Oscar nominees 2014: Full list - The Washington Post

Oscar nominees 2014: Full list

I think I've seen all the significant films this year, despite my lack of updates at The Movie House. Here's my look at the notable snubs:

Joaquin Phoenix was not nominated for his performance in Her. That's a shame because he was brilliant, but this was one of the two most competitive categories this year (Best Director being the other). Robert Redford and Tom Hanks were also passed over. If it were my call, I would have put Phoenix in and removed DiCaprio, who just did his usual swaggering DiCaprio character (which I love, by the way). Whoever wins this category should thank only one person: the inimitable Daniel Day-Lewis, for taking the year off.

Emma Thompson was not nominated for her performance in Saving Mr Banks. There's no excuse for this one because this category was not very competitive this year, because there is no stand-out performance, and because Dench and Streep just received their usual perfunctory nominations for performances which were good but not great. Emma not only deserved to be nominated, but you could make a good case for her as the winner. So it goes.

Oprah was not nominated for her performance in The Butler. I have nothing against Oprah, who did a good job, but I can see why the academy was unimpressed. That character added nothing to the movie except confusion. Julia Roberts could be removed from the category on general principles, which would make room for the Big O, but I don't much care either way.

Best director: Neither Spike Jonze (Her) nor Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) was nominated. Greengrass is the most underrated director in the world when it comes to creating excitement and tension in scene after scene. He was the ability to make any mediocre script into a great film. In The Bourne Ultimatum he even managed to make a downright terrible script into a film with 94% positive reviews. As for the Spikester, he created a beautiful, strange world in Her. After having noted all those things, I don't know whom I would have kicked out to put those guys in. The roster of nominees is very strong, so strong that the Coen Brothers also missed the cut. I have a feeling that the academy members will vote Spike Jonze in for Best Original Screenplay to make up for his directing snub. Greengrass, on the other hand, is just the odd man out this year. So it goes.

Best Picture: some people thought Inside Llewyn Davis and Saving Mr Banks had a shot, but they missed the cut. It doesn't matter much because neither was a serious contender for the statuette.