Biggest Single Oscar Nominee Misses of the 2000s

Day three of this Single-Nominee project of mine. I chose a few select single nominees to complain about yesterday. Since "Recency Bias" is basically the surname of this blog, for the 2000s, I'm going to go through each year and pick what I consider the most egregious single nomination of the year.

Requiem for a Dream
Year: 2000
What Was Nominated: Lead Actress
What Could've Been Nominated: Director
Yeah, Ellen Burstyn was getting an Oscar nomination no matter what. This might be her best role in a storied career. It sure is telling that both Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly have won Oscars since this film was released though. Maybe you could say that Darren Aronofsky's direction was too unfocused when compared to his later films. I wouldn't agree. And did Steven Soderberg really need two Oscar nominations that year?

Mulholland Dr.
Year: 2001
What Was Nominated: Director
What Could've Been Nominated: Actor/Actress
I'm not actually sold on this movie. If it's good enough for a Directing nomination, it must be good enough for something else. Naomi Watts is pretty damn good.

Spirited Away
Year: 2002
What Was Nominated: Animated Feature
What Could've Been Nominated: Production Design
A single nomination in the Animated Feature ghetto isn't enough for something this imaginative. I'm not sure how Production Design works in an animated feature, but how can this be denied?

Big Fish
Year: 2003
What Was Nominated: Original Score
What Could've Been Nominated: Production Design, Costume Design
Perhaps we'd all grown too accustomed to Tim Burton's shtick by then or everything about the look of the film is attributed only to him. It's a visually striking film though that could've gotten more. I suppose there just wasn't any room for any technical nominations with Return of the King filling up so many categories.

Before Sunset
Year: 2004
What Was Nominated: Adapted Screenplay
What Could've Been Nominated: Lead Actress or Actor
I'm literally rewatching this film as I'm typing this. All this movie is is Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke walking around and talking. And it's terrific. All three parts of that, screenplay and the two actors, should be nominated.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Year: 2005
What Was Nominated: Makeup
What Could've Been Nominated: Visual Effect, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing
C'mon. Where are the technical awards? Visual Effects should've been a given. Maybe if the Visual Effects and Sound Editing awards were five nominees instead of three at the time there would've been room for Revenge of the Sith. 

The Lives of Others
Year: 2006
What Was Nominated: Foreign Film
What Could've Been Nominated: Lead Actor
Ulrich Muhe gives a masterclass in subtle performance. He plays it so small and that pays off so much by the end. Marion Cotillard won a year later for La Vie en Rose, so don't tell me foreign actors can't break through.

Gone Baby Gone
Year: 2007
What Was Nominated: Supporting Actress
What Could've Been Nominated: Director
I had a hard time coming up with one for 2007. This is the best one I could find. Given Ben Affleck's 2012 Argo snub, maybe he could've been nominated here, for his debut, instead.

Man on Wire
Year: 2008
What Was Nominated: Documentary Feature
What Could've Been Nominated: Picture
Man on Wire might be the best film of 2008. Top 5 is almost inarguable. Too bad documentaries never make the cut.

A Single Man
Year: 2009
What Was Nominated: Lead Actor
What Could've Been Nominated: Costume Design
Sorry to be lazy about this one. A Tom Ford movie getting a Costume Design award is obvious. It's obvious for a reason: because it's right. 

Tangled
Year: 2010
What Was Nominated: Original Song
What Could've Been Nominated: Animated Feature
I guess Animated Feature only had three nominees that year. I wouldn't take Toy Story 3 or How to Train Your Dragon out. I haven't seen The Illusionist. So, maybe Tangled wouldn't make the cut. It seems wrong for a movie as good as Tangled to not get an Oscar nomination for Animated Feature though.

Warrior
Year: 2011
What Was Nominated: Supporting Actor
What Could've Been Nominated: Film Editing, Director
I'm fairly biased on this one. Warrior is a top 10 All-Time movie for me. I adore it. Part of what I adore is that no matter how many times I watch it, I'm fully into the fights (even though I have no interest in Mixed Martial Arts). That's thanks to the editing and direction. I don't think those nominations would be too much to ask for. In my ideal world, of course, there'd be nominations for Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, the cinematography, the screenplay (as convoluted as it is), and Best Picture. 

Wreck-It Ralph
Year: 2012
What Was Nominated: Animated Feature
What Could've Been Nominated: Original Screenplay
Pixar shouldn't been the only animation studio getting other nominations. The Wreck-It Ralph screenplay is so damn clever that it deserves some recognition.

Saving Mr. Banks
Year: 2013
What Was Nominated: Original Score
What Could've Been Nominated: Lead Actress, Supporting Actress
It's hard to believe that Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks were both snubbed.

Nightcrawler
Year: 2014
What Was Nominated: Original Screenplay
What Could've Been Nominated: Lead Actor
2014 was lousy with single nominees that should've received more love. The Lego Movie didn't get an Animated Feature nomination. Gone Girl somehow didn't have an Adapted Screenplay nomination. The one that I find the craziest though is no Lead Actor nomination for Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler. He made that movie work. Riz Ahmed should've gotten a Supporting Actor nomination too. Gyllenhaal is the minimum required though.

Creed
Year: 2015
What Was Nominated: Supporting Actor
What Could've Been Nominated: Director, Picture
The lazy assessment is that only the white guy got nominated for this great film. I think there's more to it than that, but he really shouldn't've been the only person recognized for this film that was far better than it had any right to be. Michael B. Jordan should have an Oscar nomination by now. Ryan Coogler's direction is stupendous. The editing too. As strong as 2015 was overall, there should've been more room for Creed.

Zootopia

Year: 2016
What Was Nominated: Animated Feature
What Could've Been Nominated: Original Screenplay
It was a tough year for Original Screenplay. Still, there should've been room for Zootopia.