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The day Academy Award nominations are announced is always a day of morning grumbles, full of disappointed cries and whirlwind eye rolls. The whimpers usually originate from a lack of representation for their dearest flicks. On my part, the days leading up to the announcement are filled with two separate-but-coupled prognosis: movies that I would like to see getting Academy noms, and movies that I think will get Academy noms.

The following list are a combination of the two. Rather than airing my bitchtitude on the shouldas and couldas of the Oscars, here are some surprises that I didn't expect—some pleasant, some not so much—as well as some that I did but having a hard time accepting.

Full nominees list here.

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No Hat-trick for Miyazaki

The lack of any push whatsoever from Disney for Ponyo might explain its absence from the nominations (they were busy with Up and The Princess & The Frog), and while it might not have drawn the admiring gazes Spirited Away did, it's still pretty surprising that a Hayao Miyazaki film fails to get some recognition, given his status among animators.

Secret of the Kells' nomination

In the same category, The Secret of the Kells getting a nomination is wonderfully pleasant surprise, given its relative obscurity. I've been looking forward to this one for quite some time, but the film is not due for release until March, with the exception of a very limited run in LA in December (which explains its eligibility). It's obvious that the film wowed the industry animators who got to see the film enough to put it on the ballot—which only serves to ramp up my anticipation.

(0) Days of Summer

What should have been the Little Miss Sunshine/Juno of 2009 ends up being completely ignored by Oscar voters. There were some enthusiastic talks about (500) Days of Summer when it came out, if not Best Picture then at least Best Original Screenplay, but I guess Up in the Air has already filled the Academy's Sundance-film-that-could quota.

District 9: Best Picture?

District 9 was the sleeper hit that became a genuine hit. Appearing seemingly out of nowhere, it turned into a legitimate summer contender when it had both critics and audiences singing its praises. Given the 10 slots this year, it's understandable why it managed to squeeze in, but it's still a fair surprise to see such a strongly sci-fi gritty action movie get the votes over more traditionally Oscar-y films like Crazy Heart.

Sorry, Sam Rockwell

Once again the grassroots efforts of fans failed to make a dent with the Oscar voters. Last year it was the rabid demand for The Dark Knight to make Best Picture, and this year it's Sam Rockwell as Best Actor for Moon. Of all the snubs this year, this probably bothered me the most. Not only does Rockwell absolutely deserve it, but I believe that given the right push he could've gotten it, too. Someone f--ked up here.

Harry Potter and the Cinematography Award

Bruno Delbonnel's nomination for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince reminds me of the 2005 nomination for Wally Pfister's work in Batman Begins. They're both completely justified and deserving, but came unexpectedly because of the nature of the films. It's good to know there doesn't need to be prestige around the film for the cinematography to be acclaimed.

Anthony Dod Mantle's Antichrist snub

I wasn't expecting a movie like Antichrist to get any play at a traditionally sanitized award show like the Oscars, but I held out some hope that Mantle's undeniably gorgeous digital cinematography for the film would be recognized (it was definitely my fave of the year). Antichrist, to me, is superior to his work on Slumdog Millionaire, which won him an Oscar just last year.

The Avatar/Paris 36 switcheroo

Ah, the Best Song category. Given the current restoration of James Cameron's glory, I was half-expecting another "My Heart Will Go On" brain-blowing chapter with Avatar's terrible "I See You," which we're all thankfully spared from. The replacement, though, is Paris 36's utterly forgettable "Loin de Paname," which for the life of me I can't really figure out why. Let's just hope Crazy Heart takes this one, since Ryan Bingham's "The Weary Kind" is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition (I'm looking at you, Randy Newman).

Where the hell are the Wild Things?

I'm not bitter than my favorite movie of the year is not on the Best Picture list or Adapted Screenplay—it's one of those acquired taste thing... I guess—but it's quite a shock that Where the Wild Things Are didn't even get into any of the technical awards. Forget cinematography and original score, what about Visual Effects? Costume? Art direction?

The Blind Side/Sandra Bullock