Since we’re in the thick of Oscar season I wanted to do something, I’ve thought about for a while. Yes, I think about the Oscars way too much. In any matter, the Academy is known for getting things wrong more than they get right. It’s not surprising when you realize the Academy are just a group of nearly 10,000 industry people who vote for the movies, they like best.

So, what I would like to do is take a look at a specific Oscar year and redo their nominations and wins. This might be a once-a-year type exercise, just during the Oscar season. I’m not sure where this will take me, but I knew I wanted to start with 2011.

It is considered one of the worst Academy years. How do I know that? Well, in my journey to watch every Best Picture nominee and winner I wanted to know what some of the best and worst Oscar line-ups are. So, I used my beloved spreadsheets to keep track of all the Best Picture nominees I saw.

Then I assigned each film a rating out of five stars. Once I’ve seen every Best Picture Nominee in a given year, I add up each film’s score out of five and divided by the number of films, which gives me an average rating out of five stars.

Example: In 2011 there were nine films nominated for Best Picture. The films ratings were 3, 3.5, 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, 3, 4.5, 5, and 3.5. You add these ratings up and get 31. Then divide by nine which equals 3.4. So, 2011’s overall best picture rating was a 3.4 out of 5.

That is not the worst, only because it is saved by Hugo, Moneyball, & The Tree of Life. Which I gave 4.5 stars to two and a 5-star rating to The Tree of Life. 2011 is the worst rated best picture year in my book, since the Academy went back to nominating more than five movies for best picture in 2009.

From 2009 to present the 2011 Best Picture line-up is the worst by far. Since the new millennium the only year that comes close to that bad is 2004 which has an overall rating of 3.4 as well. So, yeah, 2011 was a bad Oscar year. However, it was a great year in film.

So, let’s look at what the Oscars should nominated. In bold are what/who won and what/who should’ve won. I am going to stick to the above the line categories ending with the two screenplay awards. Mainly to avoid this write-up going on for too long.

Best Picture

As I said before, one of the worst Best Picture line ups of all time, it’s up there with the 2nd and 4th Academy Awards. I would only keep three of their nominees; Hugo, Moneyball, and The Tree of Life. I also did ten nominees instead of their nine.

The Tree of Life is one of the best films of the 21st century, so it was no contest on what film should have won Best Picture.

What Was Nominated:

The Artist

The Descendants

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The Help           

Hugo

Midnight in Paris     

Moneyball  

The Tree of Life            

War Horse

What Should’ve Been Nominated:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Moneyball

Margin Call

Meek’s Cutoff

Melancholia

Shame

Take Shelter

The Tree of Life

Warrior

                                                         

Best Director

I’m actually keeping 40% of the directors here. I’m adding Jeff Nichols for the brilliant Take Shelter, Bennett Miller for making one of the best sports films, and Steve McQueen for making a perfect film. Terrence Malick is my personal winner because The Tree of Life is one of the best films of this century and it is Malick’s best film.

Who Was Nominated:

Michael Hazanavicius – The Artist           

Alexander Payne – The Descendants      

Martin Scorsese – Hugo                     

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris    

Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life

Who Should’ve Been Nominated:

Martin Scorsese - Hugo                       

Bennett Miller – Moneyball

Steve McQueen – Shame

Jeff Nichols – Take Shelter

Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life

Best Actor

A complete new five in my book. Gosling had a great 2011 with Drive, Crazy, Stupid, Love, and The Ides of March. I went with his Performance in The Ides of March because it encompasses everything great from all three of his 2011 performances. Charming, brooding, the full range of emotions.

Woody is terrifying in Rampart, even if he was way better than his film. Fassbender is subtly brilliant in Shame. Warrior was done dirty as a whole at this year’s Oscars. Tom Hardy truly deserved a best actor nomination.

My personal winner here is Michael Shannon. Some might say it is for the most acting. But if he ever deserved to win it if for his haunting performance in Take Shelter.

Who Was Nominated:

Jean DuJardin – The Artist

Damian Bichir – A Better Life

George Clooney – The Descendants  

Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Brad Pitt – Moneyball                      

Who Should’ve Been Nominated:

Ryan Gosling – The Ides of March

Woody Harrelson – Rampart

Michael Fassbender – Shame

Michael Shannon – Take Shelter

Tom Hardy – Warrior

Best Actress

I only kept one nominee here: Rooney Mara. Not sure what was in the water in 2011, and I love Glenn Close, but this nomination for Albert Nobbs was so weird. Sorry Viola, but I really do not like The Help.

The Iron Lady is bad, even if Meryl is good, but she is always good. Michelle Williams is good in My Week with Marilyn, but there were other performances I liked better.

Tilda Swinton was nominated at all four major precursors: Critics Choice, SAG, Golden Globes, BAFTA. I guess it’s only because The Academy has an aversion to horror. She deserved to be here.

