With the 2016 award season now complete I decided to take a look back through the years at some of the previous Academy Awards’ winners and losers. I found that more often than not I have felt that the most deserving film didn’t win, or didn’t even get a nomination. So I decided to make my own list of winners. I went from the year 2000-2016 and took my picks. I made two categories: Best “Best Picture” Loser, and Best Picture that was Never Nominated. I have grouped them both into the top tens in each category.

Once again I must stress that I have not seen all the nominated films, not even close. I have not seen all of the Best Picture winners from this time frame, not even close. So these are the films that I have seen and that I liked the most, or thought deserved the award the most.

I’ll start with The Best “Best Picture” Loser. These are the films that were nominated for the category but didn’t win.

  1. The Blind Side (2009) – Actual Winner: The Hurt Locker

This is one of the most family friendly movies to be nominated for Best Picture. It is a moving story with great performances. It also is very re-watchable. Plus this movie was nominated the same year as The Hurt Locker and any movie is more deserving of the title than that one.

  1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – Actual Winner: A Beautiful Mind

I do not love the Lord of the Rings movies. In fact for a very long time I didn’t even like them. This movie is long, melodramatic and a little bloated. However it is masterfully directed and put together. When people talk about classic movies 30 years from now I have no doubt that the Lord of the Rings trilogy will be consistently brought up. They are landmark films not just in terms of their success but in terms of how they pushed the boundaries and redefined filmmaking.

Fellowship is by far the best movie of the three as it is the most well-paced and interesting, as well as having the best character development.

  1. Finding Neverland (2004) – Actual Winner: Million Dollar Baby

The only reason this movie isn’t higher on my list is because of how darn sad it is. This is a tearjerker in every sense of the word. For this reason I don’t watch it very often. Because it depresses me. However it is a beautiful film nonetheless.

  1. Captain Phillips (2013) – Actual Winner: 12 Years a Slave

I really love this movie. It is one of the most intense films I have seen. It is so well put together that everything just feels so real. It is one of the movies on this list that I will consistently return to the most.

Also the scene at the very end of the movie where Tom Hanks’ character is finally safe and breaks down in tears is incredibly moving.

  1. The Martian (2015) – Actual Winner: Spotlight

I really think this movie should have won back in 2015. It was widely popular, it had a great cast, and was expertly executed. The Academy’s obsession with movies that no one has seen or heard of is, in my mind, quite sad. This was a perfect example of a movie that was popular and yet still deserved the title.

  1. Moneyball (2011) – Actual Winner: The Artist

I love this movie. I can watch it over and over again. The writing and the editing of this film is what really makes it standout. One of my favorite things about it is the wonderful message. Who would have thought that a film about sports would have such a powerful message about changing the world?

  1. Lincoln (2012) – Actual Winner: Argo

This should go down in cinematic history as one of Steven Spielberg’s greats. Everything from the production design, to the costumes, to the editing is top notch. Also the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis is just magnificent, one of the best performances of the decade.

  1. Hacksaw Ridge (2016) – Actual Winner: Moonlight

This is a powerful movie. Wonderfully paced, acted, shot, and edited. This one ought to be remembered for years to come. See my full review for more details on my thoughts about this film.

  1. The Social Network (2010) – Actual Winner: The King’s Speech

Though I love The King’s Speech I really think the academy should have given The Social Network the gold back in 2010.

I watched this movie over and over and over again back when it came out. I couldn’t really understand why at the time but now I do. It is a marvelous example of tying together great direction and great writing. Writer Aaron Sorkin and Director David Fincher worked together extensively to marry the two’s very different filmmaking styles and they were thus able to put together a great film.

  1. Inception (2010) – Actual Winner: The King’s Speech

Yes this movie came out the same year as The Social Network, and yes I said The Social Network should have won. The reason this one gets placed higher is because the Academy was never and would never give this type of movie the win, yet they would give it to a film like The Social Network.

