Snubbed by the academy?

Fri., Jan. 27, 2012

Nicole Sperling Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES – The academy giveth and the academy taketh away. Tuesday’s nominations held some surprises – or snubs, depending on your point of view. Among the biggest:

Steven Spielberg: Yes, his World War I epic “War Horse” was nominated for six awards, including best picture, but the three-time Oscar winner was unable to secure a slot in the director race. And his motion capture-animated film “The Adventures of Tintin” was shut out of the best animated film race, with Oscar voters opting for two obscure foreign movies rather than the populist cartoon that has grossed more than $350 million worldwide.

Michael Fassbender: The man who dared to bare it all in Steve McQueen’s “Shame,” a harrowing depiction of sex addiction, didn’t receive love from the academy as voters went with less controversial performances. Still, the lead-actor nods held some surprise, with Demian Bichir getting one for the little-seen immigrant drama “A Better Life,” and Gary Oldman landing his first nomination for playing George Smiley in the spy drama “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”

Tilda Swinton: Her role as the conflicted mother in the disturbing “We Need to Talk About Kevin” was critically praised but apparently didn’t resonate with voters. Instead, the academy recognized the upstart Rooney Mara for her stark portrayal of the disturbed hacker Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”

David Fincher: The prickly helmer was never going to win in the director category, but with his Directors Guild of America award nomination a few weeks ago, it looked like he was going to get some attention from the academy. But things didn’t go his way, with voters opting for the reclusive “Tree of Life” director Terrence Malick instead.

“Bridesmaids”: This could have been the year of the comedy if voters had chosen “Bridesmaids” to accompany Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” in the best picture race. But, alas, although the R-rated summer hit received nods for Melissa McCarthy in the supporting actress category and for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo for original screenplay, the Judd Apatow-produced film couldn’t squeak into the best picture race.

Pixar: Since the best animated feature film category was created in 2001, Pixar Studios has dominated it, winning six Oscars and scoring a nomination every year it had a film in release. Until now. “Cars 2” from Pixar head honcho John Lasseter was shut out of the race this year. Its less-than-stellar reviews prompted voters to choose two DreamWorks Animation films, two foreign films and “Rango” from Paramount Pictures.

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