The U.T.C.: Adepero Oduye

Chances are a lot of you may not know who Adepero Oduye is. She had a slight breakthrough with her leading turn in the frustratingly underrated 2011 film Pariah but it never made any waves. Hardly anybody saw it and the farthest the film got in the awards circuit was the Independent Spirit Awards, with a John Cassavetes Award win and a Best Female Lead nod for Oduye, who also got a shoutout from Meryl Streep at her Golden Globes speech when she won for The Iron Lady. Never hurts to get that kind of praise.

While other actresses like Felicity Jones and Elizabeth Olsen, who also had breakthroughs back in 2011, would go on to bigger things, Oduye hasn't gotten the kind of opportunities they have.

Since Pariah, she had a small role in 12 Years A Slave as the slave Eliza that the main character meets early on who has her children taken away from her. She also had another small role in The Big Short as a banker that Steve Carell's character works for. Both of those films were produced under Brad Pitt's production label Plan B. So because Hollywood is all about who you know, and Brad Pitt is never a bad person to collaborate with, perhaps he will give her a significant role for her to sink her teeth into.

On the horizon, she has the family drama The Dinner opposite Richard Gere, Rebecca Hall, and Laura Linney and directed by Oren Moverman who guided Woody Harrelson to an Oscar nomination for The Messenger. Also, she has the science fiction disaster film Geostorm opposite Gerard Butler and Abbie Cornish.

Recently, Disney announced that they'll be rebooting the 1991 cult classic The Rocketeer but with a black female lead. Personally, I think she would be a great choice for that and it could be the true "star is born" moment that Pariah should've been. Even if it doesn't get her Oscar nominated, at least people will try to learn how to pronounce her name.

The U.T.C.: Isla Fisher

Back in 2005, we saw the release of a film called Wedding Crashers which was a box office hit that certified Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as comedic stars and even helped thrust Rachel McAdams into the spotlight. But for me, the real shining star was Isla Fisher who made her big breakthrough as Gloria, the nymphomaniac bridesmaid who falls a little too in love with Vince Vaughn's character Jeremy.

As Gloria, Fisher shows an uncanny ability to turn on a dime as she can be hypersexualized one minute and then go completely berserk the next. She can give an animalistic, primal look and then get into a girlish glee. Even if the film doesn't make me laugh a minute whenever I watch it, Fisher's performance still elevates it. Not that there was ever going to be a campaign for her, but she deserved at least a Best Supporting Actress nomination that year. Though of course, those of us that follow the Oscars know they have a love-hate relationship with comedies. They'll have no issue awarding a comedic performance in a dramatic movie (i.e, Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain, etc.) but it's rare for them to nominate a funny performance in a funny movie.

Since Wedding Crashers, though, Isla Fisher has worked consistently. But she hasn't really gotten a role that has reached the same memorable heights as her Gloria. Then again, maybe she's one of those performers who is content with just being a working actress like Emily Blunt, Rose Byrne, and Rachel McAdams. I've read quotes from those actresses that suggest they're happy with how their careers are.

This year, though, she gets to play the female lead in the spy comedy Keeping Up With The Joneses opposite Zach Galifianakis, Gal Gadot, and Jon Hamm while starring in the ensemble drama Nocturnal Animals for director Tom Ford who guided Colin Firth to an Oscar nomination for A Single Man. Who knows how Nocturnal Animals will play to the Academy. But even if they don't, here's hoping she gets recognized somewhere down the line.

The U.T.C.: John Goodman

Up until Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his Oscar, the fact that he was Oscarless inspired a lot of hilarious memes. If you go search on Google Images and type "Leo Oscarless memes," you'll find some hilarious results. It was fun to laugh at how overdue DiCaprio was since he had 4 nominations prior to his win. But where's the love for an actor like John Goodman who is highly regarded yet has NEVER been nominated?

John Goodman's career spans much longer than Leonardo DiCaprio's as he has been around since the 80's, bouncing from film to television to voice work. He's especially been lauded for his work on television like in the show Roseanne which won him a Golden Globe and got him a slew of Emmy nominations.

But he recently starred in two consecutive Best Picture winners, The Artist and Argo, and even though his career spans over four decades, he still works like a machine, popping up in film after film, delivering every time.

Thinking of how long he's been working and now he constantly keeps delivering in film after film has me thinking, "Agh, what is it going to take to get him nominated?!" He does movies about Hollywood (Argo and Trumbo) and nothing. He's worked with Oscar darlings like the Coen Brothers and Robert Zemeckis. Nothing. Again, starred in two consecutive Best Picture winners and...NIL.

