When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released this year’s list of Oscar nominations, the response went something like this:

“The Oscars are crap. I mean, they didn’t even nominate Christopher Nolan for ‘Inception!’ What were they thinking?”

What are they ever thinking?

With any awards show, you are bound to have some omissions and inclusions that make many people scratch their heads. The Academy is no different.

Unfortunately, the Academy catches more grief than most due to the highly publicized nature of the awards and the reputation they carry. These criticisms are not without merit. To be fair, though, the Academy gets many things right with their nominations. But when they goof, they goof big-time.

For many people, the headlining snub for the 83rd Academy Awards is the omission of Christopher Nolan from the list of five nominees for Achievement in Directing. When I ask people what makes a director “good,” most say that “vision”—however defined—is the number one trademark of a good director. If they are correct, it is hard to argue with their outcry over Mr. Nolan’s snub.

There were few movies or directors this year with better vision than “Inception.” Unfortunately, when I look at the Academy’s list of nominees, almost all of them are the ones I would include as having such vision. In my opinion, it is hard to see just which one is guilty of being the “most obviously undeserving” of the bunch.

I will admit I was shocked by his omission. His peers at the Directors Guild of America nominated him. However, I guess in hindsight I should not have been too surprised. After all, Nolan was not nominated for “The Dark Knight.” (It is also thought that the film’s Best Picture snub was the reason the Academy went to ten nominees for Best Picture last year.)

But you want to know the “Inception” snub that makes even less sense? Lee Smith for Best Film Editing. Anyone who has seen “Inception” knows that the last half of the film is crafted with extreme intricacy and precision. At one point we have four levels of the same narrative unfolding before us. It’s mind-blowing.

Smith’s absence is criminal. You will not convince me otherwise. But “Inception” is not the only film getting attention for its snubs.

The award for Best Actor is pretty much Colin Firth’s to lose. However, in terms of getting nominated, much anguish was had for fans of Robert Duvall in “Get Low,” Ryan Gosling in “Blue Valentine,” and even “Inception” star Leonardo DiCaprio.

Many feel that the spot for these three guys went to Javier Bardem for “Biutiful.” For my money, I would have Ryan Gosling take the place of Jeff Bridges. This pains me greatly, as I am a huge fan of Mr. Bridges; however, his work for “Crazy Heart” last year was much stronger. (I am not saying that winning the previous year should hurt potential nominees, though.)

“The Social Network,” despite dominating the Golden Globes, failed to see its best performer score a nod. Jesse Eisenberg gives one of the year’s finest leading performances, but Andrew Garfield was the anchor of that movie. I do not think he would beat out Christian Bale (“The Fighter”), Geoffrey Rush (“The King’s Speech”), or Jeremy Renner (“The Town”), but he deserves a nomination.

I could go on about how “The Town” deserves a nod for Best Picture, but that could fill another whole column. And I think that’s the point with these Oscar snubs. They inspire passion about our attitudes toward film. They are a reminder that what we love about individual films cannot be taken from us, even if they do not get the recognition they deserve.

Who cares in the end whether Christopher Nolan gets nominated for his films? Just keep ‘em coming.