five times (!!) for his performances, including the nod he has this year for The Revenant. You’d be hard-pressed to find an analyst who doesn’t believe this will be the year that DiCaprio finally brings an Oscar home.
Should Have Won: So many to choose from, but I’m going to go with Catch Me If You Can, a movie that traded on DiCaprio’s charisma to present him as a witty con artist, but also drew on his emotional chops to sell the tragedy of the life decisions that set his character down the criminal path.
1. Gary Oldman
Nominated: Once. Once! Seriously. Burn the Academy down. What’s the point of this whole charade if the brilliant Gary Oldman only has one Oscar nomination, for the dead-dry Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy? Ridiculous.
Should Have Won: Where do we begin? Sid and Nancy? JFK? True Romance? Leon: The Professional? The Contender? The Dark Knight? Gary Oldman may not NEED an Oscar… but he certainly deserves one. Wouldn’t you agree?
By Walt Hickey
Filed under 2016 Academy Awards
FEB 22, 2016 AT 12:46 PM
Leonardo DiCaprio is probably going to win an Academy Award, his first, for his role as Hugh Glass in “The Revenant.” Our model tracking the race has him as an obscene favorite, every gambler this side of Dublin has him as the prohibitive leader, and nearly all the amateur modelers we’ve followed throughout awards season project him to be the winner. Barring a meteor strike, or some hostage-taking by Michael Fassbender, it’s gonna be Leo.
And were you to talk to a DiCaprio fan, it’s about time! The narrative being bandied about is that regardless of how you feel about his stint in “The Revenant,” DiCaprio “deserves” an Oscar. We’ve read about how he and the crew of “The Revenant” were very cold during filming and how perhaps this might be a good argument for an Oscar win. It has been mentioned that DiCaprio was nominated four — four! — times previously and was arguably snubbed each time (for your pleasure, I’ve sprinkled clips of DiCaprio’s snubs throughout this piece).
But here’s an exercise: Make a mental list of four films that you think DiCaprio could have earned an Oscar nomination for. Mine, for example, would be “Gangs of New York,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Departed” and “Inception.” But go ahead and compare those to the films he was actually nominated for: “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “The Aviator,” “Blood Diamond,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.” I remember nothing from “Blood Diamond.” Do you?
Still, the narrative is what it is, so it’s time to answer the immortal question: Does DiCaprio deserve an Academy Award?
First, let’s check out his credentials. We want to know, essentially, how many good movies DiCaprio has made and how they stack up against the pre-Oscar résumés of those who have been honored with a top acting prize. We can do this by simply counting up films with high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, but we can also take it a step further and see how that figure translates to an annualized rate.
Last week, I analyzed who had the best and worst careers after winning a best actor or best actress award. For that analysis, I studied actors and actresses who have won best actor and actress Oscars since 1970, for a total data set of 45 actor wins and 45 actress wins. Although that analysis pertained to post-Oscar work, it was just as easy to pull the Rotten Tomatoes scores for each performer’s pre-Oscar films. For today’s analysis, I tallied how many rated films those performers were in before winning an Oscar, how many of those films received ratings of at least 50 percent, 75 percent or 90 percent on the Tomatometer, and how long the performers worked before their Oscar win. Where does DiCaprio land?
Well, he’s qualified, but it’s not like he’s the most qualified ever. DiCaprio has appeared in 37 films over 24 years, 21 of which were rated 50 percent or higher, 14 of those were rated 75 percent or higher, and two were rated 90 or higher. Not unimpressive by any means!
Best actor and best actress résumés before Oscar win
PERFORMER OSCAR WIN YEARS BETWEEN 75%+ FILMS
1Emma Thompson19920.8
2Diane Keaton19770.9
3Meryl Streep19821.0
3Sean Penn20081.0
3Philip Seymour Hoffman20051.0
3Jean Dujardin20111.0
3Louise Fletcher19751.0
8Jack Nicholson19751.1
8Sean Penn20031.1
10Gene Hackman19711.2
10Robert Duvall19831.2
…
32Marlon Brando19721.7
33Robert De Niro19801.7
33Leonardo DiCaprio—1.7
35Susan Sarandon19951.8
36Matthew McConaughey20131.8
Through 2015, DiCaprio has made a movie rated 75 percent or higher about once every 20 months, the same rate as Robert De Niro when he won the 1980 best actor Oscar for “Raging Bull.” But DiCaprio rates only a hair better than Matthew McConaughey did when McConaughey won the 2013 best actor award. If DiCaprio wins this year, he’ll be tied for the 33rd-most-successful pre-Oscar career of the 90 winners we tracked (plus DiCaprio).
On the other hand, DiCaprio would be one of the worst in the set if we were focusing on how often actors appeared in truly great films, the ones rated 90 percent or higher. With two films rated 90 or higher over a 24-year career, he’d be in 63rd place, tied with the careers of Kathy Bates before her 1990 win and Julia Roberts before her 2000 win.
Still, based on the data, DiCaprio’s career certainly looks like the careers of other Oscar winners.
So let’s concede that DiCaprio deserves an Oscar based on his career thus far. That raises the question: Who else deserves one?
A crapload of people is who. A big part of Camp DiCaprio’s argument is that he’s been nominated multiple times before this year and lost each time, so it seems that his supporters believe multiple unfulfilled nominations constitute a debt that can only be settled with a future victory.
In Oscar history there are 51 performers, DiCaprio included, who have been nominated three times or more for an Academy Award in the acting categories yet have never won.1 Of those 51 performers, 28 are still alive.
I pulled the data on these 28 performers from Rotten Tomatoes to find out how often they acted in2 movies rated 75 percent and up and 90 percent and up.
