Oscar snubs

We all have our favorite movies, eclectic sample of eccentric tastes. From that big sample, only those which repeatedly appear in the massive selection of audiences, become classics. Peculiar films in which the critic and the spectator agree to claim the results. Casablanca, The Godfather, Gone with the wind and Brave Heart come to my mind. Just to name a few.

But, what really happens behind the filmakers, actors and cinema technicians most-wanted award? More and more frequently, press and audience seem to ask why movies such as The Shawshank Redemption, one of the best ranked in IMDb, lost the beloved award in 1994 against Tom Hanks charisma, as Forrest Gump, in one of the best quality competitions on Oscar history.

Some other strange cases incude Best Picture winner Shakespeare in Love or Crash. I won't even mention the names of certain actresses who win against Meryl Streep outstandig acting level. But, who's blaming them? Imagine Meryl rising each year to recieve the statue while her colegues complaining about living the same era she does. At least she now has 3 Oscars and a record for being the most nominated actor ever.

The biggest irony appears, when excellent actors, don't recieve their Oscar under the predicament that "their time hasn't arrive yet". The only thing that ocurrs later, is they don't have another option than a)Give them an Oscar for a minor performance or, b) as in Heath Ledger example, give the award posthumoustly.

Leonardo DiCaprio, best actor of his generation, has only 3 nominations and still no Oscar at home. Kate Winslet bearly got it after some 15 outstanding performances, while Catherine Zeta Jones had only to dance -just a little because pregnancy didn't allow too much- to get an award. And I won't even tell about Oscar-stealing-American-Sweethearts (please don't thing in Gwyneth Paltrow or Sandra Bullock now), because I wouldn't finish some time soon.

Back to the beginning: We all have our favorite movies. And often, we will wonder why people behind the Academy Awards act in the most (political or economics?) unexpected ways. But Hollywood glamour stands still... more anorexical than ever but as controversial as ever, and that is, dear reader, what keeps us expecting the red carpet, the unique kisses, the well-deserved awards and the Cinema bombast.

Versión en español / Spanish version