The Skoobies 2023: Awarding the movies the Oscars ignored
By Jake Skubish and Sam Coutu
JS: The Oscars did something peculiar this year: They mostly got it right. This year’s batch of Best Picture nominees is one of the best in a long time, full of excellent films that range from massive blockbusters to indie darlings. As far as I’m concerned there’s only a couple duds (Elvis and Triangle of Sadness); everything else is very good or great.
That doesn’t mean the Academy recognized everything we loved in 2022, though, so Sam and I are back with the annual Skoobie awards to honor the films and performances that the Oscars ignored. This is a little different than calling out snubs: We are trying to shed some light on movies that the Academy likely never even considered. For example, my beloved Babylon was shut out of the Best Picture race, but it was right on the bubble of getting a nomination, so it wasn’t my pick. We are looking for the deep cuts here. Let’s get started.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
JS:
Winner: Kogonada, After Yang
Runner-Up: Marcia Romano and Audrey Diwan, Happening
One of the best scenes in Kogonada’s After Yang takes place in the kitchen of Jake’s (Colin Farrell) home, when his humanoid AI assistant Yang (Justin H. Min) asks Jake what he likes about tea. “There are no words to adequately express the mysterious nature of tea,” Jake says, as he recounts a documentary in which two men discuss tea. One of the men, trying to find the language to describe the drink, eloquently articulates a serene walk through a damp forest, and marvels that “Somehow that is all in this tea.” It’s an anecdote that reflects what makes Kogonada’s screenplays special: He uses simple, poetic language to make the smallest moments profound. He makes you believe, as Yang puts it, that “a cup of tea can contain a world.”
Romano and Diwan’s screenplay for Happening operates with a similar asceticism, stripping away unnecessary indulgences and tired tropes in favor of clear-cut dramatic stakes.
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Winner: Krysty Wilson-Cairns, The Good Nurse
I was pretty far off consensus on The Good Nurse, for some reason. I have been sick of true crime media for quite some time, frankly. And I’m getting sick of TV and movies about the making of true crime media as well (though I enjoyed Susie Searches, despite that). I think part of what I liked about The Good Nurse so much was what made most others like it less. It allows the horror to remain in the background, focusing more on the two dynamite performances from Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne, as well as the system that allows this type of thing to occur.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
JS:
Winner: Zach Cregger, Barbarian
Runner-Up: Cooper Raiff, Cha Cha Real Smooth
The thrill of Barbarian stems from Cregger’s surprising deconstruction of the film’s plot. When the first audacious break from the story arrives a third of the way through, the shift is so knowingly divergent from where the film had been going that you can’t help but grin at the decision. When the second shift arrives I was less surprised, yet Cregger delightfully burrows the film deeper into a creative tunnel. From a formal perspective, Barbarian is exhilarating in its inventiveness. But when you take a step back and view the full scope of Cregger’s screenplay, something much deeper emerges: These converging storylines work together to expose the evils of men, and the tension between our moral progress and our continued depravity.
No screenplay in 2022, though, holds my heart as much as Cooper Raiff’s Cha Cha Real Smooth. I really vibe with his movies, which are full of hilarious one-liners and charming moments of emotional affirmation.
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Winner: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Broker
I genuinely considered just putting a Broker nomination in every single category. I loved it so much! I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s so incredibly sweet and moving. That hotel room scene, with the lights off … I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. Broker, thank you for being made.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
JS:
Winner: Pedro Pascal, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Runner-Up: Mark Rylance, Bones and All
Pedro Pascal is probably best known for his dramatic roles on The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, two critically acclaimed shows that I will never watch. But he deserves some recognition for the way he brightens The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent with his comedic talents, a skillset usually ignored at the Oscars. Somehow Pascal makes the movie where Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage more about his own greatness than Cage’s, and the friendship between the two men is endearing. Plus his character waxes poetic about Paddington 2, a move which basically guaranteed him a Skoobie Award.
I have to also give some love to Mark Rylance for his performance in Bones and All. I was mixed on the film, but Rylance stands out as an absolute freak. He is making the most bizarre choices with his voice and mannerisms, and it all worked for me. Keep being weird, Rylance!
