And the Oscar will not go to....

When the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences (AMPAS) selects nominations, they are voted on by the thousands of members that make up the AMPAS. How they nominate a movie to be a nominee of an award to begin with, I don't know. And every year, snubs are discussed. Usually, I myself am content with the nominations for the awards. And rarely is there a category where I couldn't care less about who or what wins. I almost always have a favorite in each category that I want to win.

Then there are omissions. But first, I want to clarify the difference between my definition of a "snub" and an "omission." A "snub" is a movie or person(s) that didn't get nominated for a specific category. An "omission" is a movie that didn't receive any nominations.

The Golden Globes (while still prestigious) are considered by me as the blueprints for the Academy Awards. Not just the winners, but the nominations. I don't consider the Golden Globes a crystal ball, telling me who might win or will win at the Oscars. But what to expect. Get a glimpse of. They influence people on what to see or consider seeing. Then the Oscar nominations can act as a reassurance or correction. And just because you didn't like a movie or a character doesn't mean it shouldn't win (not just because of personal preference). Popularity, box office numbers, and reviews influence the public on what is good and bad, before seeing the movie and determining for themselves. People often say that this person or that movie "deserves an Academy Award" (implying that it should win, not just be nominated). "Oscar buzz" influences the public (and maybe or maybe not the Academy). In addition to popularity, resumes come into effect for some. But a filmmaker with an immaculate resume can't produce a movie that is absolutely amazingly bad or disappointing and be nominated.

Three years ago, the AMPAS increased the number of Best Picture nominees from five to 10. Part of the reason was due to displeasure from many for "The Dark Knight," directed by Christopher Nolan, not being nominated. So while every other category has up to five nominees, Best Picture gets up to 10. There were 10 nominees in 2010, as well as 2011. But there were only nine nominees in 2012. And again in 2013, there are only nine Best Picture nominees:

-Amour
-Argo
-Beasts of the Southern Wild
-Django Unchained
-Les Miserables
-Life of Pi
-Lincoln
-Silver Linings Playbook
-Zero Dark Thirty

And there are five nominees for Best Director every year, so some directors are left out. The five nominees for Best Director all had their movie nominated for Best Picture (this hasn't always been the case). John Singleton got a directing nomination for "Boyz n the Hood," his debut feature film, but no Best Picture nomination. Singleton did not win. But the year before that, Kevin Costner won Best Director for his debut film "Dances with Wolves" (as well as Best Picture).

The four Best Picture nominees this year that didn't receive a nomination for Best Director: "Argo," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," and "Zero Dark Thirty." Those directors are Ben Affleck, Quentin Tarantino, Tom Hooper, and Kathryn Bigelow.

Tarantino, Hooper and Bigelow each have received Best Director nominations in the past (both Oscars and Golden Globes). Bigelow and Hooper have also won an Oscar for directing. Bigelow won in 2010 for "The Hurt Locker" and Hooper won in 2011 for "The King's Speech." Tarantino, Bigelow, and Hooper each had their previous film nominated for Best Director at both the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. None won at both shows. Ben Affleck was nominated for Best Director at the Golden Globes, and his film "Argo" received a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and Best Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes. The Golden Globe awards for those categories were given to Ben Affleck and "Argo."

But Ben Affleck didn't get an Oscar nomination for directing. He has a short list of directing on his resume (three feature films), but he's not a rookie like Singleton and Costner were. Benh Zeitlin got a Best Director nomination for his debut feature film "Beasts of the Southern Wild." "Argo" was more well received by critics and grossed more money than "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Affleck's previous two films "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town" each received an Academy Award nomination for a supporting acting role. Obviously the AMPAS doesn't pay attention to the Golden Globes for influence. But winning, on top of being nominated for, the Golden Globe for Best Director should garner (no pun intended) at least an Academy Award nomination for the same category.

One omission that caught my attention was "Rust and Bone." It received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film and Marion Cotillard was nominated for Best Actress - Drama for her performance as Stephanie. While "Rust and Bone" not getting a nomination for Best Foreign Film (which disappointed me) may go unnoticed, Cotillard's snub did not sneak by. Cotillard has only one Oscar nomination, which she won Best Actress for "La Vie en Rose" in 2008. Since then she has been in a lot of movies States-side. Prior to "La Vie en Rose" most of her work was across the pond.

Many critics were ready to give her the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in "Rust and Bone." But she didn't get the nomination. This made me tip my head in confusion. Cotillard plays Stephanie, a woman in her early to mid-thirties who works at France's version of Sea World, Marineland, as an orca trainer. An accident that wasn't her fault results in her having both legs amputated at the knee. Bound to a wheelchair, she becomes more dependent on others. She doesn't want anyone's pity while striving to be as independent as she can.