What exactly IS it going to take, I wonder? Well, I would love it if 10 Cloverfield Lane did the trick for him but the film is an early Spring release date and falls under an unfriendly Oscar genre, science fiction. Maybe the critics will revive him at the end of the year but we'll see. Supporting Actor isn't looking very competitive so he could be a wild card. Again, we'll see. He does the Boston Marathon film Patriots Day coming out at the end of the year. Maybe he has some meaty material to work with.

I'm hopeful that THE role will come his way soon and it'll probably be a supporting role since he is typically a supporting actor and the Supporting Actor category is often the "veteran achievement" award.

The U.T.C.: Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson is someone that has been proving herself to be the unsung hero in everything she does. Martha Marcy May Marlene was a breakthrough vehicle for Elizabeth Olsen yet no attention was given to Paulson as the sister trying to ground her back to reality.

12 Years A Slave was an awards juggernaut, not only winning Best Picture but gaining recognition for its three main actors: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong'o who ended up winning Best Supporting Actress. Yet despite her Mistress Epps being vital to her slave owner husband's guilt and self-loathing as well as Patsey's heartbreak, no attention was given to Paulson.

Lastly, Carol managed to score 6 nominations, including for its two lead actresses. But Paulson probably had a difficult time sneaking in because her co-star Rooney Mara was being cheated down to Supporting. Also, because of how short and analytical her performance is. The Academy does appreciate performances that are analytically subtle like Rachel McAdams in Spotlight. But Spotlight was the Best Picture winner which helped McAdams get carried over to a nomination while Carol was left out of Best Picture and was more of an underperformer.

While Paulson has had better luck at the Emmys, racking up nominations for her work on American Horror Story, even there she can't catch a break because she has yet to win an Emmy.

But will she ever get a ticket to Oscar, though? Well, if she continues to at least find a balance between work on film and television, her chances will get better. Also, if she has the right role in a Best Picture contender and/or there's no category fraud in her way, there's a chance.

The U.T.C.: Ziyi Zhang

Back in 2000, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon made a splash here in the States. It was a box office smash, won several Oscars, and introduced audiences to a discovery named Ziyi Zhang who played the ferocious yet young and naive warrior Jen.

Since then, she's found a balance between American films and Chinese films, starring in Rush Hour 2 along with Hero and House of Flying Daggers where she was BAFTA nominated. Yet she would never really pop here in the States because as a lot of us know, Hollywood is a place that thinks Asians exist in stories pertaining to Asian culture.

When it seemed like Zhang would get Oscar nominated for a story pertaining to Asian culture with Memoirs Of A Geisha, collecting a Globe, SAG, and BAFTA nod, she still unfortunately missed out despite the film picking up a handful of Oscar wins and nominations. Even if Zhang wouldn't have derailed the Reese Witherspoon train, her being nominated would've at least added some diversity to the Best Actress category.

For quite some time, she's stuck to Chinese films. But thankfully J.J. Abrams recently came a calling, casting her in the sci-fi film God Particle opposite David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Chris O'Dowd. Sci-Fi might not be the Academy’s number one genre. But the film at least thankfully has Zhang back in the American spotlight.

The U.T.C.: Kirsten Dunst

Even though Kirsten Dunst has become famous for her work as Mary Jane in the Spider-Man trilogy and for her starring role in Bring It On, sometimes I feel that people forget that she is an incredible actress capable of so much more.

She made quite a breakthrough in 1994 with both Little Women and Interview With The Vampire. Haven't seen the former, but in the latter, she delivers Oscar-worthy work. As the sinister vampire Claudia, Dunst had the difficult task of playing an adult stuck in a child's body and she really pulled it off. Dianne Wiest swept the awards circuit in the Supporting Actress category for Bullets Over Broadway. But Dunst likely would've given her some competition.

She has also become a muse for Sofia Coppola  with The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and the upcoming The Beguiled while continuing to stick her foot in the indieverse with films like Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and All Good Things. 

But the biggest snub in her career has to be her performance in Melancholia. Even if it is a very un-AMPAS movie, I'm sure Lars Von Trier's Nazi joke at Cannes added insult to injury despite the critics coming to Dunst's aide: The National Society of Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics Association (runner-up), and the Kansas City Film Critics Circle. Also, she won Best Actress at Cannes. 