Thirteen of the 28 performers have matched or beaten DiCaprio’s 14 films rated 75 percent or higher. And 23 of them have bested DiCaprio in the 90 percent category, having made three or more such highly-regarded films.
Let’s not be reckless, though: Leo is a young man. Some of these performers have been at it for decades. Let’s normalize things to a rate of films per year.
By my reckoning, 22 living actors at minimum can claim they deserve an Oscar more than DiCaprio, by one methodology or another. Twenty-two performers who were nominated three times or more have acted in films rated 90 percent or higher more often than Leo. Eight of those performers have also acted in films rated 75 percent or higher more often than Leo. Those actors are bolded in the table.
Who deserves an Oscar more than Leo?
AVG. YEARS BETWEEN …
PERFORMERACTING NOMINATIONS75%+ RATED FILMS90%+ RATED FILMS
Matt Damon31.02.3
Amy Adams51.32.5
Laura Linney31.62.6
Mark Ruffalo31.63.2
Ed Harris41.43.4
Sigourney Weaver31.94.2
Tom Cruise31.94.3
Kirk Douglas32.64.6
Bradley Cooper32.04.7
Glenn Close61.74.7
Johnny Depp31.35.2
Albert Finney52.35.2
Annette Bening42.15.4
Joan Allen32.16.0
Edward Norton31.76.3
Brad Pitt31.46.5
Michelle Williams31.87.0
Nick Nolte31.77.6
Michelle Pfeiffer33.08.3
Warren Beatty43.98.5
Angela Lansbury33.78.9
Joaquin Phoenix32.99.7
Leonardo DiCaprio51.712.0
SOURCE: ROTTEN TOMATOES
And that’s a partial list! You could make a lot of arguments about actors outside of this set who probably deserve Oscars based on their past work. For example, Ian McKellen — who lost the 1998 best actor award to Roberto Benigni and the 2001 best supporting actor award to Jim Broadbent — has had a legendary career, but nobody’s talking about a snub for him in “Mr. Holmes.”
But here’s what’s absolutely crazy about this year and the narrative that’s built up around the best actor race. Let’s say DiCaprio deserves an Oscar. You know who deserves one more? Matt Damon, a guy who’s also nominated for best actor this year!
Not only is DiCaprio not the actor most overdue for an Oscar, he’s not even the most overdue among this year’s nominees.
Sure, DiCaprio is essentially a lock to win. But when the statues are allocated and the afterparty is over, DiCaprio better send his press people a mighty gift basket for making this narrative happen. And Damon should probably make some phone calls inquiring about how to get a convincing bear on Mars for the sequel, “The Martian II: When Science Went Too Far.”
Fans and the Internet rejoiced after Leonardo DiCaprio finally walked away a winner at the Oscars.
Now that the often-snubbed actor has finally gotten his dues, it’s time for several other overdue actors to take home the trophy.
Here’s a look at 10 movie stars who should soon add Oscar winner to their resume:
Will Smith
The fresh prince of a Bel Air has come a long way —earning two Academy Award nominations since his TV days.
His widely-praised performance in “Concussion” had many critics calling the actor an obvious snub at this year’s award show.
Hopefully, he’ll have another chance despite boycotting the grand event. Robert Downey Jr.
Hollywood’s former bad boy has fetched two Oscar nominations.
His versatile acting style received a nod in 1993 for “Chaplin” and in 2009 for “Tropic Thunder.”
The actor is probably best known as the superhero face behind the blockbuster “Iron Man” franchise.
It's a good thing the actor has said he doesn’t care about awards because his lengthy and unique resume has yet to take home a win.
The 52-year-old particularly shone in the widely-praised “Black Mass,” but was not even nominated.
He’s racked up three prior nominations — the last in 2007 for “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
Matt Damon
His writing merited an Oscar honor but his acting hasn’t matched up to the Academy’s standards, yet.
The 45-year-old lost his most recent chance on Sunday with his nomination for “The Martian.”
He first vied for the Best Actor title in 1997 for “Good Will Hunting” and was nominated in 2009 for “Invictus.”
Brad Pitt
The Hollywood hunk is another actor who has won for something other than his acting.
After three failed nominations, the actor finally got to go up on stage for his movie “12 Years a Slave” as a Best Picture winner in 2014.
His film “The Big Short” was also nominated on Sunday for best picture but Pitt wasn’t recognized again.
Laura Linney
Triple threat Laura Linney has racked up three Oscar —and Tony nominations —but zero wins.
The 52-year-old was last nominated in 2007 for “The Savages” but has stuck more to TV in recent years, winning a Golden Globe twice.
Amy Adams
The “American Hustle” star is only one nomination from tying Glenn Close’s records for most nods without a win.
The 41-year-old can clearly act, with five nominations to date.
Glenn Close
Close —along with Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter —holds the Academy Award record for most nominations without a win.
The 68-year-old, known for hit roles in “Fatal Attraction,” “The Big Chill” and much more was last nominated in 2011 for “Albert Nobbs.”
Viola Davis
It should only be a matter of time before the actresses’ historic Emmy speech is followed up by a memorable Oscars’ speech.
The 50-year-old has been nominated twice, first for “Doubt” in 2008 and again in 2011 for “The Help.”
Sigourney Weaver
The BAFTA winner has had three chances at the Oscar.
However, she hasn’t been nominated since 1988’s “Working Girl,” so her very delayed award may never come.
She does, however, have the honor of being a seven-time Golden Globe nominee.
Honorary Mention: Tom Cruise
His chances have dimmed both because of the controversial nature of his involvement in Scientology and his penchant for choosing action movies as of late.
He’s been nominated three times — with the last being 15 years ago for “Magnolia.”
Based on the fiscal debacle that triggered the Great Recession, unusually entertaining business and financial thriller eschews clichés and tells it like it was (and still is).
