15 Awesome 2014 Performances That Deserve Oscars (But Won't Get Nominated)

10. Bill Hader - The Skeleton Twins

Here's a performance that just came out of nowhere and blew everyone away at this year's Sundance fest. Though the above image might suggest a quirky comedy, The Skeleton Twins is an extremely daring, dark comic drama about suicidal budding actor Milo (Bill Hader) and his similarly suicidal twin sister Maggie (Kristen Wiig). This is a major breakthrough for Hader, a talent known more for his hilarity than his dramatic chops, yet he completely tears that preconception down here with a deeply affecting and difficult performance as a man ravaged by the crushing realities of existence. If Hader were lucky enough to have an Oscar reel clip, it would undoubtedly show off the brilliant lip-sync sequence, in which Milo mouths the words to Starship's 80s cheese classic Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, eventually getting Maggie to join in also. Though co-stars Wiig and Luke Wilson are also at the top of their game, it is Hader who rightly ran away with most of the praise. For Hader, the consolation prize will be a Gotham Independent Film Awards nomination for Best Actor, which is itself a major feather in the actor's cap, and will hopefully ensure that he receives more serious offers in the future. Fingers crossed that this dramatic turn isn't just a one-off and he'll stick at it.