Charles Harris author ~

For the second time this year, we trip down the digital red carpet to deliver the final 7-12 of Not The Oscars 2026 – part deux.

The rest of the films which should have been at the top of the nominations list, but have been ignored (and a bonus). If you missed the first six you can catch them here.

So, put your glad rags back on and prepare to pose for the paparazzi. In no particular order:

7. Best Feelgood Movie with a Sneaky Dark Side

Alan Bennett’s unassailable place as a National Treasure is constantly surprising.

People seem to think he’s nostalgic, cuddly and sentimental, when his velvet glove always hides an unexpected razor-blade. The Choral is no exception.

On the surface a feel-good movie about an amateur choral group during the First World War, Bennett’s sharp script quietly brings us face-to-face with homophobia, xenophobia, sex work and the horrors of war.

Nostalgic? It’s only too up-to-date.

8. Best Anti-MAGA Movie

At a time when international law is under attack, what better than to dramatise the moment when it came of age?

Nuremberg takes us back the most famous trial of all, that of the surviving Nazi leaders after the war, and shows that even having such an unprecedented trial at all was not a given.

Yes, there are a few duff inventions, not least a British soldier who turns out conveniently to be a German-born Jew. But a brave film to have made – nailing its international colours firmly to the mast.

9. Best Movie About Comedy That’s Not Very Funny

The strange thing about the job of making people laugh is that it’s not very comical. Scorsese’s classic movie The King of Comedy bombed at the box office because the title made audiences expect, well, comedy. It’s a great film, but it’s dark.

So, don’t go to Is This Thing On if you’re looking for a laugh-a-minute date movie. But once you’re past that, this loosely-based true story of a man who falls accidentally into stand-up is actually rather good. Lighter, and at times sweeter, than Scorsese’s, is more fun and honest than many of the year’s big award-winners.

10. Best ‘Did This Really Happen?’ Movie

There were times watching Roofman when I actually had to go into Google and check that this true story was actually true. (Don’t worry, I wasn’t using my phone in the cinema, but watching a BAFTA streamer at home). And yes, this guy really did rob McDonald’s by cutting through their roofs and did live undetected for months in a Toys’R’Us.

Watch and marvel at this comedy crime. It’s both enjoyable and remarkably accurate, a rare combination. At times, jaw-dropping. From what I could find, the only significant change involved the ending, which is more or less true but – for dramatic effect – ties events together neatly that weren’t actually quite so neat.

11. Best Democrat Fantasy For Those Who Miss West Wing

A kind-of leftish lawyer finds herself unexpectedly governor of a US state and in a position to actually make people’s lives better. For viewers who wish West Wing had come true, what’s not to like?

Political comedy drama movie Ella McCay may not have Sorkin’s sharp dialogue or acerbic insights, but for Democrats and others aghast at the state of American politics today, it’s a lovely fantasy of a politician with a heart of gold battling the forces of evil. Dream on.

12. Finally: Best ‘Who Knew?’ Documentary With Imaginary Bits

If you’re old enough to remember meteoric singer and actress Marianne Faithfull, you may well find yourself shocked and surprised by Broken English – an oddball, sometimes shocking, yet moving documentary and virtually the last project she was involved with before she died in 2025 aged 78.

If, like me, you knew her only through her sultry hit songs, her sultry image, which electrified a generation of teenage boys in the 60s, and some rather snide press about her relationship with Mick Jagger, be prepared to walk through what it’s like to be a clever, attractive woman in our society.

The title is not the catchiest – it’s named for her 1979 comeback album – but she was indeed broken. Yet fought to mend herself. At some cost.

There some odd attempts at cleverness by the film-makers, which are best passed over, but this is a must-see if only for her amazing personality, undimmed. And to understand how much of what she achieved was her own doing. And she was born round the corner from where I live.

Bonus Film

Not strictly a not-the-Oscars, as it was nominated for best documentary feature, catch The Perfect Neighbor if you possibly can. Filmed solely on police footage, it tells the story of a neighbourhood dispute from hell. I urge you not to look it up and risk seeing spoilers. I was totally gripped not knowing how it would end.

Check out Play Me! – my new comedy crime novel, Amazon bestseller and twice award-nominated.

★★★★★ “Brilliant! Loved this book. Gripping and funny all at once!”

A hapless British rocker finds himself entangled in a deadly plot in the Caribbean.

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