She has enjoyed a minor resurgence, though, with the second season of Fargo, having garnered a Golden Globe nod, a Critics Choice win, and possibly an Emmy nod. She also recently starred in Midnight Special which didn't give her a whole lot work with but she still left a good impression when she was on screen. On the horizon is Hidden Figures alongside Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer and the film Woodshock which got picked up by A24 Films. This year's Room, perhaps? 

The U.T.C.: Elizabeth Olsen

2011 was a banner year for lead actresses. In a sea of terrific and dynamic performances by leading ladies, there was one performer that emerged as a special discovery. That performer was Elizabeth Olsen as a manipulated cult member in Martha Marcy May Marlene. Olsen didn't make it very far in the precursors, managing a BFCA nod and an Independent Spirit nod. To me, that's a shame because I thought she was even better than the performance that won that year (Sorry, not sorry, Streep fans.).

But her performance at least got Hollywood to take note and she would go on to have a supporting role in Godzilla and play Scarlet Witch in the Avengers franchise. Yet she has managed to remember her indie roots, working in films like Silent House, Liberal Arts, In Secret, and Very Good Girls. 

While her turn in the failed Oscar bait biopic I Saw The Light likely won't garner any traction, she does have the upcoming Wind River opposite Jeremy Renner which sounds promising. It is about a man investigating a murdee that took place in a Native American reserve and it just got picked up by Harvey Weinstein.

So thankfully because Olsen is able to squeeze in films outside of the MCU, an Oscar nomination might not be far from her reach. Thankfully, she does make films outside of Marvel because she has luminous screen presence whenever she appears.

The U.T.C.: Lea Seydoux

Lea Seydoux is one of those actresses who has appeared in films you have seen and probably liked, but can never place her name since she tends to have a small part in such films.

Yet while she has built quite a profile stateside, working with directors like Anderson, Tarantino, Allen, and Ridley Scott, she would get her true breakthrough in her native France with Blue Is The Warmest Color as the main character's love interest Emma. Her lead co-star Adele Exarchopoulos would take most of the breakthrough plaudits but Seydoux's performance as Emma is quite vital since she makes you see why she is both too hot to handle yet also too cold to hold.

After Blue Is The Warmest Color, Lea Seydoux would have a small role in The Grand Budapest Hotel and play a Bond girl in Spectre. But she has been able to find a bit of middle ground, balancing work in both English and French language productions. This year, she has a part in the dystopian black comedy The Lobster for director Yorgos Lanthimos and It's Only The End Of The World for Xavier Dolan opposite Gaspard Ulliel, Marion Cotillard, and Vincent Cassel. While those two projects may or may not land Oscar traction, if she can continue to build up her stateside profile or land the right significant role back in her native France, we could see her help the list of French actresses that have already been nominated (Cotillard, Binoche, Deneuve, etc.) continue to grow.

The U.T.C.: Jack O'Connell

It all started with Starred Up. A tiny British prison drama that I continue to try and raise awareness for since it seems to have slipped through the cracks. After I watched the raw leading performance from Jack O'Connell and especially the film's powerful finale, I was like "I'll follow whatever film he does next" because right after I watched it, I toyed with seeing Unbroken because Jack O'Connell was in it. While I still haven't seen Unbroken yet, which is the film that got people to take note of his talent, I still would see whatever project he had lined up which is why I saw Money Monster. 

But after I watched Starred Up, I looked back at his filmography and I realized that he was the main villain in the underseen horror film Eden Lake which stars a pre-fame Michael Fassbender. When I found out, I was like "Wow, he's a hell of an actor." To me, O'Connell possesses a talent that is so raw and soulful that he even surpasses fellow British breakouts like Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne that have gotten more exposure than he has. 

While his performance in Money Monster is a standout, I don't know if it'll do the trick for him in terms of landing an Oscar nomination due to the film's mixed reception and summer release date. But he does have two other films coming out this year: the costume drama Tulip Fever starring Alicia Vikander and the much baitier HHhH which is about the assassination of a Nazi leader and is distributed by the Oscar whisperer Harvey Weinstein. HHhH doesn't have a release date yet so we'll see where that one goes. But with his upcoming film projects along with the Netflix series Godless for Steven Soderbergh, he is starting to build up a profile stateside. So the more U.S. work he does, the more likely he could build momentum for a nomination. Even if it doesn't happen this year, fingers crossed it happens soon.

