It would appear that the Academy Awards were to acknowledge the best of the best in 2015. Even though last year was stuffed with a series of great films, there were some odd developments regarding the nominees. While some nominations were to be expected (such as The Revenant and its astounding 12 noms), there were some surprising snubs, like Straight Outta Compton's small presence in the nominee circle and Ridley Scott missing out for The Martian for Best Director. Seeing so much talent get unrecognized has come as a surprise to the film community.
With the information obtained from USA Today, and Cinema Insiders, let's go over some of the major categories and discuss who and what has been snubbed.
The nominees for Best Picture are The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room and Spotlight. The surprising snubs in this category go to Carol, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Straight Outta Compton. It would appear that a record-breaking sci-fi film would at least reach the nominee status of Best Picture, but it can't be denied that Mad Max was a visually stunning production.
Carol has been reviewed with praise by some 20 critics. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the highest grossing film of last year. Straight Outta Compton was the run-away hit and loved by critics and fans alike. All three films are nominated in several other categories, but not for best picture.
The Best Director nominations included George Miller (Mad Max), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) and Adam McKay (The Big Short). In this category, the biggest snub is dealt to Ridley Scott for The Martian.
The Martian has taken home a slew of critic's awards throughout the award season. One of the most prestigious nominations Scott received during the award season was the Directors Guild Award (DGA), which practically guarantees, at the very least, an Oscar nomination. But this time around, no dice for Ridley Scott, leaving some to wonder if the Exodus whitewashing backlash had something to do with it.
For Best Actor, the nominees are Bryan Cranston for Trumbo, Eddie Redmayne for The Danish Girl, Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant, Matt Damon for The Martian and Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs. Snubs in this section include Will Smith and Johnny Depp.
It was clear that Depp was a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination per his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination. SAG noms are usually synonymous with Academy Award nominations. Black Mass is Depp's first role that doesn't involve comedy, or director Tim Burton. The film was a great way for Depp to break out of that pattern, but the Academy didn't see it that way.
The same goes for Will Smith. He has had a slew of mediocre films in the last few years, so his role in Concussion was a breath of fresh air. It revitalized our belief in him as an actor. Unfortunately, the academy didn't care. Instead of adding him to the roster of the world's most worthy actors, he was shut out.
Finally, Best Supporting Actor includes Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies, Sylvester Stallone for Creed, Tom Hardy for The Revenant, Christian Bale for The Big Short and Mark Ruffalo for Spotlight. Of course the snubs in this category for Idris Elba and Benecio Del Toro.
Another actor that has been nominated for a SAG award, will also be on the outside looking in. Idris Elba, who many thought would snag a nomination for his role as a West African warlord in Netflix's Beast of No Nation, has also been shut out of the Oscar race. Leaving many to wonder if being Netflix affiliated was the reason for this.
Benecio Del Toro shocked audiences with his role in Denis Vilenuve's Sicario. No one knew he would have such an integral role in the film. The SAG recognized his work in the movie which again was certain to lead him through to the Oscars, but that was a no-go this time around.
