1) Paul Giamatti from Sideways | Best Actor
Yet again, Giamatti gets rebuffed by the Academy. His performance in last year’s indie hit American Splendor went unnoticed by Oscar as well.
2) Jim Carrey from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Best Actor
After flopping in serious roles in The Truman Show and The Majestic, Carrey displays his acting chops here, garnering admiration from practically everybody except the Academy.
3) Quentin Tarantino from Kill Bill Vol. 2 | Best Director
The classic example of why Oscar-caliber movies generally are released in November and December; arguably Tarantino’s best work to date is forgotten by Academy voters.
4) The Incredibles | Best Picture
The old school Academy wants no part of animated films in its Best Picture category, no matter how good they are.
5) Liam Neeson from Kinsey | Best Actor
Many thought Neeson would be Jamie Foxx’s only competition for Best Actor.
6) Michel Gondry from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Best Director
The heralded music video director shot the dream sequences of Sunshine in such a mind-blowing fashion, despite using predominantly old-fashioned camera tricks with few special effects.
7) Sandra Oh from Sideways | Best Supporting Actress
How do you get your hands on a great role? Easy — marry the director. Oh, the wife of Sideways helmsman Alexander Payne gives the scrappy performance of her career here.
8) Meryl Streep from The Manchurian Candidate | Best Supporting Actress
Streep doesn’t get nominated anymore. The Academy just can’t nominate the same person every year, no matter how great they are. They have to share the wealth.
9) Bill Murray from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | Best Actor
If I had my way, the Best Actor category this year would have 10 nominations. Still, with only five nods to go around, one could make the case for Murray over Don Cheadle or Johnny Depp.
10) Friday Night Lights | Best Adapted Screenplay
If Tim McGraw, the same guy who did a country/rap duet with Nelly, can act in your movie without making an ass of himself, you’ve done your job as a screenwriter.
