Actually, thinking about it,
Cloud Atlas might have been nominated for almost any category.. but I think it should have been a shoo-in for
makeup (which I already mentioned) and
editing (which is just odd that it wasn't).
Considering that the film was made independently, there must have been
some behind-the-scenes reason, perhaps involving political favoritism that has little to do with the merits of the film itself, that kept it off the ballot for absolutely everything. I know the Academy is really stingy about such things (including who is and who is not on the various guilds) but it's insane that it would be passed up at least for a nod on all of these categories. There must be something else afoot that the Hollywood insiders know about.