WASHINGTON, February 9, 2016 – Having managed, rather belatedly, to head for the local cinema to see Paramount’s late 2015 sneak hit, “The Big Short,” this critic feels compelled to observe that if there’s any justice in La-La Land, this quietly amazing film would win the upcoming Academy Award for Best Picture. Alas, it looks like the extensive PR campaign on behalf of “The Revenant” will take care of that category. If that’s the case, perhaps the Academy should create a special Oscar category and award a statuette to “The Big Short” for simply telling the truth about the still vastly misunderstood (and still ongoing) financial chicanery that led to the Great Recession, the worst economic catastrophe of our times. Better yet, this film succeeds telling an impossibly complex story in a most entertaining way. Based on Michael Lewis’ bestselling nonfiction book on the advent of the Great Recession, “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine,” the film version, directed with crackling good storytelling vitality by Adam McKay, explores the complicated and meticulously covered-up financial mess that eventually sacked not only the U.S. economy but the entire developed world’s economies as well. The way both the book and the film accomplish this task is to follow the forensic accounting trail that was slowly and painstakingly established by a number of unrelated, quirky, maverick investment advisors. In real life (and in Lewis’ book) these still largely unsung geniuses included opinionated hedge fund manager Steve Eisman (Mark Baum in the film, portrayed by Steve Carell); Deutsche Bank senior trader Greg Lippmann (Jarred Vennett—Ryan Gosling); uncannily intelligent but excruciatingly distant ex-neurosurgeon-turned investment genius Michael Burry (Michael Burry—Christian Bale); and a pair of young hedge fund wunderkinds (Charlie Geller, Jamie Shipley—John Magaro, Finn Wittrock). Brad Pitt also stars in a small but unforgettable role, portraying a wealthy, retired and extremely reclusive investment banker named Ben Rickert who’s persuaded by Geller and Wittrock to act as their reluctant guru, helping confirm their suspicions of a financial conspiracy as well as assisting in finding a way to profit from their discovery. What is (and was) the Big Short? “The Big Short” is a fast-paced, reasonably detailed account of the mortgage and collateralized debt-obligation scandal that originated in the late 1990s and ultimately exploded in late 2007, very nearly obliterating the U.S. banking system and economy. The Byzantine backstory involving a massive yet largely unspoken conspiracy of dishonesty, lies, and outright financial manipulation—not to mention backdoor politics—is complicated enough to baffle even the most astute layman. To grossly oversimplify on our part, what was largely behind the financial collapse that caused the Great Recession were artificially constructed, easily misunderstood bond-like investments known as collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). What they were in actuality were stacks of mortgages bundled into packages and re-sold to individual and institutional investors as high quality debt instruments (bonds). The “collateral” in most cases were the stacks of mortgages, collateralized by houses, contained within the package. Many of these packages contained a few high quality mortgages on top, but also included, mainly or in part, poorly underwritten mortgages that were almost certain to fail in any economic downturn. But, coerced by lending institutions, ratings agencies rated them in the A, AA, or AAA (highest quality) range and they were marketed as such. When the defaults started to cascade, the whole system was brought to the verge of collapse. Things have never been the same. Unknown to the general public once again, however, there are still ways to make money, even in the most hellish of market collapses. A key maneuver here—and a perfectly legal one—is to “short” the securities your research indicates are about to take a turn for the worse. “The Big Short” is an aggregate of individual stories involving various astute analyst-investors and small firms that were smart enough to see through the gathering mortgage and CDO mega-scandal, leading them to take a big gamble and “short” them; that is, to bet against them in the open market, a move that seemed insane at the time they began to make their move. Most people think that you make money in stock and bond markets by “buying low and selling high,” and indeed this is usually the case. However, what most people do not know is that you can borrow securities you think are about to tank, sell them first, and then buy them back after they drop, thus profiting on the downside. When you buy investments first, then sell them when they go up, you’re “profiting on the long side.” Selling investments you borrow and then buying them back at a lower price when they go down—and pocketing the different—is called “profiting on the short side.” (For more detail on the “short side” of investing, see our companion article in CDN’s business section.) So why is this film so good? The reasons are three. Great… no, brilliant screenplay Fast-paced direction that turned what could have been a yawner of a plot into something akin to a finance-oriented episode of CSI. Awesome acting by a first rate cast Brilliant Screenplay We’ve noted this earlier. Somehow, this film’s scriptwriters—Charles Randolph and director Adam McKay—simplify this complex story enough so that most of the film’s audience will easily grasp what’s going on. A nice touch are the deliberately funny scenes the writers interpolate at key moments in the film—points at which the average moviegoer might be finding his eyes glazing over as bizarre financial maneuvers become somewhat difficult to comprehend. It’s at this point that wildly inappropriate special guest commentators—notably chef-raconteur Anthony Bourdain and actress-chanteuse Selena Gomez—inexplicably pop up to define key terms in humorous, fourth-wall shattering asides. Without any disrespect for either Bourdain or Gomez, neither celebrity likely knew jack about his or her given topics before getting involved in this film. But the writers give them remarkably clear and concise explanatory lines to deliver, which both of them happily proceed to do as if they had always been world class experts on the subject. These mini-scenes are so funny and informative that most in the audience will immediately be able to grasp and internalize the concepts enabling them to easily follow the ever more complicated maneuvers that drive this film forward. It’s a masterstroke, and provides the necessary humor breaks in the film. Superb direction No need to say much about this. If you have seen or plan to see the film (it’s still in many theaters), you’ll agree that McKay’s direction is top-notch. He takes what is so often a