With the 87th Academy Awards coming up on Feb. 22, movies and actors alike are generating a lot of buzz due to the release of the nominations. There were 10 spots for Best Picture nominees but this year, the academy only chose eight films. They include“American Sniper,” “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game,” “Selma,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash.”

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Birdman” and Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” are in the lead with nine nominations. “Birdman,” a psychological drama featuring an intriguing, eccentric cast of characters, has been a dark horse this season because of its release in late 2014. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” has been a favorite this year because of its well written story and equally quirky cast. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” beat out “Birdman” at the Golden Globes for Best Picture–musical or comedy, but it all depends whether the academy favors “Birdman’s” darkness or “The Grand Budapest Hotel’s” whimsicality.

Although “Selma” was nominated for best picture,  Ava DuVernay, an African American director, was snubbed. This raised controversy because the directors nominated are strictly white males and the voters who nominated them are as well. No one should have been blamed for the votes because the academy didn’t purposely nominate white male directors, it just so happens that that’s the majority of Hollywood’s race and gender.

The film I was most upset about not receiving any nominations was “Nightcrawler.” The drama about the dark underbelly of freelance journalism was strong in its screenplay, filming and most importantly it’s acting, performed mostly by Jake Gyllenhaal. He was nominated for it at the Golden Globes, but has only been nominated for an Academy Award one other time for his performance in the drama “Brokeback Mountain.”

Despite the few mistakes made by the academy, they have nominated a handful of tour de forces like “American Sniper,” “The Imitation Game,” and “Boyhood.” Tune in to the 87th Academy Awards hosted by Neil Patrick Harris at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22. Follow this link to see the list of nominations: http://oscar.go.com/nominees