Great Movies Ignored By The Oscars Great Movies Ignored By The Oscars
BY ALEX BARNARD The Academy Awards, commonly referred to as the Oscars, have long recognized the top movies coming out each year with an... Great Movies Ignored By The Oscars

BY ALEX BARNARD

The Academy Awards, commonly referred to as the Oscars, have long recognized the top movies coming out each year with an assortment of prestigious awards.  Between the likes of Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook, and Argo 2012 was a great year for film, and each of these films received much deserved recognition in the form of an Oscar.   However, there were several phenomenal movies in 2012 that deserve to be watched, but were completely ignored by the Academy Awards.

Bernie is an odd yet intriguing movie.  Telling the true story of confessed murdered Bernie Tiede, Bernie used a blend of documentary elements with conventional storytelling to produce an extremely dark comedy.  Bernie points out the almost mob mentality of Carthage, Texas, and shows the damaging powers of preconceptions.  While Bernie plays out almost as a mockumentary, it follows the rumors of Carthage while exposing what Bernie Tiede did and why.  The storytelling techniques of Bernie are to be noted,  as the combination of several styles keep the audience guessing and drives the plot moving in interesting ways.

Indie Game: The Movie, is a revealing documentary that covers the largely ignored independent games movement.  The documentary follows independent game developers Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes in the development of Super Meat Boy, and Phil Fish in the development of Fez.  It also features Jonathan Blow, creator of the highly successful independent game Braid, commentates on the process of development as an almost elder figure. Each developer goes through a series of ups and downs in the development cycle of their games, each a project that dominates their lives and could serve to ruin their lives if the game falls flat.  The process of creating independent games is largely ignored by the media, but Indie Game: The Movie provides excellent introspective into their creation.

Safety Not Guaranteed is a strange independent comedy with one of the best ensemble casts of 2012.  The movie delves into each character’s quest to escape their mundane everyday lifestyles, working together unexpectedly in pursuit of what they want, or at least think they want.  While the plot centers itself on several journalists looking into a strange man looking for a time travel partner, the relationships expand as each character’s back story is dived into.  Most character’s are three-dimensional, and the plot takes several unexpected turns.  Stealing the show is Audrey Plaza, whose sarcasm and wit created some of the film’s  most comedic moments. While Safety Not Guaranteed is not for the average romantic comedy, it’s witty humor and eccentric plot make it one of the most unique movies of 2012.

Looper, a gritty sci-fi thriller makes a series of strong comments on the inherent selfishness of human beings.  The movie makes it clear that the main character, 25-year-old Joseph Simmons (Joseph Godon-Levitt), is not a good person.  Simmons is a “looper”: a hitman that kills targets sent back in time from the future, where killing someone and disposing of the body is simply too difficult and time travel is available to crime syndicates.  Throughout the movie Simmons and his fellow loopers struggle with their selfishness, eventually leading to irreversible decisions that only drive the characters further into their self-harming lifestyles of partying and drug use.  Looper almost unexpectedly shifts halfway through, commenting on the necessity of good parenting for the outcome of an individual.  While unfortunately marketed more as an action movie, Looper is both an entertaining and though provoking thriller that deserves to be viewed.

2012 was all in all a suburb year for movies.  While many of the Oscars given out were well deserved, many other movies deserve similar amounts of recognition from both consumers and critics alike.  Each of these movies hold their own when compared to the Oscar contenders, and should not be ignored.