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5 Years Ago — 2013. The McConaissance is in full swing.

12 Years a Slave *Previous Winner*
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street

2013 Contenders in Hindsight
Stoker, Spring Breakers, Evil Dead, Upstream Color, Oblivion, 42, Iron Man 3, Mud, Pain & Gain, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Great Gatsby, Fast & Furious 6, Frances Ha, Before Midnight, Only God Forgives, The Kings of Summer, Now You See Me, This is The End, Man of Steel, Monsters University, World War Z, The Lone Ranger, Bad Words, The Way, Way Back, Fruitvale Station, Pacific Rim, The Conjuring, The World’s End, The Wolverine, Blue Jasmine, Short Term 12, You’re Next, Prisoners, Rush, Blue is the Warmest Color, The Counselor, Frozen, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Inside Llewyn Davis, Out of the Furnace, Lone Survivor

It is, admittedly, a bit more difficult to do a Hindsight Awards for only 5 years ago. If anything, it serves as an opportunity for us to recognize movies that became parts of global culture as well as films that should’ve been held in higher regard, in our opinion.

A lot of the Best Picture nominees from the 86th Annual Oscars (celebrating the year 2013 in film) are middle of the road dramas, like Nebraska. Others offer up decent amounts of wit and charm, like American Hustle and Philomena. Ultimately though, there’s only three films that latched themselves into the conversation.

So to fill the other spots, we had to go big or go home. Our list contains small films you might not have heard of, overlooked biopics, gigantic blockbusters, and smash hit horror films.

12 Years a Slave. The horrifying and heartbreaking true story of Solomon Northup’s capture and enslavement proved to be a launching point for direct Steve McQueen and actress Lupita Nyong’o. A period drama that remains sadly relevant today, it is fueled by powerful, impactful performances and the sadly accurate depiction of American slavery.

Fast & Furious 6. No franchise has gone through the transformation that Fast & Furious did under the direction of Justin Lin. By using parts previous installments to build the universe, Lin created one of the all-time global franchises. Featuring a diverse cast, absolutely insane action sequences, and cheesy yet effective themes of family and honor, Fast & Furious 6 served as the turning point where the franchise exploded.

Frozen. Disney’s animated phenomenon was unavoidable not only during its release, but long after as well. An inclusive fairy tale of sisterly bonds and believing in ones self, it went on to spawn a billion-dollar brand filled with merchandise, musicals, theme park attractions, and more. With a sequel on the way, I’m sure fans aren’t ready to Let It Go quite yet.

Fruitvale Station. A heartbreaking true story about racial injustice, police violence, and the effect it has on a community, Fruitvale Station served as a powerful announcement of Ryan Coogler as a creative force. Pair with his next two films, it serves as the foundation of one of the best three-film starts for any young directors career.

Gravity. One of the most technically astounding films ever made was more than just a movie. Seeing it on the big screen, Gravity was an event to experience. Thrilling, white-knuckle filmmaking from Alfonso Cuaron aided by some of the best special effects ever put on film made this one of the biggest movies of the year. One of the only films that makes you sweaty with its intensity.

Mud. A beautiful, gripping coming-of-age crime film that features a lead performance from Matthew McConaughey that rivals his more celebrated turn in Dallas Buyers Club and introduces us to a young, impressive Tye Sheridan. Writer/director Jeff Nichols crafted a film that deals with the hardships of growing up in a broken home paired with a tense crime subplot that earned this film recognition as one of the ten best independent films of the year by the National Board of Review.

Pacific Rim. Only Guillermo del Toro would have the madness to put together a big budget sci-fi action spectacle that calls back to the days of Godzilla and Robot Jox. An absolute blast of an oddball blockbuster featuring giant interdimensional monsters battling giant human-piloted robots, you’d be hard pressed to find a film that has as much fun as Pacific Rim.

Rush. One of the most underrated films of the past decade, Rush is a fantastic, breakneck look at deep rivalry and respect between two of the greatest Formula One drivers ever. Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl give the best performances of the year as James Hunt and Niki Lauda, and Hans Zimmer delivers one of his best scores in this riveting look at two men willing to sacrifice everything to win.

The Conjuring. One of the biggest horror films of all time, The Conjuring served as a major launch point for director James Wan. Raking in more than $300 million worldwide, it also helped spawn a new horror franchise and icon in the Annabelle doll. Taking the real-life stories from Ed and Lorraine Warren is a stroke of genius that could keep this series going for a very long time.

The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s hard to believe that a film this jammed packed with profanity, nudity, and drug-filled chaos is not only based on a true story, but also directed by a man well into his seventies. Martin Scorsese gives us the ultimate look into a lifestyle of greed and gluttony with the help of a crazy-good cast and a fantastic Leonardo DiCaprio performance that proves he’s as good at comedy as anybody.

