The nominations for this year’s Academy Awards have been announced, and once again, the Academy Awards have overlooked some quintessential films that deserved to be recognized.

  This year is historic for many first-time nominees and historic for the film industry in general. Angela Bassett is the first Marvel actor to be nominated for a Marvel movie film, and long-time actress Jamie Lee Curtis was nominated as well, despite having a minor role in the film “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.”

  Some of the Oscar nominations were valid, such as Austin Butler’s nomination for his outstanding performance in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Michelle Yeoh’s stellar performance was also nominated for “Everything, Everywhere,  All at Once”, making her the first Asian Best Actress nominee. However, this year’s Oscar nominations still fell short of expectations.

  To begin with, no female directors were nominated for Best Director. This does not bode well in an industry that has prioritized equal rights and equality. In addition, for best picture, they nominated “Top Gun: Maverick,”  rather than frontrunners “Batman” or Jordan Peele’s “NOPE.” Do not make any mistake, “Top Gun” was a great feel-good film, but being nominated for an Academy Award is overkill. Yes, the film had progressive numbers coming out of the Covid-19 era of Hollywood, but it lacked cinematography, depth, and a true deeper meaning when compared to the others in this category.

  Leaving out “Batman” seems insane to me, as it was easily one of the best films of the year. The new layers that have been added to the iconic character, as well as the performance that Robert Pattinson delivered, should have earned him a Best Actor nomination. I believe the film’s lack of nominations is due to its earlier release date, despite remaining relevant since its debut.

  In addition, Jordan Peele’s “NOPE” was easily one of the most compelling and interesting films released in the last five years. I was glued to my seat, and the hidden meanings within the film highlighted society doing anything for fame. And, in my opinion, this is one of Peele’s best films, and his directing truly shines here. Missing the mark on this is a disgrace.

  Also causing controversy is Ana De Armas’ nomination for her inaccurate portrayal of Marilyn Monore in Blonde. Blonde revolves around a made-up book about Monroe, but the film promotes it as if it were an accurate representation, causing viewers to be outraged due to the disrespect shown to the icon. In addition, the film depicts horrific and graphic scenes of sexual assault, as well as how men saw Marilyn as a sex icon and nothing more. Although the hatred should not be directed at Armas but rather at those who wrote the film, nominating her for Best Actress is risky. If she wins, which I doubt, the Academy will be chastised, which is why I would not have nominated her.

  This year’s Academy Awards have some very questionable nominations, and one can only hope that the Academy does not repeat these errors in future years.