EDITOR’S NOTE: Our final outside contributor offers up another rundown of fine films ignored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Read on to see whether you agree with his picks…

 By Brian Solomon of Vault of Horror

Best Director: Robert Zemeckis (BEOWULF)

Nothing illustrates the plight of genre filmmakers like Zemeckis’ legacy. Not to take away from FORREST GUMP (I love the film) but it’s very telling that one of our generation’s finest sci-fi/fantasy/horror directors has received only a single nomination/win, and it was for one of his only non-genre efforts. Zemeckis’ achievement in further innovating photo-realistic CGI movie-making with Beowulf is something that has gone sorely under-recognized.

Who Would I Bump?Not to hate too much on MICHAEL CLAYTON, which I greatly enjoyed, but does Tony Gilroy deserve this much recognition for crafting a well-made but not particularly mind-blowing espionage thriller of a type that’s been a Hollywood standard for years?

Best Animated Feature: BEOWULF

In a category with so few releases to choose from in the first place, how does this solid piece of epic filmmaking get ignored? With great performances, an intelligent adaptation of one of Western civilizations’ oldest stories, and some truly groundbreaking technique, it’s a gem from top to bottom.

Who Would I Bump? SURF’S UP. Enough with the penguins already.

Best Original Screenplay: Andrew Currie, Robert Chomiak & Dennis Heaton (FIDO)

Billy Connelly as the domesticated zombie in FIDOThis one is the biggest tragedy of them all. The witty, satirical script for this amazing horror comedy is what makes it such a modern classic. In parts hysterically funny, while in others filled with charm and pathos, it’s the kind of material which–had it been written for a more mainstream picture–would surely have been nominated.

Who Would I Bump?The nomination of RATATOUILLE baffles me. While an enjoyable effort from Pixar, it’s far from their best work, particularly in the script department, in which it falls short of flicks like CARS and THE INCREDIBLES.

Read the entire article here. You will see some similarities and some differences with our own list of Overlooked Oscar-Worthies.

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