THE SEQUEL : Missing Inaction

Last year, Canadian film maker Leon Marr arrived in town to tub thump the Oscar campaign of his critically acclaimed “Dancing in the Dark.” But to his horror, he discovered that the distributor, New World Pictures, forgot to submit the required eligibility data to the motion picture academy. Marr threw himself on the mercy of the academy board, which then allowed “Dark” into competition. And voila ! It failed to get a single nomination.

This year, there are 263 films eligible for Oscar nominations but, oops!, Outtakes has discovered more than 50 films represented by forgetful distributors.

Here are favorite omissions:

Burt Reynolds’ comeback film, “Heat,” from New Century/Vista. The company also forgot about “Morgan Stewart’s Coming Home,” “Three for the Road,” “Nowhere to Hide,” “Nightflyers” and “Russkies”--but did submit “Maid to Order” and “The Stepfather.”

Troma qualified and screened “Surf Nazis Must Die” for academy members, but Empire Pictures decided not to put “Dolls” or “Enemy Territory” into competition, as did the distributors for such classic sequel fare as “Evil Dead II,” “They Still Call Me Bruce” and “Slumber Party Massacre II.”

Penny for your thoughts: DEG pleaded temporary amnesia when the forms came around for “Million Dollar Mystery,” and Cineplex Odeon Films didn’t hop to enter its Australian acquisition “Kangaroo.” Miramax ran ads for “Crazy Moon” in December as an “Oscar qualifying run”--but it’s not among this year’s eligibles!