Oscar nominations reward Moneyball, snub Drive

Each year, I eagerly await a certain day in late January with childlike glee and enthusiasm. Suddenly, I'm seven again and it's Christmas morning.

However, in this scenario, Christmas is a perverted, twisted day where all of my hopes are crushed and all my presents overwhelming disappointing.

It is the day the Oscar nominations are revealed, and last Tuesday was that very day. As always, I ran down the stairs in my onesie pajamas, checked for the half eaten cookies and prepared to curse Santa's name to hell. Or so to speak.

But something very strange happened this year. As I dug into my "gifts," I was not met with overwhelming despair, but with surprise and even relief. A Moneyball Best Picture nod? It's what I've always wanted! A limited edition Woody Allen for Best Director?! Wow, neat! A Melissa McCarthy Supporting Actress nomination? Oh, I just love it! Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Jonah Hill, The Muppets, Rooney Mara, and so on. It felt an awful lot like satisfaction.

But inevitably, some darkness crept its way into my sunshine daydream fueled by my Oscar-induced high. And since nobody really wants to read about how happy something makes somebody, I will instead harp on the negative and rant against the Academy and what I didn't like about this year's nominations.

Drive: Drive was undoubtedly a polarizer. It topped many a critics' "Best Of" lists, but just as many hated it. For my part, I thought it was pretty great. It wasn't the best film of the year, but it was bold and startlingly unique. It was unlike any other movie out this year, in a good way, and in my book that should earn an Oscar nod. But alas, the Academy completely snubbed it. Best Picture? Snubbed. Best Actor for Ryan Gosling? Snubbed. Best Supporting Actor for Albert Brooks? Snubbed. Best Director for Nicolas Winding Refn? Snubbed. And on it goes. I somehow doubt the Sound Editing recognition is much consolation. It's not surprising, but it's definitely disappointing.

Ryan Gosling: Whether it was a matter of splitting votes or temporary blindness in the Academy, Gosling was passed up not once, not twice, but THRICE for his three star-making roles in 2011. This was his year. He has always been a talented actor; now he is an "it" actor. But despite fantastic, award-worthy performances in Drive, The Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love., Gosling was sadly overlooked this year. A single teardrop should be seen gently falling down the cheek of every female and movie fan in the country.

Michael Fassbender: In a similar scenario to Gosling's, Fassbender is a young, fresh-faced actor who really blew up last year. Performances in X-Men: First Class, Jane Eyre, and A Dangerous Method certainly shook the waters, but his fearless role in Shame brought the tsunami. Here was a true talent emerging. But the Academy passed, opting for surprises Gary Oldman and Demián Bichir in the Best Actor race instead. Perhaps he simply did not show enough skin in Shame. Actually, from what I've heard, that's impossible.

50/50: I totally adored this underrated cancer comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. JGL deserves recognition, but it was always a long shot given his stiff competition in the Best Actor slot. But would a Best Original Screenplay nod have killed them? If a movie starring Jonah Hill can be one of the frontrunners this year, why not one of Rogen's?

Super 8: J.J. Abrams summer movie hit was universally praised by critics, loved by audiences, and was one of the most heartwarming tributes to cinema this year (the Academy loved movies about movies this year i.e. The Artist and Hugo). Yet I've heard literally no mention of the film at all come award season or even any disappointment about it being snubbed. Have people already forgotten about one of the best films of last year? Or is the idea of a sci-fi film being nominated still too ‘out there' for the Academy? Either way, it's a shame really.

And the rest: No love for The Adventures of Tin-Tin? Harry Potter? Bridesmaids in the Best Picture category? Why am I seeing Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close when I should see The Ides of March? Where are you David Fincher? And for the love of god, how could you pass up Ryan Gosling?

But I digress. Even with all of these disappointments and snubs, this was overall a pretty great year for movies! Rejoice while you can before your favorite inevitably loses to Meryl Streep in every category.