Biggest Oscar Snubs: Not a Year for "Little" Films

The Oscar nominations are in and there may or may not be a grand night to fete all the nominees and most especially the winners. Yes, the Writer's Strike could nix a telecast Oscars the way it wiped out the Golden Globes. To honor that situation, this article on snubs will not include any of the writing categories. That seems only fair. Besides, people don't care about the writing categories unless someone famous is nominated. Most people don't realize what an art it is to take a novel, a short story and translate it into film in a way that does justice to the original work while satisfactorily bringing it to life on the screen. And great original screenplays aren't exactly a dime a dozen either. But, I digress.

Let's begin at the top of the Oscar pyramid in this year that is thus far being dubbed "Oh, Canada" for the plethora of Canadian nominees - with Best Motion Picture - where the nominees are "Atonement"; "Juno" (Canadian ties); "Michael Clayton"; "No Country for Old Men"; and "There Will be Blood". All in all a very nice crop of films, and a nice touch that a sardonic comedy about teen pregnancy is among the group.

Weird though that "Atonement" the bleak drama of betrayal and lost love in wartime, was seen as a best picture when neither of its lead actors nor its director got a nod. In fact, Atonement" leads the Oscar nomination count with 7 total, but not for lead actors or director. I suppose it's some consolation that the screenplay, adapted from Ian McEwan's novel earned a nomination for writer Christopher Hampton. To Keira Knightley, who may be just too pretty to be taken seriously by the Academy, I would be consoled by the reality that Angelina Jolie's remarkable portrayal of Marianne Pearl in "A Mighty Heart" also got snubbed.