desert-dry, impossible-to-understand financial topic and transforms it into a quick cut, fast-paced thriller—a business thriller no less. The resulting film is nothing short of a miracle. It’s entertaining, it’s turbo-charged, it’s personal, it’s funny, and—mirabile dictu—its unbelievably educational in a way the classroom never is. Awesome acting Perhaps the most impressive performance in this film is turned in by Christian Bale, who portrays the supremely weird but genius-caliber physician-turned-investment-guru Michael Burry. Aside from his brilliance as an investor and hedge fund manager, the real life Burry was and is a tricky individual to portray in a film. Among other things, he’s afflicted (if that’s the correct word) with Asperger’s syndrome, a subset of autism. Generally highly intelligent, the affected individual habitually hyperfocuses on certain details and also has difficulty empathizing with others. Unlike a wholly autistic individual, however, an Asperger’s sufferer can largely function decently in general society in most situations, although his motives and motivations can prove to be inscrutable. The way nature sometimes rolls, Burry’s Asperger’s-driven personality traits are likely what helped Michael Burry spot the accounting tricks employed for years by institutions to cover up the rottenness of the risky securities they were peddling as high quality to institutions and the general public. Consequently, Burry took a huge gamble and used massive amounts of his customers’ and his firms’ cash to short an immense number of these securities, holding firm even as markets continued to move against him. When investors and his own firm objected, he simply froze the accounts to prevent the withdrawal of funds, convinced of his correct judgment while having essentially no ability to truly grasp the fear and panic on the part of either his investors or his firm. Bale’s phenomenally effective portrayal of Burry echoes his personality to a remarkable degree. He’s totally driven by numbers and logic while largely immune to the terror and panic of others. Burry’s (and Bale’s) attitude is perhaps exemplified in a quote that’s attributed to Davy Crockett: “Make sure you’re right. Then go ahead.” To the moviegoer, this complex portrayal is tough to grasp at first. But its logic proves impeccable as Bale-Burry claw their way to a victorious final inning. Nearly as intriguing is Steve Carell’s portrayal of Mark Baum. Burry’s polar opposite, the astute but far more emotional Baum initially refuses to believe the numbers he and his advisors are seeing are actually true and correct. Something of an oddball moralist, Baum simply cannot believe that financial fraud has been consistently committed on such a massive, unprecedented scale. Yet his team won’t back down, and their research is somewhat furtively confirmed by a rogue Deutsche Bank official portrayed by Ryan Gosling. When he’s finally convinced of the truth, Baum’s moral outrage and righteous fury know no bounds, leading him to massively commit his firm to a short-selling search-and-destroy operation despite considerable outside opposition. Carell grasps, almost miraculously, the essence of his brooding character’s mercurial personality. In the process, his star continues to rise in Hollywood. The mortgage and investing landscape proves a similar shocker for young garage-startup investing wunderkinds Geller and Shipley. They, too, are coming up with the same kind of numbers that Burry and Baum have uncovered. Unknown on Wall Street, making no headway with their investment case and still wet behind the ears, they desperately want to short the companies and securities involved, but can’t raise the capital. So they enlist the aid of Brad Pitt’s Ben Rickert, a successfully retired financial genius who lives nearby but who no longer wants any part in the world of finance. Skilled, aggressive but taciturn, Rickert takes a look at what these crazy kids have come up with. Somewhat shocked (but not) to find their reasoning sound, he decides to help them get in the game if they play by his rules. His quirky portrayal of the enigmatic Rickert reveals deep, character-driven side to Brad Pitt’s craft we’ve not always seen or expected, making his performance here all the more compelling. Slowly, inexorably, and almost entirely independent of one another, these key players and their teams (save for loner, Michael Burry) build their massive short bets. They almost lose the ranch, their friends and their investors before the financial truth they’ve long suspected is finally outed, crashing market after market and destroying large firms with alarming rapidity. In the end, our heroes win a satisfying financial victory on their over-the-top market bets, more or less. Burry’s suddenly grateful clients make perhaps the most of all—almost 490% by the time Burry has closed all his remaining short positions. Notably, “The Big Short” largely glosses over The Big Flaw embedded in Michael Lewis’ otherwise admirable narrative: the largely antiquated social justice warrior (SJW) tic that helped both him and his book cop the improbably-named Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights 2011 Book Award. Lewis ultimately blames the Great Recession on what President Eisenhower once famously termed “the military-industrial complex.” It’s today’s mega-rich, super-left Wall Street and Silicon Valley Robber Barons–nearly all of them Democrats like Kennedy and Lewis–who continue to destroy the American economy while covering up for those directly involved in our ongoing economic catastrophe. Near its end, the film does pay brief lip service to Lewis’ shallow liberal moralizing. Perhaps director McKay even buys in to Lewis’ blame game. But if so, he’s smart enough not to layer it on, leaving us to come to our own conclusions as we leave the movie theater. “The Big Short” tells a complicated, epic story, tells it briskly and well in spite of the complexities involved and offers a cautionary tale for anyone who habitually believes in the inherent truth of the “news” that appears in newspapers, on TV or on the many Internet new sites. The film deserves a 2016 Oscar for its superb acting, storytelling and direction. Yet each year, Oscar lets slip that there’s not much intelligence left in the entertainment universe by politically skewing certain awards. We’ll find out soon if Hollywood really cares about inconvenient truths. Rating: **** (4 out of 4 stars) not mine.credit and source: COMMUNITIES DIGITAL NEWS
by dusan-dimitrijevic4 created 02 Mar 2013 | last updated - 26 Feb 2015
This is my list of 25 great actors that I can think of, who have never won oscar, but I think they deserve at least one, and they still have a chance to win it (means they are still alive and still acting) :) list is not in order and probably there is more actors who should get oscar, but this is just my choice...
