SINGAPORE — So the nominations for the 2015 edition of the Academy Awards have been announced. While some were expected (Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel topped the list), there were also some surprises, both good and bad.

NO DAVID OYELOWO FOR BEST ACTOR. What? The underwhelming Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) in place of David Oyelowo, who so remarkably portrayed Martin Luther King in Selma? Really? How about Jake Gyllenhaal, who creeped us out in Nightcrawler? And can there be a more disappointing snub than not having the wonderful Ralph Fiennes, who was wickedly uproarious and heartbreakingly acerbic in The Grand Budapest Hotel? Let’s not even get started on the lack of love for Timothy Spall, who clearly deserved to be in the running for playing painter JMW Turner in Mr Turner.

BEST DIRECTOR SNUB #1. Did the Oscars really turn down the chance to nominate a black woman for the first time in the history of this category when they glaringly omitted director Ava DuVernay for civil rights historical drama Selma from the list? Oh, for shame, Academy!

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE SNUB. Everything is not awesome when the Academy decided to leave out this critical and commercial box office smash from the list. Nominating the film’s earworm song in the Best Original Song category — as nice of a surprise as that was — is a dismal consolation. But we’re not worried for the film-makers, who took the snub in classy stride. Phil Lord, who co-directed The Lego Movie with Christopher Miller tweeted a picture of an Oscar built from Lego blocks, with the caption “It’s okay. Made my own!”

SATISFYING SURPRISE: THE CLINT EASTWOOD BEST DIRECTOR SNUB. Kudos must be given to the Academy for recognising how overrated and fantastically mediocre Clint Eastwood’s direction of American Sniper (based on the life of the most lethal sniper in United States military history) was.

BEST PICTURE SNUB. The Best Picture category can include up to 10 nominations — which is why we’re scratching our heads, wondering why Gone Girl, Foxcatcher, Nightcrawler, Inherent Vice, Mr Turner or Wild were all not on the list. Any of which could have taken the place of the jingoistic American Sniper.

BEST DIRECTOR SNUB #2, #3 AND #4! Can it really be true that David Fincher’s Gone Girl, Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice have all been overlooked in the best film and best director categories? Where has the love gone for these former Oscar golden boys, especially in a time when their respective films are cinematically stronger than ever?

BEST ACTRESS SNUB WHICH LED TO A SATISFYING SURPRISE. We’re guessing the Academy doesn’t want to be friends with Jennifer Aniston, even though she ticked all the Oscar bait boxes by de-glamming and delivering a heartfelt dramatic performance as a chronic-pain sufferer in Cake. But Aniston’s loss meant Marion Cotillard’s gain as it paved the way for the unexpected but well-deserved Best Actress nomination for her forthright and luminous performance in the Dardenne brothers’ Two Days, One Night.

BIGGEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE SNUB. Perhaps the Academy simply don’t like film critics? Life Itself - critically acclaimed Steve James’ documentary about the late celebrated film critic Roger Ebert - just didn’t get any love from the Oscar voters and we’re wondering why.

THE COLOUR SNUB. No actors or actresses of colour were nominated, making this officially the Whitest Oscars since 1998.

SATISFYING SURPRISE: LOVE FOR THE UNDERDOGS. All boo-boos aside, the Academy must get at least one hurrah for recognising Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel and Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, which might so easily have been rebuffed over awards season in a sea of Brit biopics. Which even without a win, will not be neglected in the general deluge of big budget big box office superhero blockbusters. The kind of underdog good-news satisfying surprise we like.

The 87th Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast LIVE on Mon Feb 23, 9.30am (Singapore time)  on HBO ( Starhub Channel 601). Visit http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/birdman-grand-budapest-hotel-top-oscar-nominees for the full list of Oscar nominees.