Oscar nominees: snubs and eye-rolls

Early this morning, the Oscar nominees were announced by a chipper Emma Stone (looking impeccable in a retro white frock, accessorized with a black belt and heels) and Academy Awards host Seth MacFarlane. There were some surprising snubs – most notably, in the directing category – and some eye-roll-inducing selections. Since I basically live for this kind of controversy, I will happily sum it up for you:

Biggest Shocker: Ben Affleck (“Argo”) and Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty”), each considered a lock in the Best Director category for months now, were missing from the list of nominees. Directors who made the cut were Ang Lee (“Life of Pi”), Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”), David O. Russell (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Michael Haneke (“Amour”) and Steven Spielberg (“Lincoln”).

One Subtraction And One Addition I Would Make In The Best Picture Category: Give “Django Unchained” the axe; replace with “Moonrise Kingdom.” I was sad to see that the latter didn't get more love, but I was happy to see it score one nod in the Best Original Screenplay category. “Django” was dissatisfying and overrated. In addition to “Django,” Best Picture nominees include “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Lincoln,” “Les Miserables,” “Life of Pi,” “Amour,” and “Argo.”

Two Films I Will Wholeheartedly Endorse: “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Argo.” Two of the best movies of the year and deserving of every nomination they got. Out of all of the movies earning accolades from the Academy, these are the two you need to see.

Movie I Wished I'd See Among The Nominees: “Bernie.” A tour-de-force by Jack Black, this was such a great, underrated little movie; I would have loved to see Black in the Best Actor category. There's some very stiff competition among actors this year and "Bernie" didn't have enough buzz; a snub was expected but disappointing nevertheless.

Biggest Eye-Roll: “The Master” was shameless Oscar bait, and it worked -- hook, line and sinker. I feel nothing but bitterness toward this film because I will never get that 144 minutes of my life back; it's probably my most-hated movie of the year. I will concede that Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Phillip Seymour Hoffman did commendable work; movies like “The Master” exist only to showcase these kind of performances that the Academy is enthralled by. Allow me to save you the trouble and synopsize the arduous viewing experience:

- “Does this ever get any better? Is this actually going anywhere?” (No and no).

- “Wow, this guy drinks a LOT of paint-thinner.”

- “Isn't this supposed to be a thinly-veiled statement on Scientology? If so, kudos to Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise for making their escape.”

Animated Eye-Roll: “Brave.” Did you see it? What a poorly-conceived turn that movie took after a strong opening act. Visually stunning, as Pixar movies always are, but the writers really mailed it in this time. Hope you'll step your game up with the next one, Pixar.

Least Surprising: Anne Hathaway (“Les Miserables”) for Best Supporting Actress. I saw “Les Mis” -- really enjoyed it, and she was spectacular as Fantine. If she doesn't win, some jaws will hit the floor on Oscar night – well, if everyone hasn't fallen asleep already.

Bring on the red carpet!

For a complete list of nominees, visit the link on the right.