Editorial: The Academy Awards Showed Bold And Lackluster Choices In This Years Nominations

Has there been a year before now where there have been this many big snubs? Oh sure, each ceremony brings one or two actors that should have been there, but this year felt like a whole other level of disappointments.

Life Itself not getting into Best Documentary?  The LEGO Movie failing to appear in Best Animated Feature? David Oyelowo in Best Actor? And most bizarrely, Bennett Miller getting a Best Director nomination for Foxcatcher, yet that film failed to get a Best Picture nomination. So much was overlooked, which makes me want to call this years nominations safe and bland. And yet, there are some bold choices in here, namely Marion Cotillard getting a Best Actress nomination over Jennifer Aniston, Whiplash getting into Best Picture and Inherent Vice garnering a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.

Perhaps even more notable than the snubs then is the fact that there's very few nominations that aren't in between the descriptions "shocking" and "predictable", most of the contenders this year are bound to get some sort of reaction, whether positive or negative, out of any given person. I have a ton of qualms with these nominees (Robert Duvall in Best Supporting Actor is bewildering beyond words), but at least some extremely high quality features like Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Selma and Whiplash got recognition.

But seriously Academy? Ava Duvernay couldn't get into Best Director? Seriously?