1.Johnny Depp
Actor, Edward Scissorhands
Johnny Depp is perhaps one of the most versatile actors of his day and age in Hollywood. He was born John Christopher Depp II in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963, to Betty Sue (Wells), who worked as a waitress, and John Christopher Depp, a civil engineer. Depp was raised in Florida. He dropped out of school when he was 15...
“ Definitely really good actor. Nominated three times for oscar. He did awesome job in Donnie Brasco, Finding Neverland, Pirates of the Caribbean... But I think he is going to get one really soon. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
2.Alan Rickman
Actor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Alan Rickman was born on a council estate in Acton, West London, to Margaret Doreen Rose (Bartlett) and Bernard Rickman, who worked at a factory. He had English, Irish, and Welsh ancestry. Alan had an older brother David, a younger brother Michael and a younger sister Sheila. When Alan was 8 years old...
“ He did amazing job doing Severus Snape during whole 7 movies, but especially in the last one. Other movies: Rasputin, Michael Collins... But Severus Snape is his best acting. With all respect for Academy, but I think that they made biggest mistake ever not giving him award for that role. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
3.Tom Cruise
Actor, Top Gun
In 1976, if you had told 14 year old Franciscan seminary student Thomas Cruise Mapother IV that one day in the not too distant future he would be considered one of the top 100 movie stars of all time, he would have probably grinned and told you that his ambition was to become a priest. Nonetheless, this sensitive...
“ Another three times oscar nominated actor. I think I like every single movie that he ever made. The Last Samurai, Top Gun, Rain Man, Born on the 4th of July, Vanilla Sky, The Color of Money, Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Man... literally every single movie is great, you can choose any movie and give him oscar for that :D ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
4.Leonardo DiCaprio
Actor, Inception
Since the 2000s, DiCaprio has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of film genres. His subsequent films include The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), the biographical crime drama Catch Me If You Can (2002) and the epic historical drama Gangs of New York (2002) which also marked his first of many collaborations with director Martin Scorsese...
“ And another three oscar nominations. His movies are also great: What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Basketball Diaries, The Departed, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Catch Me If You Can, Blood Diamond... I think that Great Gatsby is going to be really good too. I can see him with an oscar in the future ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
5.Brad Pitt
Actor, Inglourious Basterds
An actor and producer known as much for his versatility as he is for his handsome face, Golden Globe-winner Brad Pitt's most widely recognized role may be Tyler Durden in Fight Club. However, his portrayals of Billy Beane in Moneyball, and Rusty Ryan in the remake of Ocean's Eleven and its sequels, also loom large in his filmography...
“ This guy has four nominations. He is also one of the greatest. There is some movies that he could really get academy award. Here is some of them: Moneyball, The Tree Of Life, Twelve Monkeys, Meet Joe Black, Troy, Interview With A Vampire... ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
6.Robert Downey Jr.
Actor, The Avengers
Robert Downey Jr. has evolved into one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. With an amazing list of credits to his name, he has managed to stay new and fresh even after over four decades in the business. Downey was born April 4, 1965 in Manhattan, New York, the son of writer, director and filmographer Robert Downey Sr. and actress Elsie Downey (née Elsie Ann Ford)...
“ Sherlock Holmes, U.S. Marshals, Chaplin, Tropic Thunder, Iron Man. Those are all the movies of Robert Downey Jr. that are really good. He was two times nominated, but he didn't won. I think that he is going to win one in the future. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
7.Kevin Bacon
Actor, Apollo 13
Kevin Norwood Bacon was born on July 8, 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Ruth Hilda (Holmes), an elementary school teacher, and Edmund Norwood Bacon, a prominent architect who was on the cover of Time Magazine in November 1964. Kevin's early training as an actor came from The Manning Street. His debut as the strict Chip Diller in Animal House almost seems like an inside joke...
“ Mystic River, Murder In The First, Woodsman, Footloose, Apollo 13... He is a good actor, who did great movies and deserves to be on this list. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
8.Harrison Ford
Actor, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, to Dorothy (Nidelman), a radio actress, and Christopher Ford (born John William Ford), an actor turned advertising executive. His father was of Irish and German ancestry, while his maternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Minsk, Belarus...
“ Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Air Force One, Witness... Also my favourite The Fugitive. We should all agree that he is great actor and he deserve to get place on this list. He got one nomination. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
9.Liam Neeson
Actor, Schindler's List
Liam Neeson was born on June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, UK, to Katherine (Brown), a cook, and Bernard Neeson, a school caretaker. Liam worked as a forklift operator for Guinness, truck driver, assistant architect and an amateur boxer. He had originally sought a career as a teacher by attending St...
“ I love this actor so much. Rob Roy, Schindler's List, Batman Begins, Michael Collins, Taken. He has one nomination. He is definitely awesome actor and I don't doubt that he is going to have more chance to win oscar. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
10.Samuel L. Jackson
Actor, Pulp Fiction
Samuel L. Jackson is an American producer and highly prolific actor, having appeared in over 100 films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance, Unbreakable, Shaft, Formula 51, Black Snake Moan, Snakes on a Plane, and the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005), as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
“ This guy is a legend. He is amazing. Pulp Fiction, Coach Carter, A Time To Kill, Unbreakable, Die Hard: With A Vengeance, Shaft, Django Unchained... In every movie he is different and he is really amazing. He also deserve to get an oscar. He got one nomination. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
11.Jude Law
Actor, Sherlock Holmes
Jude Law is a talented and versatile actor. Law has been nominated for two Academy Awards and continues to build a prolific body of work that spans from early successes such as Gattaca and The Talented Mr. Ripley to more recent turns as Dr. John Watson in Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, as Hugo's father in Hugo and in the titular role in Dom Hemingway...
