Nominees for the Academy Awards were announced today, which is either a total bore parade or an outrage-inducing annual occurrence, depending on your perspective of course. Generally we here at Reel Psyched (i.e. me) could care less about some gilded relic from Old Hollywood, a yearly spectacle that has become so much worse since the invention of HD television, something that has enabled throngs of unlucky viewers to clearly see the sweaty pores and close-to-bursting seams barely holding those half-dead, half-plastic polymer living, breathing action figures and laser-cut voodoo dolls together.
As ridiculous as the Academy Awards are, in the realm of popular movies they remain quite important to some people. In honor of this cursed day, we present you with a mix of some big Hollywood movies that were snubbed and a couple of other films that would never make the nominee list and clearly never had any intention of doing so. And guess what? They’re all screening right now.
Nightcrawler
Finally Jake Gyllenhaal takes on a less than cuddly role as Lou Bloom, a thief turned yellow journalist whose beat is crime in LA. When Bloom finds he can’t get a construction job because of his past, he acquires a scanner and video camera and sets out to become a freelance crime reporter. Though along the way he finds that the incentives of the biz are pretty tricky. Thursday, Jan. 15 through Thursday, Jan. 22 at AMC Loews Village 7, tickets $14.29
Touch Me In The Morning
This experimental mockumentary follows Coney Island (Guissepe Andrews), who spends much of his time volunteering to help seniors — though not in any predictable way, of course. Instead of Meals on Wheels or some other such nonsense, Coney Island sings uplifting songs to the elderly. But Coney Island himself could use some help. The young man is struggling with unemployment and feelings of sexual inadequacy, so he turns to Daddy Bill (Bill Nowlin) for advice. The filmmaker, Guissepe Andrews, channels our hero Harmony Korine in his obsession with social deviants and his penchant for cinéma-vérité. Definitely worth a look see. Friday, Jan. 16, Monday, Jan. 19, and Thurs., Jan. 22 at Spectacle Theater, tickets $5 at the door
Two Days, One Night
After returning from sick leave, a woman finds that her boss has put her position in jeopardy by leaving it up to her co-workers to decide whether or not she can come back to work. The trade-off is that the employees will receive their regular bonuses if they choose to let Sandra go. If they allow her to keep her job, they receive nothing. In a desperate attempt to sway her co-workers who must make up their minds in the next 48 hours, Sandra tracks each one of them down off the clock. Sounds pretty basic at first glance, huh? Bourgeois problems much? But the film is actually a fascinating study of the economic crisis in Europe and class in contemporary France. Thursday, Jan. 15 through Tuesday, Jan. 20 at IFC Center, tickets $14
A Most Violent Year
The Godfather and the Sopranos had a beautiful baby and her name is A Most Violent Year. Starring the dude from Inside Llewyn Davis as Abel Morales, an immigrant who’s made his fortune from heating fuel, and Jessica Chastain topped with an unbelievable blonde wig as Mrs. Morales, this film takes place in our favorite borough. The year is 1981 and crime and corruption are rampant in Brooklyn. Morales is stuck between the mob and the cops and has only a month to amass a cool $1.5 million. If you’re into moody shots, crime thrillers, and good-ol-days New York City, this film is definitely worth your time. Thursday, Jan. 15 through Thursday, Jan. 22 at Sunshine Cinema, tickets $13.50
Selma
Find out why everyone’s screaming about how Selma– the Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic chronicling the 1965 march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery– was robbed when it came to the Academy Awards nominations. Though the film was nominated for best picture, the Academy ignored the movie when it came to best actor and actress categories as well as director, despite critical acclaim for the film and the endless praise that’s been showered on David Oyelowo, who plays Dr. King in the film. Thursday, Jan. 15 through Thursday, Jan. 22 at Williamsburg Cinemas, tickets $8.50