We know the Academy was aware of Hoop Dreams - it got nominated for Best Film Editing. So how did they neglect it in 1995s Best Documentary Feature category? Im guessing they were the wealthy white benefactors who toyed with young mens lives in the name of school spirit. So maybe the subject matter was a little to introspective for them. Hoop Dreams is one of those documentaries where you truly come to understand the power of the genre. To capture these perfectly divergent life experiences is no easier than catching lighting in a bottle. The story of the paths two young African-Americans take in pursuit of their dreams of playing basketball is filled with shockingly sharp critiques of how race and class permeate our lives. Just like the young men it followed, Hoop Dreams deserved a better, more fair, world. Hoop Dreams should have been nominated and it should have won too.
17. Two Towers Deserved More Nominations Than Fellowship And More Wins Than Return
This is one of the biggest headscratchers on the list. Nothing really makes sense with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy's awards record. Fellowship of the Rings won for Best Cinematography but Two Towers and Return of the King werent even nominated I thought these were all shot as one production by the same person (Andrew Lesnie)? I seriously doubt the competition was strong enough in each of the next two years to warrant not even nominating what was essentially a past winner. Two Towers had half the nominations of each of its counterparts. Peter Jackson won Best Director for Return despite putting more fake endings into the epilogue than a bad porno - its one of the most mocked film sequences in recent memory. Fellowship had the worst win percentage in the weakest year for film competition and Return had a perfect record in easily the toughest year of the three. None of it makes any sense. The only explanation I can come up with is that at the 74th Oscars the Academy felt raw afterwards about the public thrashing they got when Fellowship got slighted (4 wins in 13 nominations and no top tier awards), then they undersold Two Towers at the 75th show because they didnt want to get panned by the media again, and, finally, panicked a year later at the 76th when they realized they were on the verge of not recognizing one of the most culturally significant film franchises of all time. So they panicked and gave it everything. A mini lifetime achievement award if you will.
Phil loves a good debate. Don't expect him to shy away from starting the conversation. Follow him on Twitter @MrTallgeese if you're of a like mind, or if you just want to troll him relentlessly.