“ This actor is going to do a lot of movies and I believe that he is going to be awarded for at least one of them. By the way he has two nominations. Law's movies: Sherlock Holmes, Enemy At The Gates, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain... ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
12.Richard Gere
Actor, Pretty Woman
Humanitarian and actor Richard Gere was born on August 31, 1949, in Philadelphia, the second of five children of Doris Ann (Tiffany), a homemaker, and Homer George Gere, an insurance salesman, both Mayflower descendants. Richard started early as a musician, playing a number of instruments in high school and writing music for high school productions...
“ I think that Gere also deserve his place on this list. Movies: An Officer And A Gentleman, Primal Fear, Chicago, Red Corner, Unfaithful... Those are all great movies we need to agree. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
13.Hugh Jackman
Actor, The Prestige
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor, singer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer and producer. Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as superhero, period, and romance characters. He is best known for his long-running role as Wolverine in the X-Men film series...
“ He just recently got nomination for great movie Les Miserables and he probably is going to win oscar in some of the next movies, but he is worth of mentioning his name on this list. The Prestige, X-Men, Van Helsing, Les Miserables, just excellent, well done. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
14.Bill Murray
Actor, Groundhog Day
Bill Murray is an American actor, comedian, and writer. The fifth of nine children, he was born William James Murray in Wilmette, Illinois, to Lucille (Collins), a mailroom clerk, and Edward Joseph Murray II, who sold lumber. He is of Irish descent. Among his siblings are actors Brian Doyle-Murray, Joel Murray...
“ Another legendary actor. One nomination. He already got his place among legends, but it would be nice if he would have oscar, because I think he deserve it. Every other comment would be superfluous. Movies: Lost In Translation, What About Bob, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
15.Edward Norton
Actor, Fight Club
American actor, filmmaker and activist Edward Harrison Norton was born on August 18, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised in Columbia, Maryland. His mother, Lydia Robinson "Robin" (Rouse), was a foundation executive and teacher of English, and a daughter of famed real estate developer James Rouse...
“ Edward is another such a great actor. He has two nominations for American History X and Primal Fear. Other movies that he did are The Illusionist, Fight Club, The Italian Job. He still got some time to get one. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
16.Will Smith
Actor, Men in Black
Willard Carroll "Will" Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has enjoyed success in television, film, and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood". Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards...
“ The Pursuit Of Happiness, Ali, Men In Black, Wild Wild West, Bad Boys, I Am Legend, Hancock, Enemy Of The State. Two nominations. Serious, funny, talented... Really great actor. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
17.John Malkovich
Actor, Dangerous Liaisons
John Gavin Malkovich was born in Christopher, Illinois, to Joe Anne (Choisser), who owned a local newspaper, and Daniel Leon Malkovich, a state conservation director. His paternal grandparents were Croatian. In 1976, Malkovich joined Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, newly founded by his friend Gary Sinise...
“ John Malkovich great actor. He is cool and funny. He is two times nominated for oscars. Some of John's movies: In The Line Of Fire, Places In The Heart, Red, The Killing Fields... ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
18.John Travolta
Actor, Pulp Fiction
John Joseph Travolta was born in Englewood, New Jersey, one of six children of Helen Travolta (née Helen Cecilia Burke) and Salvatore/Samuel J. Travolta. His father was of Italian descent and his mother was of Irish ancestry. His father owned a tire repair shop called Travolta Tires in Hillsdale, NJ...
“ My favourite Travolta's movies are Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction, Face Off. I always liked John Travolta, he really is a great actor. Two times nominated for oscars. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
19.Bruce Willis
Actor, The Sixth Sense
Actor and musician Bruce Willis is well known for playing wisecracking or hard-edged characters, often in spectacular action films. Collectively, he has appeared in films that have grossed in excess of $2.5 billion USD, placing him in the top ten stars in terms of box office receipts. Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19...
“ Now this guy is one of those guys that you don't want to mess with him. When I think of him, I think of a good bad guy. Twelve Monkeys, Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, The Jackal and of course John McClane and Die Hard. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
20.Ralph Fiennes
Actor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Actor Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born on December 22, 1962 in Suffolk, England, to Jennifer Anne Mary Alleyne (Lash), a novelist, and Mark Fiennes, a photographer. He is the eldest of six children. Four of his siblings are also in the arts: Martha Fiennes, a director; Magnus Fiennes...
“ Another great actor. Two nominations for the movies The English Patient and Schindler's list, but most famous like Lord Voldemort. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
21.Ed Harris
Actor, A Beautiful Mind
By transforming into his characters and pulling the audience in, Ed Harris has earned the reputation as one of the most talented actors of our time. Ed Harris was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, to Margaret (Sholl), a travel agent, and Robert Lee Harris, a bookstore worker who also sang professionally...
“ Ed Harris also got four nominations for oscars. He should got one very soon. We saw him in movies Pollock, The Truman Show, Apollo 13, The Hours, The Rock, A Beautiful Mind and lot of other great movies. Big time actor definitely. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
22.Andy Garcia
Actor, The Godfather: Part III
One of Hollywood's most private and guarded leading men, Andy Garcia has created a few iconic characters while at the same time staying true to his acting roots and personal projects. Garcia was born Andrés Arturo García Menéndez on April 12, 1956, in Havana, Cuba, to Amelie Menéndez, a teacher of English...
“ Godfather, Black Rain, When A Man Loved A Woman. Great movies, great actor, one time nominated, deserve an oscar. No further comments ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
23.Mark Wahlberg
Actor, Boogie Nights
American actor Mark Wahlberg is one of a handful of respected entertainers who successfully made the transition from teen pop idol to respected actor. A Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for The Departed who went on to receive positive critical reviews for his performance in The Fighter, Wahlberg also is a solid comedy actor, proven by his starring role in Ted...
