*(Last year, we counted incorrectly and declared the 2020 contest the 12th annual awards, when actually it was the 11th annual. We’ve corrected that error. If the Academy Awards messed up like that, you can be sure they wouldn’t admit it!)
Once again, there is zero overlap between the Weirdcademy Awards and the Most Conventional Movie Awards dog-and-pony show hosted by Hollywood. Despite having movie stars and beheadings and beheaded movie stars, even The Green Knight proved too out-there for the Academy, just because of a few scenes of talking foxes and giants randomly wandering into the story. Why wasn’t Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time nominated for best Animated Film (or at least given a Special Award for Longest, Most Confusing Title in an Animated Film)? Shinji has been fighting machines better and far more existentially than the Mitchells for over 25 years now. Keep an Eye Out was shut out of the contest for best International Feature Film, even though it waited patiently to debut here in 2021, despite being made in 2018, just so it could go up against recommend-a-cup-of-coffee-before-watching Drive My Car instead of competing with Parasite (or Roma, or even Another Round?) And hey, what about Titane—good enough for the brieheads at Cannes, but not for Hollywood?
Instead, we get to choose between biopics about the parents of famous people, remakes of 50s musicals and 40s film noirs, and non-Westerns without any six gun battles or barroom brawls. Power of the Dogs, indeed.
Yes, the Oscars are a joke, and everyone knows it. But you, my friend, you aren’t content with the same-old same-old. You want weird in your movies. The Weirdcademy Awards are for you, the moviegoer whose friends roll their eyes and sigh loudly when you suggest movie night should feature a flick about Nicolas Cage wearing a rubber suit with explosives hooked to his testicles during the radiocative samurai post-apocalypse.
Although the editors of 366 Weird Movies select the nominees from the pool of available movies, the Awards themselves are a naked popularity contest, and do not necessarily reflect either the artistic merit or intrinsic weirdness of the films involved. The Weirdcademy Awards are tongue-in-cheek and for fun only. Ballot-stuffing is a frequent occurrence. Please, no wagering.
The Weirdcademy Awards are given to the Weirdest Movie, Actor, Actress and Scene of the previous year, as voted by the members of the Weirdcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Weirdness.
Who makes up the Weirdcademy? Membership is open to all readers of 366 Weird Movies. If you can figure out how to vote in the poll, you are qualified to join. You can not be turned down because of your age, sex, religious affiliation, pronouns, vaccination status, or Joe Rogan podcast subscription. There is no requirement that you’ve have to actually see any of the movies listed before voting. You can vote for any or all categories.
Vote as many times as you like, but only once per day, please. We’ll keep voting open until March 27 at 12:00 Noon EST, so we can announce our results before the Academy Awards and steal their thunder.
Be sure to also vote for Weirdest Short Film of the Year. To watch all five nominees and to cast your vote, please click here.
Without further delay, we unveil the nominees for the 2021 Weirdcademy Awards after the break:
“Why wasn’t Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time nominated for best Animated Film”
Um, maybe because they were too busy trying to be political, thus making room for “Flee.”
One literal reason is Evangelion was not released theatrically in the U.S. and therefore not eligible for the Oscars, but that would have ruined the joke.
Mamoru Hosoda’s Belle should have been nominated but they messed up and released it in January.
In all honesty, though I liked Belle I would not have nominated it as a “weird” movie in any case. It was eligible for the Academy Awards and arguably should have been nominated there.