This has Oscar on his knees begging to go home with Marion Cotillard. The Academy tend to be suckers for vulnerable characters facing adversity. Tom Hanks played Andrew Beckett in "Philadelphia." Beckett is a gay man diagnosed with AIDS who is fired by his law firm. He believes he was discriminated against and fired for having AIDS. He is in turn represented by an outspoken homophobe played by Denzel Washington. Hilary Swank played Brandon Teena, a transgender who is ridiculed by his/her peers and is sexually assaulted in "Boy's Don't Cry." Both Hanks and Swank respectively won an Academy Award for their performances, both leading performances. But Cotillard will not get an Oscar for her performance in "Rust and Bone."

The recognition (or lack thereof) of "The Dark Knight Rises" wasn't necessarily conspicuous, but puzzling when known. No nominations whatsoever were given to the film for any category. The last Batman movie to not get any Oscar nominations was "Batman & Robin." "Batman Begins," the first chapter in the Dark Knight trilogy, was nominated for cinematography (Wally Pfister). The second chapter, "The Dark Knight," got eight nominations. It won two; Sound Editing went to Richard King, and Supporting Actor went to Heath Ledger posthumously. Heath Ledger won the same award at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, SAG Awards, and Critics' Choice Award. The absence of a Best Picture nomination contributed to the increase of nominees in the category.

But its sequel, TDKR, was not recognized by the Academy for any achievement. Other trilogy finales that were recognized by the Academy include "The Godfather Part III" and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Even "Alien 3" got a visual effects nomination. But TDKR got shafted. Most of the nominees would've been in the technical categories. However, Warner Bros. pushed for an acting nomination for Anne Hathaway, but failed. A Best Picture nominee was also a legitimate possibility. But probably not a Best Director nomination for Christopher Nolan.

Tom Hardy's performance as Bane was thrilling and terrifying. I would vouch for Tom Hardy getting a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Nearly his entire face was covered by a mask except for his eyes. His mouth, chin, and cheeks were covered. This prohibited him from smiling, grinning, frowning, appear in total awe, frustration, or serenity. Those are what express most human emotion on the face. But his eyes and eyebrows allowed him to channel his emotions. The fight in the sewer briefly showed this. But the speech he gave outside of Blackgate Prison was his shining moment.

The reason for omissions and snubs are not just because there are other films that some people may like more than others. Limitation is the invisible reason. With such a large amount of movies and people worthy of recognition, there's too much distribution of votes. Some Academy members may be undecided on some categories or torn between multiple choices in a category. They either can't make up their mind, take a shot in the dark, or make an uncertain vote. Had Tarantino, Bigelow, and Affleck gotten Best Director nominations instead of Benh Zeitlin, David O. Russell, and Michael Haneke, the Academy could be even more split on votes. Of all the Best Picture nominations, four of the directors have won Best Director: Spielberg, Bigelow, Lee, and Hooper. It's nearly impossible to vote for an MVP on a Dream Team. The snubs and omissions that I've talked about (and the ones that I didn't discuss) are akin to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Each person can cast only so many votes. And their votes are immensely outnumbered by worthy candidates. Normally, the one candidate that wins in the end loses votes during the voting process to one or two other worthy candidates in the category. When you have four or five worthy nominees, you have more candidates to take votes away from the eventual winner.

Top 5 Disney/Pixar Movies

5 - Toy Story. The essence of Toy Story is not just that toys come to life when people aren't around them, but that they're completely aware of the fact that they are toys to begin with. Woody doesn't believe that he's a sheriff to uphold the law. Although he is a toy with integrity.

Woody knows that making a kid happy is why he exists as a toy. He's a leader amongst the rest of Andy's toys for multiple reasons. For one, he's Andy's favorite. So he knows how to be special for Andy and make sure that he's always there for Andy when he wants to play. Another is because he cares about the well-being of the other toys. Mr. Spell's meeting on plastic corrosion awareness is essential to the health and longevity of the toys. No one likes to play with a toy whose paint is fading and Rocky Gibraltar doesn't want his muscles to deteriorate. Though they have dangers as well. The sight of Buzz Lightyear's "severed" arm is disgusting to them, even though there aren't broken bones or mangled muscle tissue.

Buzz has a background story that makes him believe he is a real space ranger and that he has a mission to complete. He doesn't believe that he's a toy because he's never been played with. He hasn't had the experience of being played with. He believes he is destined to serve Star Command because that's what he's been programmed as. He eventually realizes that Star Command is just part of a marketing ploy and learns first hand that he can't fly.

But when Buzz and Woody need the help of each other, Buzz realizes that he is in fact a toy. There is no Star Command. His laser can't stun or kill anything. Woody is then able to point out that while he isn't a space ranger on a finite mission, he is a toy that will serve a purpose for a much longer time.

4 - Toy Story 2. One of the perks of being a toy is that they last forever. An eternity. Even though their time is infinite, toys have to make the best of it.

A toy must know its purpose to help make the time worthwhile: to make a child happy. A child playing with his or her toy is just like some childhood relationships. Eventually you outgrow them and look for something new. And that's the lesson learned. Making the best of your relationships. The stronger a friendship is, the better the time together is.

