50 Films, Actors and Directors Overlooked by the Oscars

By Tim Gray

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – There are no right or wrong decisions in Oscar winners, since it’s all a matter of personal taste. However, four categories in the past 91 years — best picture, director, actor and actress — are a reminder that some greats did not get the appreciation they deserved. In 1962, Peter O’Toole (“Lawrence of Arabia”) had the bad luck to compete against Gregory Peck (“To Kill a Mockingbird”) and both performances were terrific, but there was only one winner.

Some others were unrecognized because their films weren’t seen by enough voters, like the 2013 “Fruitvale Station” directed by Ryan Coogler (whose “Black Panther” definitely WAS widely seen). And some films were considered to be “only entertaining,” and were not taken seriously enough, like “The Shining” and “The Dark Knight,” though time has shown that they have outshone many of the more “serious” films of that year. This list should start debates. We hope your favorites are here, but we know that there are a lot of individuals and films that we didn’t have room for.