Oscars 2012: What’s wrong with this Oscar picture?

Among the top categories in this year’s Oscar nominations, there is plenty of disappointment for pockets of movie fans everywhere. First of all, it wasn’t a blockbuster year for the Oscars, but then again it rarely is.

Big box office winners didn’t make much of a showing -- “The Help� is the only film among best picture Oscar nominees to have made more than $100 million. This focus on “smaller� films might be seen as refreshing (for fans of�The Artist�) or as academy snobs ignoring what the majority of Americans choose to see (fans of “Bridesmaids�).

“The Artist� -- with 10 nominations -- has made a mere $12.1 million at the box office, says Box Office Mojo. “Bridesmaids� was at $169 million at last check. Oscar doesn’t have much of a sense of humor, though -- only “Midnight in Paris� falls into the comedy category among this year’s nominees, and�Up� was the sole comedy among 2011 nominees.

“The Artist� has its champions too, including the L.A. Times’ Kenneth Turan, who says it’s just plain fun for adults to watch. Perhaps, given Oscar’s lack of a funny bone, “Bridesmaids� did about as well as could be expected -- garnering nominations for screenplay as well as supporting actress for Melissa McCarthy.

The out-of-left-field nomination of “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close� could rub some the wrong way. Rotten Tomatoes sums up critics, saying the film deserves better than the “treacly and pretentious treatment� by director Stephen Daldry --who is notably not on the list of best director nominees.

The Times’ Betsy Sharkey, however, called it a “handsomely polished, thoughtfully wrapped Hollywood production.�

In the naked-actor category, Michael Fassbender was completely overlooked. Fassbender won critical praise for his role as a sex addict in the film “Shame,’ which included full frontal nudity. Sharkey called it a shame (pun noted) that Fassbender wasn’t nominated. The Times review called him a “raw force,� saying he had “commanding magnetism and intensity.�

“You don’t like me, you really don’t like me,� tweeted Albert Brooks, a glaring omission, for some, in the supporting actor category. Brooks was recognized in the role in “Drive� by organizations including the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. The “Albert Brooks deserves Oscar for Drive� Facebook page agrees.

“I got ROBBED,� Brooks tweeted soon after Tuesday’s announcements, “I don’t mean the Oscars, I mean literally. My pants and shoes have been stolen.�

As far as best actress, it’s hard to argue against Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady�) and Viola Davis (“The Help), the apparent front-runners. But wasn’t there room for a nomination for South Korean actress Yun Jung-Hee?

Her performance in “Poetry� earned her numerous critics awards. She ranked a surprise third in that category in the pre-Oscar L.A. Times Heatmeter system, which ranks films, directors and actors using stats from awards and nominations leading up to the Oscars.

Said film critic Turan of Yun’s performance: “As Mija, a flighty grandmother who is raising her middle-school-age grandson, Yun gives a performance of surpassing delicacy. The nuanced emotional range she displays as the film’s situations peel layers off her personality and turn her into a different person is almost beyond the power of words to convey.�

And in the animation category, did DreamWorks deserve its double whammy? With “Kung Fu Panda 2� and “Puss in Boots� among nominees, Champagne corks were surely popping. But there was no sign of Pixar -- represented every year since 2006 -- for “Cars 2� or Paramount for “Tintin.�

When it comes to snubs, though, The Times notes that the songs category may take the cake: Just two nominees: Bret McKenzie’s “Man or Muppet� and “Real in Rio� from Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown. Sorry, Madonna, Sinead O’Connor, Mary J. Blige and Elton John. Try again next year.