“ Mark is nice guy and good actor. I love to watch his action movies. The Italian Job, The Fighter, Four Brothers, The Departed, Three Kings, great movies that Mark took a part in. He is a great actor with bright past and future. Two years nominated for oscars. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
24.Gary Oldman
Actor, The Dark Knight Rises
Gary Oldman is a talented British born movie actor who played Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy, Drexl in True Romance, and George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He starred in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the remake of RoboCop. He is also an English filmmaker, musician and author. Renowned for his "big" acting style...
“ Once again great actor. Harry Potter (Sirius Blake), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Dracula, Batman. Once nominated for oscar. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
25.Jim Carrey
Actor, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jim Carrey, Canadian-born and a U.S. citizen since 2004, is an actor and producer famous for his rubbery body movements and flexible facial expressions. The two-time Golden Globe-winner rose to fame as a cast member of the Fox sketch comedy In Living Color but leading roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dumb & Dumber and The Mask established him as a bankable comedy actor...
“ This is the best imitator, great comedian, positively weird, he makes people laugh... Great movies Liar Liar, Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty and the best The Truman Show. No complaining, he deserves oscar. ” - dusan-dimitrijevic4
Johnny Depp
3 Nominations:one for The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2004, one for Finding Neverland in 2005 and one for Sweeney Todd. Empty handed.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Sadly he could be considered as the “loser” figure for the last few years. 4 nominations in total: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator, Blood Diamond and The Wolf of Wall Street. His face at the last edition of the Oscars was memorable, where Matthew Mc Conaughey stole the coveted prize from under his nose.
Brad Pitt
Nominated for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2009 and Moneyball in 2012 and Twelve Monkeys, he never won an oscar.
Bruce Willis
Stellar career, but he never won an Oscar, just a Golden Globe.
Harrison Ford
Class of 1942, a respectable career and only one nomination for his performance in Witness, but 0 awards.
Julianne Moore
Nominated a staggering 4 times:Boogie nights, The End of the Affair , Far From Heaven and The Hours, but incredibly she never won.
Michelle Pfeiffer
3 Nominations for: Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Love Field, no awards won.
Tom Cruise
Oscar condender for Born On The Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, 3 nominations and zero statuettes.
Richard Gere
You won’t believe it! He never won an Oscar, and amazingly he was never even nominated.
Marilyn Monroe
She was the greatest diva of all and every man’s dream, nevertheless she never won an Oscar.
They have everything: brilliant talent, the love of millions of fans, charisma, good looks, and great film roles. They’re so well-known that their names alone are enough to bring crowds flocking to movie theatres. So it’s strange to hear that despite all this, in some cases the American Film Academy has never appreciated their achievements enough to award them an Oscar.
Bright Side picked out nine of the most popular actors who, in spite of the brilliant roles they’ve played and their enormous popularity, have never held that coveted golden statue.
Brad Pitt
There are hundreds of movies and yet no Oscars among the possessions of the most charming vampire of all time. True, Pitt has been nominated three times; the first time was in 1996 for his role in the movie 12 Monkeys. But that award went to Kevin Spacey for The Usual Suspects.
Johnny Depp
By the age 50, this renowned actor has managed to appear in a whole host of popular movies that have earned a huge amount of money at the box office and received the unconditional love of audiences. Depp was nominated three times for an Oscar, but never received a single one. His first nomination came in 2004 for the film Pirates of the Caribbean, but the prize went to Sean Penn instead for Mystic River.
Ralph Fiennes
The most romantic of screen villains, Ralph Fiennes, is well-known for his brilliant performances, yet he has also never received an honorary award from the Academy. This is despite the fact that each of the films in which he starred turned out to be largely wonderful, and collected plenty of awards in other categories. For example, Schindler’s List received seven Oscars, and the English Patient got nine.
Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey, without exaggeration, is one of the most famous comedians in the world, as well as a talented actor and a master of impersonation. But he has never been even nominated for an Oscar. Yet he has appeared in more than just silly comedies like Dumb and Dumber; his arsenal includes the brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show, Always Say Yes and Mask — all of them unforgettable movies.
Keanu Reeves
The main cinematic event of the late 90s and early 2000s — The Matrix — has collected an incredible number of prizes over the years, and without Keanu Reeves it is difficult to imagine how it could have been so successful. Nevertheless, Keanu has never received a single Oscar. Funnily enough, for his role in this now classic film, he was given the award for best fight and best kiss from MTV.
Tom Cruise
Cruise was nominated for an Oscar three times: for roles in Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia — but he has yet to receive the coveted statuette. He took on roles in well-known blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible, Eyes Wide Shut by Stanley Kubrick, Interview with a Vampire, and other excellent films. So what’s going on?!
Gary Oldman
Now this one really is a shame. Gary Oldman, who had been called the best actor of our time by numerous film critics, has been nominated for an Oscar only once — for his role in the thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Yet he is a real master of the silver screen, having demonstrated his talents in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Dracula, Leon, The Fifth Element, and other films that will stand out forever in the history of cinema.
Bill Murray
Comedian Bill Murray ascended to the top of Hollywood’s Olympus thanks to the comedy Ghostbusters. Groundhog Day has long since become a cult film. But his first and only nomination for an Oscar came much later than these movies — in 2003, for Lost in Translation. However, he didn’t win, although Murray has received a Golden Globe.
Edward Norton
The wonderful Edward Norton, who will forever remain in most people’s recollection as the nameless narrator of Fight Club, has been nominated for an Oscar a couple of times — for Primal Fear and the brilliant American History X. Among Norton’s other brilliant yet unrewarded performances are The Illusionist and Birdman.
