This year’s Academy Award nominations lack the controversy so many feared going into Tuesday’s announcement.

The Academy avoided most of it by ignoring James Franco in the Best Actor race.

Just a few weeks ago, Franco was considered an almost-sure thing in the category, with his performance in “The Disaster Artist” earning him a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild and a win at the Golden Globes.

Accusations of sexual misconduct appeared shortly after his Globes win and just a few days before the final deadline for Oscar ballots. I figured the majority of votes were already in and that Franco had enough prior heat to still make the final five.

But he didn’t make it, and I’m guessing few will miss the controversy. For the time being, the Oscars don’t have a Mel Gibson or a Woody Allen or a Casey Affleck-type dragging down their glitzy show with allegedly-icky baggage.

Well, there’s that thing about Gary Oldman, and people hate the character arc of the racist cop in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and then there’s the fish-man and the lady doing the… look nevermind. The Oscars are controversy-free! Movies are fun!

Honestly, the culture surrounding awards season can be a difficult thing to discuss. James Franco is really good in “The Disaster Artist.” Casey Affleck gave the best performance I saw last year in “Manchester by the Sea.” Should alleged misconduct outside the movies influence whether or not they get awards for their performances? I think probably yes, but I don’t want to be the person to figure out how.

Instead, let’s stick to talking about the movies themselves, and how, like most years, the Academy made a few curious choices in its nominating process.

“The Boss Baby” nominated for Best Animated Feature

My kids loved this movie, but I’m pretty sure they don’t have voting power in the race. Look, “Boss Baby” is a totally fine distraction for children, but I find it a tad unbelievable several adult Oscar voters sat through the thing and thought, “Yeah, this movie about baby spies and baby corporations in the sky is worthy of an Academy Award.” Insanity.

Tom Hanks can’t catch a break

If anyone was going to snatch Franco’s spot in the Best Actor race, most thought it would be America’s Sweetheart Tom Hanks for “The Post.” The movie earned a Best Picture nomination, and Meryl Streep scored her 98th nomination for her performance in the movie. So what gives?

For one, the Academy loves Denzel Washington (we all do), and apparently enough of them saw the mostly forgotten “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” to give him the edge over Hanks.

Nobody ever feels too badly for Hanks, who famously won Oscars in back-to-back years. But seriously, the Academy hasn’t nominated him since “Cast Away,” snubbing worthy performances in “Catch Me If You Can,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Captain Phillips,” “Bridge of Spies,” “Sully” and now “The Post.” Come on, Tom Hanks! Stop grinning amiably and stand up for yourself. Get mean!

A race without a frontrunner

While “The Shape of Water” leads with the most Oscar nominations and already won the Producers Guild Award for Best Picture, its losses and omissions in other races don’t indicate universal acclaim. The next biggest contender is “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” which won the Ensemble prize at the Screen Actors Guild. However, the film’s director, Martin McDonagh, missed in the Oscars’ Director category.

Many think Christopher Nolan is overdue for prizes, so maybe “Dunkirk” makes a strong showing. “Lady Bird” is the most critically acclaimed film in the bunch, while “Get Out” was a genuine cultural phenomenon earlier this year.

The other Best Picture nominees — “Call Me by Your Name,” “Darkest Hour,” “Phantom Thread” and “The Post” — probably won’t win, but who knows this year? The world is upside down.

If I had my say

The Academy can nominate up to 10 films for Best Picture. I have no beef with any of the existing nominees minus “Darkest Hour.” I’d swap in “The Big Sick,” then add “The Florida Project” as the 10th nominee.

Check out my Top 20 Films of 2017 in Saturday’s Coeur Voice section and see which Best Picture nominee is also my favorite movie of the year.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com