Actors, actresses and movies snubbed by this year's Academy Award nominations

By | February 22 2011 4:45 PM

Photo: Reuters

Christopher Nolan for Best Director

Christopher Nolan is nominated for writing “Inception” and for Best Picture for producing the thriller, but he lost the nomination for Best Director. Nolan has never been nominated for Best Director, as his blockbuster “Dark Knight” was also snubbed.

Photo: Reuters

Mila Kunis for best Actress in a Leading Role

There’s no question that Natalie Portman should have been nominated for Best Actress for “Black Swan.” It just seems a little odd that the other half of the dance team was denied a nomination.

Photo: Reuters

Justin Timberlake for Best Supporting Actor

While “The Social Network” was mainly about Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of the social media site Facebook, the movie was enhanced by Justin Timberlake’s performance. Playing the role of the creator of Napster, Timberlake gave a phenomenal performance that should have had him nominated.

Photo: Reuters

Andrew Garfield for Best Supporting Actor

Speaking of “The Social Network,” Andrew Garfield was also denied a nomination. His role as Eduardo Saverin was the heart of the movie. The movie was far too well-acted to have only Jesse Eisenberg nominated.

Photo: Reuters

Mark Wahlberg for Best Actor in a Leading Role

Many members of “The Fighter” cast are nominated for an Oscar, including Christian Bale for playing Mark Wahlberg’s brother, Amy Adams for playing Wahlberg’s girlfriend and Melissa Leo for playing his mom. Wahlberg himself, though, was snubbed.

Photo: Reuters

Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor in a Leading Role

Leonardo DiCaprio was denied the nomination for his role in “Inception” as well as “Shutter Island.” DiCaprio has played a number of roles in which he never received a nomination for an Academy Award.

Photo: Reuters

Ryan Gosling for Best Actor in a Leading Role

Ryan Gosling’s counterpart in “Blue Valentine,” Michelle Williams received a nomination for Best Actress in a leading role but the Academy ignored her equally deserving co-star. It’s the same problem as “Black Swan” when only one part of a duo gets nominated.

Photo: Reuters

Julianne Moore for Best Actress in a Leading Role

Continuing the trend set by Mila Kunis in “Black Swan” and Ryan Gosling in “Blue Valentine,” Julianne Moore was denied a nomination for her role in “The Kids Are All Right.” Her co-star Annette Bening is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Photo: Reuters

Despicable Me for Best Animated Feature Film

Despite the amazing reviews “Despicable Me” received, the nominations went instead to “Toy Story 3,” “The Illusionist” and “How to Train Your Dragon.” The animated film featured the voices of Steve Carell, Russell Brand and Jason Segel.

Photo: Reuters

Ben Affleck for Best Director

The actor turned director impressed yet again with his directing skills in the Boston-set action movie “The Town.” The directing plus the great performances from the entire cast should have won “The Town” a nomination.

Not everyone can be a winner at the Academy Awards. Not everyone can even be nominated either. There were many great movies that deserve Oscar nominations. The Town should have received a nomination. Mila Kunis should not have been left out of the list of nominees. After Dark Knight and Inception what more is there for Christopher Nolan to do to be nominated for Best Director? While it is difficult to please all deserving actors, there were some obvious snubs that did not go unnoticed. Here is a look at actors, actresses, directors and movies that should have received a 2011 Oscar nomination.