Each year I read the Oscar nominations, and each year I swear I will never buy into this award show again. It seems that each year something causes me to become so angry at the Academy and the politics they play by shutting deserving films from the most prestigious honor they can give them.

This is not a new trend. Director Alfred Hitchcock never received a Best Director Oscar. Each year people cry for Martin Scorsese, and he has yet to transform filmmaking the way Hitchcock did. If “Vertigo” can’t take home a Best Direction Oscar, it’s safe to say that “The Aviator” has the odds against it.

These are my biggest snubs of the year, one so colossal it begs for some rolling heads. You’ll find no “Passion of the Christ” (although I feel strongly about this picture) or “Fahrenheit 9/11” here (one I definitely don’t feel too strongly about). But how something so disastrous occurs as my first snub is unbeknownst to me, and proves once and for all that these nominations are absolutely motivated by internal spite. Here it is:

Nominees for Best Animated Feature of the Year:

THE INCREDIBLES

SHREK 2

SHARK TALE

That’s right folks, nowhere on there will you see the most groundbreaking animated film of the year, “The Polar Express.” If you have not seen this film, especially in its amazing IMAX 3-D format, you are missing out on one of the most exciting, moving experiences you will ever have in a movie theater.

Director Robert Zemeckis (a former NIU student) spent a good chunk of his life with this children’s passion project. Each scene was meticulously shot, painstakingly animated, and patiently rendered, all using technology new to filmmaking. The result is a beautiful fusion between reality and animation, a film that will have you staring at it in awe while you are whisked away with its main character to the North Pole.

Instead, we’ll wonder on Oscar night if the filmmakers behind Shark Tale will dare to show up, having to explain their presence on this ballot to each member of the viewing audience.

“Shark Tale” is a drab, stereotyped film about an Italian-lipped mobster fish and a jive-talking fish who tries desperately to make us laugh. “Shark Tale” is one of the only 3-D animated stinkers, a film that did much too well at the box office and benefited from a drooling child audience waiting for something to see.

I’m not alone here folks. “Shark Tale” scored a sad 34 percent positive on rottentomatoes.com, a site that delivers ratings on films averaged from critics across the country. Its nomination for the most prestigious award of the year has sunk the Oscar to its lowest level. Should it win, and I mean it this time, I will never watch the Academy Awards again.

A Close Second:

Nominations for Best Direction of the Year:

Martin Scorsese for THE AVIATOR

Clint Eastwood for MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Taylor Hackford for RAY

Alexander Payne for SIDEWAYS

Mike Leigh for VERA DRAKE

Where in the name of quality filmmaking is Michel Gondry in this list? His “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” was not only the most visually appealing film of the year, but it was probably the most sound in narrative structure, performance, lighting design, and cinematography.

There is no doubt that “Eternal Sunshine” deserved a Best Picture nod, but the Academy seldom takes chances on films that have audiences thinking. The least they could do, as they did with “Being John Malkovich’s” Spike Jonze, is pity him with a nomination. This way they’d be able to claim a small bit of credibility for their award gala.

Instead, a true visionary will have to root for his lead actress (Kate Winslet in the Best Actress category) and brilliant screenwriter (Charlie Kaufman in the Original Screenplay category) come Oscar night. Another shameful moment.

The Worthy Snub:

Best Actor: Paul Giamatti for SIDEWAYS

“Sideways” is the most overrated film of the year – a coming of age movie that never completely comes to life. While Giamatti plays a great part in this film, it pales in comparison to his work in last year’s “American Splendor,” the movie for which he should have taken the Oscar home.

It’s no secret that the Academy hates to give nominations to actors stereotyped as comedians (take Jim Carrey in his slew of great performances), but I’d argue that “Sideways” isn’t very funny at all. Maybe that’s why he was left aside.

Worthy of a Snub he didn’t get:

Best Supporting Actor: Jamie Foxx for “Collateral”

While there’s no question that Jamie Foxx transformed into Ray Charles for “Ray,” he seemed to play the role simply enough in Michael Mann’s “Collateral.” Foxx’s performance was right on target, beaming the frustrations of a man in peril right off the screen. It’s a steady performance, but in no ways worthy of an Academy Award.

Foxx benefited more from a dynamic, powerful performance from the always overlooked Tom Cruise. Cruise carries this film on his shoulders – any nomination coming out of this film should have been his. Or even Mann’s for that matter – I haven’t seen a film as gripping as “Collateral” in quite some time.

Overall, I’d have to rate the Oscar nominations as some of its safest yet. Other than the often gut-busting Chris Rock, there’s not too much to look forward to come Oscar night. Think back ten years ago and ask yourself this – would you ever have imagined wondering if Leonardo DiCaprio would defeat the favored Jamie Foxx for an Oscar? Have things really sunk this low, or am I just bitter because my favorites are always left out of the party?

One thing’s for certain – no matter how much we complain, we’ll all tune in to watch. And I’ll certainly be as whiny on Monday morning.