For me and the Oscars this year, it’s a series of firsts, or lack thereof. It’s the first time that not a single one of my choices for best picture (Ready Player One), best actor (Ethan Hawke, First Reformed) and best actress (Toni Collette, Hereditary) has been nominated. And throwing salt on the wound, the Academy also didn’t nominate First Man, First Reformed or Mary Poppins Returns, which all land in my top five for 2018. In fact, out of my entire top 20 (which you can view by clicking “By Year” under “Feature Lists” on my site’s menu bar), just two were nominated for best film: Roma and Green Book. But, hey, look on the bright side: Roma, my choice for best drama, has been recognized not just in the foreign-language category but in the best-film category too, which is a rarity. Let’s hope it takes home the trophy.

I’d also like to point out a snub that few film fans will notice: Lost & Found, a sweet stop-motion film from Australia (directed by Andrew Goldsmith and Bradley Slabe), got overlooked in the best animated short category. It’s better than at least half of the nominees in that category.

And that ill-fated “popular” category? Well, it seems the Academy decided to add it after all. It’s called “best picture,” as that category’s nominees read like a selection from the People’s Choice Awards. (For a complete list of nominations, see this article from The Washington Post.)

The Academy Awards will air on Sunday, February 24 on … oh, you know what? I really don’t give a crap anymore. And thus ends my love affair with Oscar after four decades, just like The Truman Show ended:  “What else is on? Yeah, let’s see what else is on. Where’s the TV Guide?”