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Winner: Colin Farrell, The Batman
Honestly, what an unbelievable year Farrell had. And it couldn’t have happened to a better person. I legitimately believe this performance deserved a nomination, stealing some of the strongest scenes in a great movie that featured fantastic performances throughout. Penguin is a character that works great on the page, but is tough to make the leap to the screen without looking silly. But he’s a classic in Batman’s rogues’ gallery! I remember seeing Farrell in costume for the first time, and my word, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better Penguin. He’s exactly what I had in mind (in look, demeanor, voice) since playing the Arkham Batman games (my favorite Batman stories). I will say, Farrell is also a true supporting actor. He’s not remotely close to the lead of the film, something the Oscars often seems to ignore. This one may be on the edge, but if Jake gets to recognize Reeves as director, I get to recognize Farrell. It’s just the way it works — I don’t make the rules!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
JS:
Winner: Keke Palmer, Nope
Runner-Up: Ji-eun Lee, Broker
According to GoldDerby, Keke Palmer would have been in contention at the Oscars for the Supporting Actress category. This is outright category fraud: She is the co-lead of Nope alongside Daniel Kaluuya. But I am welcoming this fraud with open arms, because it allows me to champion her here and move her out of a frankly stacked Lead Actress category. Whether she is bringing the laughs through a motormouth monologue or bringing the film back to its themes of familial love and historical exploitation, Palmer brings a buoyant energy to Nope in every scene. It’s a unique, dynamic performance in a fantastic film, so obviously the Academy Awards didn’t make a peep about it.
Ji-eun Lee is a very close runner-up for her performance in Broker. She has two scenes in the back half of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s lovely film that absolutely crushed me.
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Judith Ivey, Women Talking
Is this one cheating? Quite possibly, since Women Talking certainly got some love from the Oscars, and a lot of its performances were at least considered for nominations. But, to justify my pick, I don't believe Ivey got remotely similar appreciation as Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, or Rooney Mara. I don’t think she was ever in contention, really. But she should’ve been! She was the steady voice holding the whole film together, keeping all of the women together as they navigate what decision to make. It’s maybe more understated than the other roles, a bit quieter, but all the more impressive.
BEST ACTOR
JS:
Winner: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ambulance
Runner-Up: Daniel Craig, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Actors nominated for an Oscars often have that moment in the movie that solidifies their nomination. Cate Blanchett’s virtuoso lecture at Juilliard in Tár is a textbook example of such a moment — the scene ends and you immediately know she’s getting the Oscar nomination.
A similar moment occurs in Michael Bay’s Ambulance, as Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his brother Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) are driving an ambulance at full speed through Los Angeles pursued by law enforcement in cars, armored vehicles, and helicopters. Danny is blasted by a fire extinguisher by the paramedic (Eiza González) he is holding hostage, and Danny, distraught over his ruined sweater, screams: “This is cashmere!” It’s an encapsulation of the entire performance from Gyllenhaal, who is out of his mind for the entire runtime of the film. It’s a deeply unhinged performance, perhaps more fueled by cocaine than Tony Montana himself. It is perfect.
I deeply appreciated Daniel Craig’s second turn as Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion as well. He is more comfortable with the character with one Knives Out movie already under his belt, and it feels like a more lived-in performance. You can feel how much fun he is having.
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Opportunity, Good Night Oppy
I had a ton of trouble picking someone here. I think a lot of the best performances got a nomination, and the ones that didn’t were honestly right on the cusp. I could go with Jeremy Pope, who is really becoming a star! Or I could make the case that Brendan Gleeson should’ve been nominated in this category instead, and he was great! I thought Song Kang-ho maybe was too close to an Oscar nomination, but if not, I would’ve gone with him as the lead of Broker and perhaps the best movie star on the planet.
Instead, I will go with Opportunity, the rover lead of a documentary, who definitely does not fit at all in this category. But I shall use it to get more people to see Good Night Oppy, a terrific experience that I found deeply moving. A real-life Wall-E (my favorite Pixar picture), Oppy survives for 15 years, far beyond its initial 90-day mission. (I am not electing to gender Oppy, but am simply working within the regressive guidelines of the Skoobies to get more recognition for a film and performance I greatly enjoyed.)
Also, how bad did Spirit get ripped off? Spirit went way beyond expectations too! Spirit had a harder mission! Yet only Opportunity gets mentioned in the title? Just Opportunity gets remembered? It’s not right.
BEST ACTRESS
JS:
Winner: Zoey Deutch, Not Okay
Runner-Up: Zoë Kravitz, Kimi
Not Okay is a difficult film to watch, in a good way. It is both deeply empathetic and confrontational, and unafraid to live in uncomfortable spaces. The film, which follows a writer whose career and online fame blow up when she lies about being witness to a terrorist attack, has some fascinating ideas about traumas experienced both directly and voyeuristically.