2013 Hindsight Best Picture Nominees
12 Years a Slave
Fast & Furious 6
Frozen
Fruitvale Station
Gravity
Mud
Pacific Rim
Rush
The Conjuring
The Wolf of Wall Street

Click Below to Vote for the 2013 Hindsight Best Picture!

Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity *Previous Winner*
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

2013 Contenders in Hindsight
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips, Spike Jonze, Her, Jean-Marc Vallee, Dallas Buyers Club, Harmony Korine, Spring Breakers, Shane Black, Iron Man 3, Michael Bay, Pain & Gain, Jeff Nichols, Mud, Fede Alvarez, Evil Dead, Shane Carruth, Upstream Color, Baz Luhrmann, The Great Gatsby, Richard Linklater, Before Midnight, Noah Baumbach, Frances Ha, Justin Lin, Fast & Furious 6, Nicolas Winding Refn, Only God Forgives, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, The Kings of Summer, Marc Forster, World War Z, Sofia Coppola, The Bling Ring, Zack Snyder, Man of Steel, Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station, Guillermo del Toro, Pacific Rim, James Wan, The Conjuring, Edgar Wright, The World’s End, Lee Daniels, The Butler, Adam Wingard, You’re Next, Nicole Holofcenver, Enough Said, Denis Villeneuve, Prisoners, Ron Howard, Rush, The Coen Brothers, Inside Llewyn Davis, Scott Cooper, Out of the Furnace, John Lee Hancock, Saving Mr. Banks, Peter Berg, Lone Survivor

There’s a fairly simple rule that we use when looking back in hindsight at director nominees. Is this movie their best? Is it part of a string of great films? Did it lead to greatness? Or is it a lesser example of this director’s overall talents? With three of these nominees, I think it’s fairly easy to say that their films aren’t in the conversation as their best. The others, McQueen and Cuaron, crafted some of their greatest achievements.

The benefit of hindsight also allows us to go back and recognize talent and brilliance that was just getting started, or had really gone unrecognized by the industry at large. Justin Lin and James Wan have become major power players in Hollywood, commanding massively budgeted films that dominated the global box office, and they got their by directing effective, successful films one after another. Spike Jonze, while not climbing to the same heights, has an equally unique eye and skill that made Her into one of the most unique futuristic love stories ever.

2013 Hindsight Best Director Nominees
Justin Lin, Fast & Furious 6
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Spike Jonze, Her
James Wan, The Conjuring

Click Below to Vote for the 2013 Hindsight Best Director

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club *Previous Winner*
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofer, 12 Years a Slave

2013 Contenders in Hindsight
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips, Robert Redford, All is Lost, Forest Whitaker, The Butler, Idris Elba, Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom, Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis, Joaquin Phoenix, Her, Bradley Cooper, The Place Beyond the Pines, Ryan Gosling, The Place Beyond the Pines, Chadwick Boseman, 42, Robert Downey Jr, Iron Man 3, Matthew McConaughey, Mud, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Great Gatsby, Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight, Ryan Gosling, Only God Forgives, Henry Cavill, Man of Steel, Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station, Casey Affleck, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Hugh Jackman, Prisoners, Chris Hemsworth, Rush, Will Ferrell, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Christian Bale, Out of the Furnace, Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks, Ben Stiller, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

This was a strong year in male performances, but even we can recognize that American Hustle just isn’t near the top of the Christian Bale pantheon. Additionally, it’s no stretch to see that Bruce Dern’s nomination was closer to a career nomination. McConaughey, Ejiofer, and DiCaprio contributed not only amazing performances, but also perhaps the best of their careers in their roles.

Filling in the other two slots, we wanted to think outside the box. We decided to nominate Michael B Jordan for his breakout dramatic performance, one of commanding presence and sadness. We also felt that Joaquin Phoenix deserved recognition for his lovely, heart aching turn acting opposite just a simple voice.

2013 Hindsight Best Actor Nominees
Chiwetel Ejiofer, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station
Joaquin Phoenix, Her
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Click Below to Vote for the 2013 Hindsight Best Actor

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine *Previous Winner*
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

2013 Contenders in Hindsight
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks, Kate Winslet, Labor Day, Julie Delpy, Before Midnight, Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said, Brie Larson, Short Term 12, Mia Wasikowska, Stoker, Jane Levy, Evil Dead, Reese Witherspoon, Mud, Emma Watson, The Bling Ring, Vera Farmiga, The Conjuring, Scarlett Johansson, Don Jon, Lea Seydoux, Blue is the Warmest Color, Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Christina Applegate, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Yo, Judi Dench? Meryl Streep? We respect your talents and abilities, but let’s not pretend anyone will be discussing these movies and performances in the future. You’ve all done better, won for better, and these nominations are almost perfunctory.