The U.T.C.: Matthias Schoenaerts

Penelope Cruz. Sophia Loren. Javier Bardem. Marion Cotillard. Antonio Banderas.

That is just a sampling of European actors to make a big splash State side. But one actor that looks to slowly be doing the same is Belgian import Matthias Schonaerts.

Schonaerts had a slight breakthrough with 2011 Best Foreign Language Film nominee Bullhead and 2012's Rust and Bone where he co-starred with Marion Cotillard. While Cotillard garnered most of the film's buzz, with good reason, they couldn't quite muster up a strong campaign for her male co-star.

Since then, he has appeared in more English language films like Blood Ties and The Drop where he gave a performance worthy of Supporting Actor recognition in my opinion. He was also all over the place in 2015 with Far From The Madding Crowd, A Little Chaos, The Danish Girl, The Loft, and even Suite Francaise which was released straight to video. He also had A Bigger Splash which premiered at Venice last year and will be released in theaters in May.

According to his Wikipedia page, he is currently filming an HBO miniseries about Lewis and Clark which is executive produced by industry darlings Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, and Edward Norton. HBO films produced by Tom Hanks, like Game Change and John Adams, have had plenty of Emmy success. So maybe he'll get props for his work on the small screen.

Ever since I saw him in Rust and Bone, I've labeled him as the Belgian Brando. So if he gets the right American role that allows him to live up to that title and showcase his ability to mix sensuality and sensitivity, then he could finally join the Oscar club in the future. The fact that he keeps his slate quite full gives me hope that said role will come sooner rather than later.

The U.T.C.: Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Back in 2014, Gugu Mbatha-Raw had quite a breakthrough. First, she gave a quiet powerhouse performance in the costume drama Belle as a mixed race woman struggling to adjust to life in Victorian England. Then right after came her work as a Rihanna-esque pop star in Beyond The Lights. 

But not only has she proven her ability to carry a film, but also her ability to hold her own amongst veterans like Will Smith and even Tom Hanks in Larry Crowne where she delivers a 180 from her Belle performance as a spunky and rather naive college student with a heart of gold. 

So she's a very dynamic performer and very charismatic yet it seems Hollywood hasn't figured out what to do with her. She had very little to do in Jupiter Ascending and Concussion and while she will be in the upcoming Beauty and the Beast adaptation, she'll still be playing (*sigh*) a motion capture role as a feather duster. 

However, a few projects she has on the horizon give a small glimmer of hope that her U.T.C. membership will be revoked soon. One is the Civil War drama The Free State of Jones opposite Matthew McConaughey where she plays McConaughey's former slave wife. There is also The Whole Truth where she'll star opposite Keanu Reeves and Renee Zellweger. It is being directed by Courtney Hunt who guided Melissa Leo to an Oscar nomination for Frozen River back in 2009. So if a big distributor picks it up, we'll see where it goes.

Her name was also thrown around for the new Star Wars sequel but as of right now, her name is anything but confirmed even though principal production should be starting soon. If her casting does come to fruition, then not only would Hollywood be taking advantage of her rising star, but larger audiences will begin to take note of her talent. Even if it doesn't land her an Oscar nomination, then more doors might still open for her.

The U.T.C.: Rose Byrne

When I first heard of Rose Byrne, I was familiar with her name, yet I could never place her face. But it wasn't until maybe 2011 where that all changed and she had three very different films. First was the horror film Insidious, then the 2011 sci-fi prequel X-Men: First Class, and lastly the comedy Bridesmaids. 

That last one certainly opened a new chapter in Byrne's career, proving how gifted she is as a comedienne, and proved how she was the unsung hero of Bridesmaids. While her flashier co-star Melissa McCarthy got an Oscar nomination, a case could've still been made for Byrne's inclusion. (Heck, she was better than the performance that won that year.)

But Neighbors is where she really showed us what she was made of as she single handedly walked away with the testosterone-filled picture. I personally would've nominated her in Supporting, but I can understand an argument that she's Lead. Supporting Actress was much more sparse, so if she was put there, she would've been an easy winner. Just like if she were nominated this year for Spy, a performance that gets better upon repeat viewings, she would be my winner.

But of course, simply due to bias against comedies, Byrne's work in Neighbors and Spy never got much traction which is a shame because having comedic timing is much more difficult than dramatic plate-smashing.

On the horizon, she has the X-Men and Neighbors sequel, which likely won't get her much traction. She does an indie drama known as The Meddler opposite Susan Sarandon, but we'll see where that goes.