Kirsten Dunst should’ve had her first nomination here for Melancholia. I’ve never seen a better portrayal of depression on screen. She is my winner here. Elizabeth Olsen portrays PTSD eerily in Martha Marcy May Marlene.

I love Chastain in The Tree of Life. She represents light, it may seem like a blank performance. But I think there is complexity within her performance. She has to exude peace while maintaining control over her family.

Who Was Nominated:

Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs 

Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Viola Davis – The Help                        

Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady    

Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn

Who Should’ve Been Nominated:

Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene

Kirsten Dunst - Melancholia

Jessica Chastain – The Tree of Life

Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actor

Almost a brand new five nominees here. The only hold over being Nick Nolte for Warrior, who I have winning in this category. Yes, he and Plummer were overdue for an Oscar, but I think Nolte gave the more powerful performance.

Albert Brooks was snubbed for Drive. Drive was a film I wasn’t that big on, but Brooks was uncharacteristically evil in that performance. Paul Bettany in Margin Call is where I finally realized he was a great actor. In a film a great supporting performance he stands above the rest.

Dan Fogler gives one of the funniest performances in one of the most underrated films ever. Brad Pitt had a good 2011 with The Tree of Life and Moneyball. I think he is great in Moneyball, but I think he is even better in The Tree of Life being the darkness to Chastain’s light.

Who Was Nominated:

Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Max Von Sydow – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Jonah Hill – Moneyball

Kenneth Brannagh – My Week with Marilyn

Nick Nolte – Warrior

Who Should’ve Been Nominated:

Albert Brooks - Drive

Paul Bettany – Margin Call

Don Fogler – Take Me Home Tonight

Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life

Nick Nolte - Warrior

Best Supporting Actress

Another category with two hold overs. Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids and Octavia Spencer in The Help. Melissa’s comedic performance cannot be denied. And Octavia is good in a not-so-great movie.

Maybe it is category fraud putting Michelle Williams here for Meek’s Cutoff. I think of the film as more of an ensemble film. As you can tell I like Von Trier’s Melancholia a lot, Charlotte Gainsbourg, who has never been nominated, should’ve gotten in here playing Kirsten Dunst’s sister.

Lastly, if you need to know why I nominated Carey Mulligan in Shame, just watch the scene where she sings “New York, New York”. I am giving Carey the win here because it’s such an understated but powerful performance.

Who Was Nominated:

Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs                 

Berenice Bejo – The Artist                  

Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids           

Jessica Chastain – The Help    

Octavia Spencer – The Help   

Who Should’ve Been Nominated:

Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

Octavia Spencer – The Help

Michelle Williams – Meek’s Cutoff

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Melancholia

Carey Mulligan – Shame

Unsurprisingly the screenplay categories are where they got it right for the most part. The Academy uses the screenplay categories to reward the cool films they don’t want to nominate in other places.

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

I am actually nominating four of the five that the Academy nominated in Adapted Screenplay. Apparently, I am making Steve Zallian a double nominee this year, for Moneyball and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I am also giving Mr. Zallian and Aaron Sorkin the Oscar for Moneyball.

Who Should’ve Won:

The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, & Nate Faxon                                        

Hugo – John Logan                               

The Ides of March – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, & Beau Willimon

Moneyball – Steve Zallian & Aaron Sorkin

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughn

Who Should’ve Been Nominated:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Steve Zallian

Hugo – John Logan

The Ides of March – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, & Beau Willimon

Moneyball – Steve Zallian & Aaron Sorkin

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughn

Best Original Screenplay

I am only keeping three of the five in this category. Wiig and Mumolo for Bridesmaids. Chandor for Margin Call, and Farhadi for A Separation. Farhadi’s nomination is a cool one, now that the Academy has expanded, we’re seeing more foreign language films in the screenplay categories.

I am adding Johnathan Raymond for Meek’s Cutoff, a great modern western directed by one of my favorite directors Kelly Reichardt. Also, Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan for Shame, which is just a brilliant film.

J. C. Chandor is such a good script. It’s smart without dumbing itself down to explain its substance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more riveting film where people are just talking in board rooms for 100 minutes.

Who Was Nominated:

The Artist - Michael Hazanavicius

Bridesmaids - Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo

Margin Call – J. C. Chandor

Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen

A Separation - Asghar Farhadi

Who Should’ve Been Nominated:

Bridesmaids – Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo

Margin Call – J. C. Chandor

Meek’s Cutoff – Johnathan Raymond

A Separation – Asghar Farhadi

Shame – Steve McQueen & Abi Morgan

That’s it, this is my revisionist Oscar history for the 2011 year. Apologies to the below the line categories, I do not think of them as lesser, but this write-up is already almost 2,000 words. Just trying to keep this somewhat tolerable.