Buzz reminds Woody of what he once taught him. Life's only worth living if you're being loved by a kid. Thinking that Andy won't love him for that long, he opts to go with Jessie, Bullseye, and Prospector to the museum in Tokyo. This way he'll be loved by kids forever. It isn't long until Buzz points out that being looked at and revered by countless kids in a museum isn't the life a toy should live. Jessie put it very well. When a kid is playing with a toy, even though they're not moving, the toy feels alive. And toys don't get that opportunity when they're preserved in museums.

Woody remembers how special his relationship with Andy is. And even though it's finite, it's the best thing for both kids and toys. Make the best of it while you can. Plus Woody and Buzz have each other to share the time together.

3 - Monsters, Inc. The interpretation of monsters living under the bed and in children's closets can be trite. But portraying them as average joes is original. The two main joes, James P. Sullivan, a.k.a. Sulley, and Mike Wazowski, live ordinary lives together. They work together and still have experiences that dwarf many we have. The attitudes they have differ in many ways. Mike is proud of his accomplishments that most would see as diminished. Mike is either too imperceptive to notice them (the company logo covering him in the TV commercial) or he doesn't let them bother him. While both are the answer, the former takes the cake. Mike's failure to sweet talk Roz so he won't be reprimanded for not filing his paper work is another case in point of how idiotic he can be.

The love Mike and his girlfriend Celia have for each other can be considered puppy love. Even though they don't show public displays of affection, their pet names for each other make you laugh and feel happy for them. Googly Bear (Celia's pet name for Mike) expresses his love for Schmoopsy Pooh (Mike's pet name for Celia) so much that she could do almost anything that would make some other person love her less.

But the love and care Sulley has for Boo is the heart of this movie. He's able to show her that she doesn't have to be scared of monsters. Sully will go through even the grittiest conditions like a blizzard in the Himalayas, and persevere anything and anyone to get her back home safely.

2 - Up. True love lives on long after the passing of one's soulmate. If it didn't, Carl Fredricksen's house would still be down on the ground in the city. His wife Ellie's lifelong dream is to live in a house atop of a cliff overlooking Paradise Falls, a land lost in time. The strength of Carl's and Ellie's love for each other puts Glenn Beck's love for the United States to shame.

After Ellie dies and he's about to move into a retirement home due to court orders, Carl embarks on the adventure of his life. He is soon joined by a little boy named Russell, a Wilderness Explorer who is willing to do anything to be with the person he wants.

Hindrances (some unexpected, others not surprising) start to deter Carl and his journey the same way kids prolong a drive to the family cabin by wanting to stop for fast food and needing to go to the bathroom every fifteen minutes. They meet Kevin, a bird that is the core reason of why Carl and Ellie wanted to go to Paradise Falls to begin with, the MacGuffin. And Dug, a dog who can talk with the help of a voice collar. Despite being bothered by the possible presence of a squirrel occasionally (SQUIRREL!), he is a devoted servant to Carl. He want Carl to be his new master.

The four of them encounter three other dogs with voice collars. The leader, Alpha, has a malfunctioning voice collar, leaving him with a high-pitched, squeaky voice. Can't imagine what helium would do to it. This idiosyncrasy undermines Alpha's toughness, like a paraplegic villain in a James Bond movie. The three of them are on the hunt for a snipe, the kind of bird Kevin is.

After being chased by Alpha and the other dogs, Carl and Russell meet Carl's boyhood hero, Charles Muntz. He is Dug's and Alpha's master, as Dug and the other dogs call him that. When Carl and Russell find out that Muntz sent the dogs to hunt and capture Kevin, they flee. But not without Muntz putting up a good fight and trying to stop him.

Carl and Russell try to flee Muntz with Dug and Kevin, but Kevin is almost immediately caught by Muntz. With Kevin now captive and Russell wanting to save Kevin so she can get back to her babies (yes, Kevin is a girl), Carl is stuck with a dilemma: tow his house on his own, or help Russell rescue Kevin. Carl chooses the latter, allowing him to achieve both while realizing that even though you have to let some things go, it can be for the best.

1 - WALL-E. The heart of this movie outweighs its humor. Though it's funny in a very cute way, the movie is more heart warming than ANYTHING. Passengers of the Axiom, the captain included, are so obese that they get around by using hovering lounge chairs with computers that appeal to whatever they desire, because walking isn't necessary. They prefer talking with someone via a Skype-like technology, which is a lot easier and more convenient than turning their heads to look at the actual person who's right next to them while conversing.

When WALL-E gets ejected from the Axiom and his escape pod blows up, EVE refuses to believe the worst. But he escapes with a fire extinguisher. Using the extinguisher for propulsion, he shows EVE that he has the plant, the MacGuffin. She's so delighted that a hug and kiss sends WALL-E into euphoria. EVE then invites WALL-E on a spacewalk that is reminiscent of a couple ice skating alone in Central Park at night. This is the quintessential moment of WALL-E and EVE's affection for each other.

Even though WALL-E does some foolish things involving EVE (which usually anger her), she eventually realizes that he is doing it simply because he fears something bad will happen to her and he wants to help her. EVE returns the favor when WALL-E needs help more than EVE possibly ever did.