The U.T.C.: Emily Blunt

Hello, Bloggers! Now that I have done a profile on Ben Mendelsohn, the practical president of the Undervalued Talent Club, my next profile will be on its vice president: Emily Blunt.

When she first came onto the scene with The Devil Wears Prada, I have become quite fond of her talent since then. But it wasn't until her banner year in 2014 where I became a massive fan and decided I would follow her latest project. Between her two performances from 2014, Edge of Tomorrow and Into The Woods, I would've given her the nod for her work in the former. As the Full Metal Bitch, Rita Vitarski, Blunt provides a subtle and delicate mix of deadpan wit, physical badassery, and rather vulnerable determination. Her work in Into The Woods is quite different and also three-dimensional as she plays the Baker's Wife that attempts to break a spell preventing her from having a child through charming deceit.

In a weaker year for Best Actress, Blunt would also climb to my personal final five for her career-best work in Sicario. Judging by the three nominations the film received (Cinematography, Sound Mixing, and Score), it's clear voters saw the film. Yet Blunt couldn't manage to surprise. I figured that since her husband John Krasinski was announcing the nominees, he'd work as a good luck charm. But not the case.

She has a couple of films set for release this year: The Huntsman: Winter's War and The Girl On The Train. I definitely don't think she'll get nominated for the former. But she possibly will for the latter. The Girl On The Train is based on a novel and has drawn comparisons to Gone Girl. The film adaptation of Gone Girl did land Rosamund Pike a Best Actress nom so we'll see if similar magic can make Blunt revoke her U.T.C. membership.

The U.T.C.: Ben Mendelsohn

So now that Rachel McAdams' membership in the Undervalued Talent Club has finally been revoked, I figured I'd delve into not only a member of the U.T.C., but someone who is practically its president. That person being Ben Mendelsohn.

It all started with The Dark Knight Rises. When I saw it a second time and noticed his scenes, I thought to myself "Who is this guy?" because Ben Mendelsohn was so good in his brief scenes as Bruce Wayne's corporate rival Daggett. Then I saw his work in The Place Beyond The Pines as the former bank robber with a heart of gold Robin, went back to his breakthrough into American cinema: His psychotic Pope in Animal Kingdom. But ultimately, what had me really following his next career moves is Starred Up. While it is mainly a star vehicle for Jack O'Connell, it is Mendelsohn that acts as the rock trying to hold the main character together. As someone who loved J.K. Simmons in Whiplash, Mendelsohn should've walked away with every Supporting Actor award under the sun.

On the brighter side of the spectrum, we have been seeing his name appear on awards shows thanks to his work on TV's Bloodline. Also, he did receive an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Mississippi Grind. I'm not sure he'll win but I'm still hopeful that his name will be called at another ceremony in the future. Plus, with him being in the upcoming Star Wars spinoff Rogue One and being in talks to be in Ready Player One directed by a guy named Steven Spielberg, more people will get go know his name and I will be a happy man to witness it.

The U.T.C.: Rachel McAdams

Hello, Bloggers, welcome to a new segment on Film Guy Reviews. It is known as The U.T.C., which is short for the Undervalued Talent Club. On this segment, I discuss actors that haven't had a ticket to Oscar yet, but hopefully will in the future. The main criteria is that the actor doesn't have a nomination as of now. The first member of this club I will discuss is Rachel McAdams.

I remember when I saw her first film The Hot Chick, where she played a girl who switches bodies with a crook, and when I saw her name appear at the end credits, I thought to myself, "This girl is gonna be big." Then 2004 happened and suddenly people knew her name. With Mean Girls, she relishes in playing yet humanized the evil queen bee Regina George, proving her ability at comedy. She also played the romantic lead in The Notebook.

She would then go on to bounce from genre to genre: Thriller (Red Eye), ensemble dramas (Spotlight, State of Play), romance (The Vow, About Time, The Time Traveler's Wife), comedy (Morning Glory, Midnight in Paris) and now sci-fi blockbusters with Doctor Strange.

But her work that is most snubbed, in my opinion, is as Regina George in Mean Girls. I've discussed her work on my Anatomy Of A Performance segment, but she not only took the queen bee role to new heights, but her Regina has become more prolific than plenty of recent Best Supporting Actress winning performances in my opinion. That's the category I would've put her in. Thankfully, with the upcoming Spotlight, her membership of the U.T.C. might be revoked.

What do you guys think? Do you agree she is an underrated talent like I do and what do you think of this segment? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!