2015 OSCAR NOMINATIONS SNUBS AND SURPRISES! OR (WHY OSCAR SHOULD STEP ON LEGOS)
This year's Academy Award nominations, which took place yesterday at- NO LEG MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE. I had to get it out, I have to vent, because shouting at my television as it went from How to Train Your Dragon 2 to Song of the Sea. And I'm sure the latter film is very respectable, but at least until Oscar time people will be hating it, because it STOLE the coveted fifth spot from, I think it's safe to say, everyone's favorite animated movie of 2014. Enraged fans swept to Twitter, prompting the directors to make characteristically clever tweets, including co-director Phillip Lord showing a Lego Oscar. I'd rather win that than an actual one, though a regular Academy Award wouldn't hurt that much if I stepped on it.
There were other snubs and surprises that occurred the other morning. They are not as important as The Lego Movie's absence, but I will proceed regardless. A full list can be found HERE.
BEST PICTURE:
Snubs: Eight. You can nominate ten, and they give us eight. Let me passively aggressively sigh and keep typing. The biggest ones that come to mind are Gone Girl, Foxcatcher, which still cleaned up very well, Nightcrawler, or any respectable blockbuster.
Surprises: American Sniper, with its lack of presence in the Globes and the SAGs blew me away with its half dozen nominations. I'm similarly excited to see Whiplash on here, a smaller movie that packs an enormous punch. Also, who knew The Grand Budapest Hotel would garner so many nods?
BEST ACTRESS:
Snubs: Sorry, Rachel. This was probably the closest Jennifer Aniston had to a shot at the gold, but she's still got a chance for the SAGs! Amy Adams, who just isn't nominated enough times, is also another notable absence.
Surprises: Marion Cotillard!! She flirted with an Oscar nomination for 2011's Rust and Bone, but she succeeded here, being the sole foreign speaking nominee in the Oscars this year.
BEST ACTOR:
Snubs: David Oyelowo and Jake Gylleenhaal are the big ones here, and some pointing fingers at the largely white Academy for his exclusion, along with Selma's director Ava DuVernay, which I'll get to later. Ralph Fiennes not being here is unsurprising, but I'm glad his homeland honored him for some hilarious, zany work in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Surprises: It's pretty wonderful to say that the man who played a 40 year old virgin and Michael Scott is an Oscar nominee, for what I hear is some truly disturbing work as villainous millionaire John du Pont. The BAFTA's nominated him under supporting, which I hear it is even though he's top billed. Bradley Cooper's nomination surprised until I saw the movie.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Snubs: It's no surprise at all that the Academy didn't honor Andy Serkis in another motion-capture performance as Caesar in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes; they've blown every single chance. No love for Josh Brolin, who garnered a Critics' Choice nom for Inherent Vice. And even though I wasn't nuts about the movie, I could have seen Unbroken's Miyavi getting some attention for his intense acting debut.
Surprises: None. The same five guys have been nominated for this award all season, and the same guy has been deservedly winning it over and over.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Snubs: Though she has less time onscreen, (though that is the point of this award, right, for all those people who stand out in smaller roles?) I would've loved to have seen Tilda Swinton get nominated for her bizarre turn in Snowpiercer. Like A Most Violent Year, no Jessica Chastain, who was the presumed fifth spot on here. Additionally, Rene Russo's turn in Nightcrawler had raves, and brought her home empty handed, along with Naomi Watts who got nothing for Birdman and her SAG-nominated role in St. Vincent, also shut out.
Surprises: Meryl Streep getting nominated?! Holy over-saturation, Batman. The real surprise here is Laura Dern, who I praised highly as one of last year's ten best characters. In that post I crossed my fingers Oscar would recognize what she brought to Wild, and sometimes wishes do come true.
BEST DIRECTOR:
Snubs: Ava DuVernay for sure dominates this category. She was up for many a best director trophy, and even if she wasn't the frontrunner Selma has been so universally lauded most thought she was a shoo-in, and shouts of racism were heard.
Surprises: Morten Tyldum hadn't been seen that much in this category for Imitation Game, and Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher wasn't even up for best picture, a rarity now that the list has expanded! I was really excited to see Wes Anderson finally get nominated for this race, even if Budapest isn't his best movie.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Snubs: I'm not just saying this because I loved it, but Lego Movie was picking up a lot of steam in this category. Similarly nothing for Selma, St. Vincent or A Most Violent Year.
Surprises: Foxcatcher was the only mild inclusion, this race is pretty much a dead heat between rewarding Boyhood for its realistic dialogue and idea, or Mr. Inarritu's stylish, showbiz satire.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Snubs: Like Amy Dunne Gone Girl was missing from a lot of these categories, but this one especially stings. The dry, dark wit of the characters was what made me fall in love with it, and the fact Gillian Flynn made such a great transition from her book to screen was amazing.
Surprises: Inherent Vice has polarized so many, but it is Paul Thomas Anderson after all. If this was most profanities used in a script, American Sniper would have this in the bag.
BEST ANIMATED MOVIE:
Snubs: Planes: Fire & Rescue, one of the most critically underrated movies from last year OF COURSE IT'S THE LEGO MOVIE. These past few days has just been people trying to comprehend why the Academy left it off. Was it too ahead of its time? Did the live action elements disqualify it? Why nominate the movie's theme song AND NOT THE MOVIE? Whatever the case, we have to deal with it, and it will be one of the most discussed over exclusions in recent Oscar history.
