5. King Kong (1933)
Imagine the impact seeing King Kong must have had on cinema audiences when it was released in 1933. King Kong is considered by many to be one of the great American films of all time, for its innovation and technique, and it becomes more baffling to think that King Kong was never nominated for any Oscars. Although the Academy was only in its 7th year when King Kong was released there was no doubt that the staggering box office and rave reviews the film netted would attract attention to the Academy. For a film that became a cultural phenomenon overnight, its puzzling how the Academy overlooked this classic. One of the obvious standouts in King Kong is the film's dazzling special effects, which still seem potent today, however back in 1933 there wasn't a high volume of effects heavy films around and a Best Special Effects category didn't exist. Another oversight is Max Steiner's rousing music for Best Music Score. One cannot imagine the impact the film has without Steiner's fantastic cues springing to mind. The biggest attraction of King Kong is the film itself, and C0-Writer/Director/Producer Merian C Cooper was unjustly passed over in the Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture categories. If creating an iconic classic that can survive 80 years and 2 sub par remakes doesn't get you an Oscar nomination, who knows what can?