“Back to the Future,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Death Becomes Her,” “Forrest Gump,” “Cast Away,” “The Polar Express,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Flight,” “The Walk.” A brief selection of Robert Zemeckis’ filmography, which reads like a what’s what of effects-filled cinematic classic adventures. “Back to the Future” and “Forrest Gump” are seen as his crowning glory, with the latter winning him Best Director at the 1995 Oscars.
Surprisingly this consummate filmmaker has only one other Oscar nomination: Best Original Screenplay for “Back to the Future,” shared with Bob Gale; they lost to the “Witness” scribes. You’d have thought a director as revolutionary as Zemeckis, who’s helmed some true cinematic masterpieces, would have earned a few more nominations. And with that win for “Forrest Gump” more than two decades ago, he is long overdue to return.
His new film, “Allied,” could be the right movie at the right time. Oscar winners Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard play an intelligence officer and a French resistance fighter who fall in love while fighting the Nazis during World War II. But there may be more to the story: is Cotillard really an ally or a German spy? The screenplay is by Steven Knight, who earned an Oscar bid for his original script for “Dirty Pretty Things” (2002). And Zemeckis produces the film along with Oscar champs Steve Starkey (“Forrest Gump”) and Graham King (“The Departed,” 2006). Watch the action-packed new trailer for “Allied” above.
The players involved are all of high-calibre. The story is both dramatic and emotional with the leads getting plenty of those ‘awards’ moments we often talk about – like Mark Ruffalo’s big scene in “Spotlight,” which effectively earned him his Best Supporting Actor nomination last year. And the screenplay, with its twists and turns, could also contend.
“Allied” marks a departure from many of the movies associated with Zemeckis as effects take a back seat to plot and character development. That change of pace could pay off with a third Oscar nomination at long last. Ironically, one of his potential Oscar rivals, Ang Lee’s “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” placed technology above everything else far too much.
Be sure to make your Oscar predictions. How do you think “Allied” will do with academy voters? Weigh in now with your picks so that Hollywood insiders can see how this film is faring in our Oscar odds. You can keep changing your predictions right up until just before nominations are announced on January 24 at 5:00 am PT/8:00 am ET. Be sure to read our contest rules. And join in the fierce debate over the Oscars taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our forums.
comment: Allied merece concorrer a melhor filme,melhor diretor,melhor ator e melhor atriz coadjuvante! (Allied deserves compete for best film, best director, best actor and best supporting actress!)
Jennifer Lawrence can certainly provide her own comic relief by tripping and one-lining her way through an awards show. But the friend she brought to Sunday's Oscars is a star in her own right with her published account of what it's like to be a guest for Hollywood's biggest show.
Christopher Polk / Getty Images
Actress Jennifer Lawrence, right, and her friend Laura Simpson backstage during the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on March 2.
Laura Simpson writes in a Myspace post that she has been friends with Lawrence for seven years after meeting at an event, and hitting it off over their "mutual respect for Chandler Bing." She says that they've been eating pizza together ever since and then she launches into a great behind-the-scenes look at the spectacle millions only get to witness on TV.
Simpson writes the most interesting view isn't one you'll see on TV.
"Highland (between Sunset and Hollywood) is filled with barricades with different entry points so no crazy person can plow their car through, killing everyone on the red carpet. Guarding each entry point through the barricades are men in head to toe camouflage with gigantic automatic weapons. ... Every inch of the sidewalk is full of God-fearing picket signs and psalms. Some have megaphones and are yelling inaudible sermons and others just shouting at the line of black cars."
When Lawrence stumbles over a traffic cone on the red carpet (and proceeds to go viral again) it's Simpson who breaks her fall.
"There are flashbulbs and people circling yet no one asks if I need any help because unless you are famous at the Oscars, you are completely invisible. I have never experienced anything like it. The only time anyone talks to you is if you are in the way of his or her photo. Oh and photographers on the carpet yell "YOU IN THE HUGE DRESS, GET OUT OF THE [EXPLETIVE] SHOT." It's incredible. It is no wonder actors are crazy."
In her seat and enduring the endless award categories, Simpson sheds light on why that pizza host Ellen DeGeneres brought in was quickly scarfed down.
"It's around this time that you realize you are STARVING and haven't had any food since breakfast at 9 a.m. It's hot and you feel like you're going to pass out. After waiting for my date's category, her dad and I decide to hit the bar and just watch from the monitor behind the bar and slam a few drinks to make this tolerable. The Academy really needs to spring for more hors d'oeuvres options because now everyone is hammered."
John Shearer / AP
Brad Pitt enjoys a slice of the pizza delivered during the Oscars. Thankfully, he didn't smell like pepperoni when he got backstage.
A brush with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie backstage goes just as you would expect.
"Brad Pitt smells amazing, like nothing I've ever smelled. Eventually we ask what cologne he's wearing and he tells us, 'I don't wear cologne, it's just my musk I guess.' I have to choose not to believe him because it would just be unfair to mankind. Angelina is gorgeous and elegant and they are like The Sun and The Moon."
Everyone goes to the Vanity Fair party afterward where, again, only the famous are worth noticing. But, Simpson catches one star's eye.
"(I) decide to follow Bill Murray around the party. At one point he looks in my direction and winks at me while dancing to 'If You Want My Body and You Think I'm Sexy' by Rod Stewart — a moment, I now realize, my whole life had been leading up to."
Simpson says her main takeaway from the evening was how lovely all of the women were who she interacted with, including Kerry Washington, Jessica Biel, Glenn Close, and Anne Hathaway.
"Actresses tend to get a bad reputation but every woman I met was lovely, witty and introduced themselves to me even though I wasn't famous."
Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence's not-famous friend finishes by handing out her own REAL awards for Most Beautiful, Best Dressed, and more.
Christopher Polk / Getty Images
John Shearer / AP