To fill your two spots, we’re going to recognize someone whose career is just launching, and someone who has had an often-unheralded one. Greta Gerwig leaped into superstardom after her role in Frances Ha, which opened so many doors for her. Emma Thompson has been one of our strongest actors for years, and her portrayal of PL Travers in Saving Mr. Banks was one of the best part of the film.

2013 Hindsight Best Actress Nominees
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blacnhett, Blue Jasmine
Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

Click Below to Vote for the 2013 Hindsight Best Actress

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club *Previous Winner*
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

2013 Contenders in Hindsight
Daniel Bruhl, Rush, James Gandolfini, Enough Said, James Franco, Spring Breakers, Harrison Ford, 42, Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3, Tye Sheridan, Mud, Dwayne Johnson, Pain & Gain, Tobey Maguire, The Great Gatsby, Joel Edgerton, The Great Gatsby, Moises Arias, The Kings of Summer, Nathan Fillion, Much Ado About Nothing, Danny McBride, The Is the End, Jonah Hill, This Is the End, Sam Rockwell, The Way, Way Back, Idris Elba, Pacific Rim, Nick Frost, The World’s End, Jake Gyllenhaal, Prisoners, Paul Dano, Prisoners, Tim Hiddleston, Thor: The Dark World, Will Forte, Nebraska, Casey Affleck, Out of the Furnace, Robert De Niro, American Hustle

As mentioned above, 2013 was a really strong year for male acting performances, and it could’ve been just as easy as leaving everyone unchanged. Instead, we decided to cut out Barkhad Abdi for benefiting from exactly the right role and the right time, and we’re cutting Bradley Cooper’s performance in American Hustle for being lesser Bradley Cooper compared to Silver Linings Playbook or A Star is Born. Losing Fassbender was a really tough decision, one that I’m sure he’ll recover from, as we wanted to really throw in some left-field nominations.

Keeping Leto and Hill, we wanted to celebrate some iconic, scenery-chewing, excellent character performances. Idris Elba had always been middling as a great TV actor in bad movies until he got to be a true badass in Pacific Rim. Jake Gylenhaal is one of our weirdest, most interesting actors today, and his Detective Loki is another example is his massively interesting character work. He should have probably already won an Oscar or maybe two, but instead we’ll have to wait ’til he’s 65 and playing Pablo Escobar or something in order to finally get his due. Very few people can command his scenes from his costars the way Danny McBride does in This is the End, making nearly every word out of his mouth absolutely hilarious.

2013 Hindsight Best Supporting Actor Nominees
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Idris Elba, Pacific Rim
Jake Gyllenhaal, Prisoners
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Danny McBride, This is the End

Click Below to Vote for the 2013 Hindsight Best Supporting Actor

Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave *Previous Winner*
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

2013 Contenders in Hindsight
Oprah Winfrey, The Butler, Scarlett Johansson, Her, Nicole Kidman, Stoker, Vanessa Hudgens, Spring Breakers, Carey Mulligan, The Great Gatsby, Kristen Scott Thomas, Only God Forgives, Melissa McCarthy, The Heat, Toni Collette, The Way, Way Back, Octavia Spencer, Fruitvale Station, Lili Taylor, The Conjuring, Michelle Rodriguez, Fast & Furious 6, Viola Davis, Prisoners, Cameron Diaz, The Counselor, Jennifer Garner, Dallas Buyers Club, Emily Watson, The Book Thief, Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Carey Mulligan, Inside Llewyn Davis, Zoe Saldana, Out of the Furnace

Let’s just get it out of the way: I refuse to honor anything from August: Osage Country, so Julia is out. June Squibb was lovely but earned a novelty nomination, and Sally Hawkins has been much better in other roles.

This race came down to a dead heat between J.Law and Lupita in 2013, and it looks to be the same here, as well. So why not nominate some really left-field choices?

Yes, Scarlett Johansson only appeared as a voice in Her, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t one of the most effective vocal performances in the history of the film. She had to make the audience fall in love with an AI, and by all accounts succeeded. Yes, nominating Michelle Rodriguez for Fast & Furious 6 seems insane, but she was an acclaimed performer in Girlfight, and she was given more to depth work with in this entry than any before. Finally, yes, Elizabeth Banks in Catching Fire seems insane, but out of everyone underplaying it in that series, she went for it every chance she got, and her character work through the overall franchise was genuinely impressive.

2013 Hindsight Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Michelle Rodriguez, Fast & Furious 6
Scarlett Johansson, Her
Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Click Below to Vote for the 2013 Hindsight Best Supporting Actress

Agree? Disagree? Got your own picks in hindsight? Don’t forget to join the discussion with The Popcorn Diet, a podcast for those who live on a steady diet of movie theater popcorn and other movie snacks! Like, rate, & subscribe now on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Google Play, TuneIn, or wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!