When you look at this year’s crop of 8 Best Picture nominees, none really stick out as a true oddball of the bunch.
Opinion:
Bubba
The last list I read like this had Crash on it, one movie I found powerful and so did the Academy. Babe is still a perennial fav that parents and kids can enjoy (much better than the live action Charlotte's Web, but similar message done much more cleverly), and Chocolat is one of those movies that draws you in and makes you sigh happily and consider moving to a village in France.
OK, you may not feel that way at ALL, and there are many movies out there that are stand outs now that were not at the time (think It's a Wonderful Life). It all does come down to taste.
Some academy members nominate/vote for movies that seem so different at the time, and then more of the same follows and it is no longer special. Sometimes they miss the real gems. And sometimes they overlook the grandiose flops that some people really enjoy on DVD as something escapist and/or the acting is still good. (Ishtar anyone?)
So you who write these lists because you find other's people taste annoying (and you got us to put eyes on the page which helps your writing creds and possibly paycheck), just know we find your revisionist understanding to be annoying too. And if you simply wrote this to get a rise, well you won that part, but not necessarily the respect for your opinion part.