Surprises: I actually had heard of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and put it in my predictions just because of how much anime has been in this category prior...but Song of the Sea? That's baffling, and when it comes out on Netflix streaming I'll be the first to watch it to see if it merited bumping out my runner-up for best film of 2014. Spoiler alert: it won't be.
There were other snubs and surprises that occurred the other morning. They are not as important as The Lego Movie's absence, but I will proceed regardless. A full list can be found HERE.
BEST PICTURE:
Snubs: Eight. You can nominate ten, and they give us eight. Let me passively aggressively sigh and keep typing. The biggest ones that come to mind are Gone Girl, Foxcatcher, which still cleaned up very well, Nightcrawler, or any respectable blockbuster.
Surprises: American Sniper, with its lack of presence in the Globes and the SAGs blew me away with its half dozen nominations. I'm similarly excited to see Whiplash on here, a smaller movie that packs an enormous punch. Also, who knew The Grand Budapest Hotel would garner so many nods?
BEST ACTRESS:
Snubs: Sorry, Rachel. This was probably the closest Jennifer Aniston had to a shot at the gold, but she's still got a chance for the SAGs! Amy Adams, who just isn't nominated enough times, is also another notable absence.
Surprises: Marion Cotillard!! She flirted with an Oscar nomination for 2011's Rust and Bone, but she succeeded here, being the sole foreign speaking nominee in the Oscars this year.
BEST ACTOR:
Snubs: David Oyelowo and Jake Gylleenhaal are the big ones here, and some pointing fingers at the largely white Academy for his exclusion, along with Selma's director Ava DuVernay, which I'll get to later. Ralph Fiennes not being here is unsurprising, but I'm glad his homeland honored him for some hilarious, zany work in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Surprises: It's pretty wonderful to say that the man who played a 40 year old virgin and Michael Scott is an Oscar nominee, for what I hear is some truly disturbing work as villainous millionaire John du Pont. The BAFTA's nominated him under supporting, which I hear it is even though he's top billed. Bradley Cooper's nomination surprised until I saw the movie.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Snubs: It's no surprise at all that the Academy didn't honor Andy Serkis in another motion-capture performance as Caesar in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes; they've blown every single chance. No love for Josh Brolin, who garnered a Critics' Choice nom for Inherent Vice. And even though I wasn't nuts about the movie, I could have seen Unbroken's Miyavi getting some attention for his intense acting debut.
Surprises: None. The same five guys have been nominated for this award all season, and the same guy has been deservedly winning it over and over.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Snubs: Though she has less time onscreen, (though that is the point of this award, right, for all those people who stand out in smaller roles?) I would've loved to have seen Tilda Swinton get nominated for her bizarre turn in Snowpiercer. Like A Most Violent Year, no Jessica Chastain, who was the presumed fifth spot on here. Additionally, Rene Russo's turn in Nightcrawler had raves, and brought her home empty handed, along with Naomi Watts who got nothing for Birdman and her SAG-nominated role in St. Vincent, also shut out.
Surprises: Meryl Streep getting nominated?! Holy over-saturation, Batman. The real surprise here is Laura Dern, who I praised highly as one of last year's ten best characters. In that post I crossed my fingers Oscar would recognize what she brought to Wild, and sometimes wishes do come true.
BEST DIRECTOR:
Snubs: Ava DuVernay for sure dominates this category. She was up for many a best director trophy, and even if she wasn't the frontrunner Selma has been so universally lauded most thought she was a shoo-in, and shouts of racism were heard.
Surprises: Morten Tyldum hadn't been seen that much in this category for Imitation Game, and Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher wasn't even up for best picture, a rarity now that the list has expanded! I was really excited to see Wes Anderson finally get nominated for this race, even if Budapest isn't his best movie.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Snubs: I'm not just saying this because I loved it, but Lego Movie was picking up a lot of steam in this category. Similarly nothing for Selma, St. Vincent or A Most Violent Year.
Surprises: Foxcatcher was the only mild inclusion, this race is pretty much a dead heat between rewarding Boyhood for its realistic dialogue and idea, or Mr. Inarritu's stylish, showbiz satire.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Snubs: Like Amy Dunne Gone Girl was missing from a lot of these categories, but this one especially stings. The dry, dark wit of the characters was what made me fall in love with it, and the fact Gillian Flynn made such a great transition from her book to screen was amazing.
Surprises: Inherent Vice has polarized so many, but it is Paul Thomas Anderson after all. If this was most profanities used in a script, American Sniper would have this in the bag.
BEST ANIMATED MOVIE:
Snubs: Planes: Fire & Rescue, one of the most critically underrated movies from last year OF COURSE IT'S THE LEGO MOVIE. These past few days has just been people trying to comprehend why the Academy left it off. Was it too ahead of its time? Did the live action elements disqualify it? Why nominate the movie's theme song AND NOT THE MOVIE? Whatever the case, we have to deal with it, and it will be one of the most discussed over exclusions in recent Oscar history.
Surprises: I actually had heard of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and put it in my predictions just because of how much anime has been in this category prior...but Song of the Sea? That's baffling, and when it comes out on Netflix streaming I'll be the first to watch it to see if it merited bumping out my runner-up for best film of 2014. Spoiler alert: it won't be.
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