Inception has become such a cultural phenomenon it has all but saturated itself into popular culture. Because of this I think Inception has to be the number one movie of the past 16 years that should have won but didn’t.

Now let’s move on to the “Best Picture” that was Never Nominated category. These are the films that probably wouldn’t have won but definitely deserved some recognition. I’m not saying these were the best movies of the year when they came out (though I think some of them were), but rather that they at least should have gotten a nod.

HONORABLE MENTION: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
I don’t think this one deserved a win, far from it. I just feel that a movie that concluded one of the biggest cinematic phenomenon’s ever deserved a little more recognition from the Academy. If they were willing to give Return of the King the Best Picture Oscar because of the achievement of the three films, than they should have at least given this one a nod.

  1. Inside Out (2015) – Winner: Spotlight

This is one of the best animated movies to have come out in recent years. It was culturally impactful as well as beloved by just about everyone. It could have very easily been given one of the two open nominee slots for Best Picture in 2015. So it’s a shame it didn’t.

  1. WALL-E (2008) – Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

Staying on the topic of great animated films. I truly think WALL-E is not just a great animated movie, it is a great movie in general. It is one of the few that transcended beyond just being a kids movie.

It is very difficult to make an entertaining story with almost no dialogue and yet Pixar did it here. They definitely deserved a nod for this.

  1. Miracle (2004) – Winner: Million Dollar Baby

One of the best sports movies ever, and yet sadly this movie is never talked about. It is shocking to me how few people have actually seen this one. Being released during a disappointing year for the Best Picture category it is a shame this one didn’t get recognized.

  1. Blood Diamond (2006) Winner: The Departed 

I really enjoyed this movie. The performances were great, it was moving, it was expertly paced and intense. It also had a good and satisfying character arch for the main character played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Had the academy expanded its’ nominees beyond five a few years earlier I’m positive this one would have been on the list.

  1. Warrior (2011) – Winner: The Artist

I almost forget how good this movie really is until I watch it again. 2011 was another disappointing year when it came to the Academy Awards nominees with a lot of mediocre films making the cut. So I find it odd how this one didn’t make the list as it was easily better than several films that did make it.

  1. Remember the Titans (2000) – Winner: Gladiator

Almost everybody knows this movie, and almost everybody loves this movie. It is culturally significant, inspiring, and about social issues. All of these are things the Academy loves. So why did it not get nominated? I have no idea.

  1. The Dark Knight (2008) – Winner: Slumdog Millionaire 

This movie is often attributed to being one of the main reasons the Academy expanded its’ Best Picture category to ten nominees instead of just five. Few films are talked about quite as much as this one is, and few films have been quite as genre defining as this one was. Too bad they couldn’t have expanded the category sooner.

  1. Black Hawk Down (2001) – Winner: A Beautiful Mind

If you were to search “Best War Movies” this one would probably come up. The Academy is no stranger to war films and so for one that is this widely popular, and thought of as good, it is interesting that it never even got a nomination.

  1. Hotel Rwanda (2004) – Winner: Million Dollar Baby

This movie is depressing, it is shocking, and it is a true story. Almost always a tell-tale recipe for Oscar Nominations as far as the eye can see. However not for this one, and what a shame that is. When looking at all the films that have won Best Picture it is staggering to think that this one passed by unrecognized. It too came out in 2004, which wasn’t a terribly impressive year, so I think it easily could have, not only been nominated, but won!

  1. The Prestige (2006) – Winner: The Departed 

This is one of the most criminally underrated movies ever! I personally think this is Christopher Nolan’s best film! It is fantastically put together with a great script, amazing editing, good acting, and crazy twists and turns in the story. When great movies of the 2000s are talked about I am shocked that this film is almost never mentioned. This one is a long shot as it really isn’t the type of movie the Academy typically goes for, but it is still, in my opinion, the best movie to have never been nominated.

So there’s my list! If there are any movies that you think should have been nominated but weren’t, or you have a personal favorite movie that didn’t end up winning feel free to talk about it in the comments.