With the Oscar nominations just over the horizon (January 24), we’ve been thinking about the movies we’ve loved this year that deserve serious Academy recognition. Though we know it’s unlikely that many of our genre-oriented picks will get the kind of consideration they deserve, we still believe that they have a chance for nods in certain categories (but that isn’t going to stop us from arguing for Best Picture for all these). Without further ado here are our thoughts on which of our favorite movies of 2017 deserve to take home some shiny statuettes.

Logan

What Nominations It Deserves:

Best Picture, Best Actor (Hugh Jackman), Best Supporting Actor (Patrick Stewart), Best Supporting Actress (Dafne Keen)

Why:

James Mangold’s stunning farewell to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was one of the most moving and heartbreaking movies of the year. It defied superhero tropes, with a diverse cast of young actors and a stunning performance from Dafne Keen as X-23, a debut that was emotionally gripping. The movie’s lo-fi visuals and prescient vision of a brutally fascistic post apocalyptic future was both engaging and vital. Jackman gave the performance of a lifetime, and it would be an injustice if he wasn’t nominated. Patrick Stewart turned the Xavier that fans have grown up with on its head, adding a humility and honesty to the role that was devastating to watch. Stewart has never won an Oscar and this performance seems like the perfect time for that wrong to be righted.

The Last Jedi

What Nominations It Deserves: 

Best Actor (Mark Hamill), Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects

Why:

It might not have been every fan’s favorite installment, but The Last Jedi was a spectacular epic with a number of fantastic performances and incredible set pieces. John Williams always deserves more awards, and this intricate referential score was no different. TLJ saw galactic battles of epic proportions, fantastic creature work, and multiple intergalactic settings which showed us more of the galaxy than ever before. Luke Skywalker, the lost and last Jedi, was a welcome hero and boy did Hamill bring it home. His brutally honest and open performance showed us a far more vulnerable Luke, giving him the sendoff he deserved. We’ll be the ones sitting outside the Kodak theater with a For Your Consideration sign and a picture of Mark drinking green milk.

The Shape of Water

What Nominations It Deserves: 

Best Picture, Best Director (Guillermo del Toro) Best Actress (Sally Hawkins), Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer), Best Supporting Actor (Doug Jones) Best Visual Effects, Best Make Up

Why:

Del Toro’s fantastical love letter to Hollywood, monster movies, and romance is one of the most gorgeous movies ever made, let alone in the last year. Showcasing his innate understanding and empathy for both people and creatures deemed as outsiders, the film is a must in the Best Picture category. Doug Jones’ career has been filled with incredible creations. He’s an artist like no other and it’s about time he got the recognition he deserves. Jones’ performance as Del Toro’s beautiful monster is a masterclass and it would be honestly groundbreaking for the Academy to start acknowledging the work of actors like Jones. Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer give the film its heart and both deserve to take home awards for the friendship, loyalty, and magic that they brought to the screen. The VFX are, of course, amazing. But if nothing else give them the Make Up Oscar for the sexy fish butt!

Get Out

What Nominations It Deserves: 

Best Picture, Best Director (Jordan Peele), Best Actor (Daniel Kaluuya), Best Original Screenplay

Why:

Only one horror film has ever won the Best Picture award at the Oscars, but there isn’t a more deserving Best Picture candidate released in contention this year. Like Silence of the Lambs before it, Get Out is a groundbreaking horror thriller. But it’s also a searing analysis of racism, complicity, and white violence. At the heart of Get Out is a fantastic performance by Daniel Kaluuya, as well as a drastically horrifying one by Allison Williams. It’s rare that any film wins what the Oscars call the big five–Best Picture, Director, Actress, Actor, and Screenplay–and in fact one of the few films to ever do it was Silence of the Lambs. But we don’t see any reason why the masterful Get Out couldn’t repeat that very same success this year.

Wonder Woman

What Nominations It Deserves: 

Best Actress (Gal Gadot), Best Costume Design

Why:

Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman was a cultural phenomenon a long time in the making. A dearth of female superheroes in the movies and lack of strong women on screen made Jenkins’ vision of Wonder Woman a smash hit. Breaking all kinds of records, the film took the world by storm. A film that meant so much to so many is undoubtedly deserving of a few nominations. And what would a Wonder Woman be without Diana herself and the wonderfully costumed Themyscirans? The heart of the WWI set period piece was Gal Gadot, who stole many fans’ hearts as the iconic Princess of Themyscira. So why shouldn’t the beloved Amazon and her c get a nod?

Blade Runner 2049

What Nominations It Deserves: 

Best Picture, Best Director (Denis Villeneuve) Best Visual Effects

Why:

When it was announced that the long awaited Blade Runner sequel was finally in production fans were understandably nervous. But Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 was fantastic: the sombre, sumptuous, and stylish movie dazzled fans new and old. Villeneuve’s film was a visually futuristic movie whose connection to the original only elevated the style of the film. The impact of the visual effects team in this creative process cannot be understated, which is why it would be a crime if they weren’t nominated for Best Visual Effects at this years ceremony.

Thor Ragnarok

What Nominations It Deserves:

Best Supporting Actress (Tessa Thompson), Best Supporting Actor (Jeff Goldblum), Best Visual Effects

Why:

Taika Waititi’s take on the MCU was the breath of fresh air that superhero movies needed. His vibrant direction and humor made the film one of the best of the year, and it quickly became many fans’ favorite cape movie. Tessa Thompson’s kickass portrayal of Brunhilda the Valkyrie created an instantly iconic new cinematic hero that we’d all so desperately needed, while Jeff Goldblum gave a star turn as the Grandmaster overlord of a technicolor planet where intergalactic warriors battle for freedom. It was a sumptuous wild ride that saw the return of Hulk, who’s one of the most complex and exciting supers the Marvel Universe has to offer. He was brought to life by same incredible team who built the expansive sci-fi, Jack Kirby-inspired landscape of Ragnarok, and the minds who gave us such a gorgeous escape deserve a prize.

A Silent Voice

What Nominations It Deserves: 

Best Animated Feature

Why:

Naoko Yamada’s A Silent Voice is a beautiful film, one that deftly explores friendship, bullying, and the trials of growing up. This touching feature follows a young deaf girl, Shoko, and her middle school bully Shoya years later as he attempts to befriend the young girl whose life he once tried to ruin.  A Silent Voice is a fantastic piece of storytelling and the animation is truly mind blowing. If you’ve yet to check out this wonderful, heartfelt film, it’s a must watch. And it would be wonderful to finally see anime get its due at the Academy Awards.

Your Name

What Nominations It Deserves: 

Best Animated Feature

Why:

Your Name was an international hit. It’s also an anime that will soon be adapted to live action by J.J. Abrams himself. The film relies on a body swap concept as we watch the trials and tribulations of Mitsuha and Taki, who begin to intermittently end up in each others corporeal confines. Your Name manages to be an engaging adventure film, a gorgeous romance, and a touching drama, but it’s the film’s ambitious animation and visual universe that really sets it apart from the crowd. Your Name will likely soon be a popular franchise in America with the announcement of Abrams’ adaptation, so it would be lovely to see the Academy recognize the gorgeous source material that moved the world.

Images: Marvel Studios, DC. Warner Bros, Kyoto Animation, Disney, Sony, Scott Free, QC, Blumhouse, Fox.