This Oscar race just doesn't inspire passion

Gradgirl and I have been discussing the Oscar films, especially lately, as we've finally gotten the chance to see more of the movies (so many of them aren't released where we live until after January 1st and often well after that). We agree that there are no films, or even performances, this year that we feel particularly passionate about or that we're really rooting for to win. Last year we were both torn between Brokeback Mountain and Crash for Best Picture (and we thought it was a close race among 5 exceptional films), and we both found several performances to be really awe-inspiring. This year, while there are some fine moments and fine people, there's just nothing that we're excited about. Compare that to some recent years, and films that we found really breath-taking (for me personally - The English Patient, American Beauty, Traffic, Gosford Park).