The nastiness of the film would not work at all without the compelling work of Zoey Deutch in the lead role. She deftly carries Not Okay forward with the charm necessary for us to stay invested in such a despicable protagonist. Few others could have pulled off this balancing act; it is really a stunning performance. Deutch is a producer on the film as well, and as her roles over the past six years have shown, she has great taste in content and talent.
Zoë Kravitz also gives a singular performance in Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi, lending the film the twitchy anxiety at the core of this story about privacy and the overreach of our tech overlords. Along with her role as Selina Kyle in The Batman, Kravitz turned in two performances in 2022 that established her as one of the most physically gifted actors in Hollywood.
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Frankie Corio, Aftersun
Is it just me, or have child actors gotten waaaaay better over the past decade? I used to regularly want to avoid movies centered around children — they just stunk it up! But over the past several years, some of my absolute favorite performances have come from kids, in movies that require great performances in order to work. Aftersun is no different. I know Jake wasn’t the biggest fan — shocker, wrong again — but the Corio-Mescal chemistry as the father-daughter duo kept me entertained throughout the entire flick. My only complaint: I did see this movie on my birthday, and it was frankly way too sad for that.
BEST DIRECTOR
JS:
Winner: Olivia Wilde, Don’t Worry Darling
Runner-Up: Matt Reeves, The Batman
One day the film world will come together, look back at the year 2022, and ask itself: How did we get Don’t Worry Darling so wrong? The film is a massive step forward for Wilde from her excellent comedy Booksmart. She is in total control of the film’s tone from scene to scene, and is a master of inventive, propulsive camera movements. Wilde is one of the very best directors working today, and I can only hope the misguided response to DWD doesn’t derail her promising career too much. I am very much looking forward to her next film, Perfect, starring one of my personal favorite actors, Thomasin McKenzie.
Matt Reeves also pulled off a major accomplishment with The Batman: Creating a superhero movie that felt fresh and worth watching, even after many different Batmen have already paraded across the big screen over the past couple of decades.
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Hirokazu Kore-eda, Broker
Again, if this is cheating, I simply do not care. I know I am so far behind in falling in love with these movies. It’s honestly embarrassing. But my god what a film!! Jake and I saw him talk at the Toronto International Film Festival, where we saw the movie. Kore-eda is a Japanese director, with most of his movies set in Japan and spoken in Japanese. In a Q&A, someone asked him why he made this film in South Korea. And he had a simple answer: He wanted to work with Song Kang-ho. That’s why he’s the best in the business!
BEST PICTURE
JS:
Winner: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Runner-Up: Armageddon Time
Simply put: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a perfect film. I loved Marcel from the first minute of the film, and I walked away knowing I couldn’t wait to watch it again. It is the movie of the pandemic era, I think, because it not only captures what it looks like to be alone but evokes why it’s essential to be together. It’s something we all know, I think, even if in the years since the pandemic began it’s become easier to forget. Sometimes, we need a talking shell with googly eyes to point out what we fail to see.
Apparently the Academy failed to see Armageddon Time, an amazing autobiographical drama from director James Gray. Gray presents a story of intergenerational Jewish American identity that is both a personal exhumation of Gray’s childhood regrets and an illuminating portrait of the complexities of Jewish identity within American society. It is a rare film of uncompromising vision.
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Winner: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Runner-Up: Broker
Honestly, for best picture this year, I think the nominations largely deserved it. Sure there were some misses, but my favorite movies of the year were all largely present. As all of our dedicated readers know, I hate to agree with Jake — he just has such a track record of horrible takes. But Marcel is simply one of the sweetest films I’ve seen. It did get nominated for Best Animated Feature, so I’m not sure it should even count as a movie the Oscars ignored, but I do believe it was good enough for a Best Picture nomination as well. I never saw the YouTube videos growing up, and the picture was still a 5/5 for me. Just so good.
And, given the multiple nominations and winners given throughout the Skoobies, Broker here should be absolutely no surprise. I’m embarrassed to say, but this was the first film by Hirokazu Kore-eda that I’ve ever seen. And it is probably the 2022 picture that has stuck with me the most. I recently rewatched it, and I thought my issues with it on my first watch could stick out more the second time — namely one too many plot threads. But they didn’t. The performances, the warmth in the relationships, it’s just so hard to dislike.