The Academy gave many reasons to celebrate this morning when the nominations were announced but as is the case every year, there were more than a few snubs that had many of us scratching our heads.
Here are some of the most notable names and films left off of the list:
Martin Scorsese –Being Denied a DGA Award nomination early this month was a sign of things to come as Scorsese was left off of the Best Director list this morning for his passion project, Silence.
Sully – The heroic story of pilot Chesley Sullenberger’s 2009 emergency landing of a US Airways flight on the Hudson River and everyone on board escaping safely was a critical and box office success but it was denied in all major categories. Even the combined Oscar pedigree of Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood wasn’t enough of a push.
Taraji P. Henson – Henson has received high praise for her role in Hidden Figures but it has been snubbed most of this awards season. Some thought she could still secure a nomination this morning but it wasn’t meant to be. Her co-star Octavia Spencer, who has received some love with other nominations for the film, however, did receive another mention for Best Supporting Actress.
Amy Adams – Biggest personal snub for me. Amy Adams carries Arrival from start to finish with one of the best female performances from last year yet she was completely ignored by the Academy. The film scored big in other categories, including Best Picture and Best Director, but I think they left out its biggest achievement.
Tom Ford – The Nocturnal Animals director saw his well-designed film win the Grand Jury Prize at Venice and scored Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, including for Ford, but Oscar gold was denied today. I knew the film would be snubbed a bit, despite being one of the best films of last year, but Ford deserved a spot for crafting one of the most beautiful thrillers in recent memory. Micheal Shannon has to represent the film on Oscar night with his Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Hugh Grant – SAG and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actor for the Florence Foster Jenkins star and a Golden Globes Lead Actor nomination should’ve made him one to mention this morning but Grant was also denied. His co-star, newcomer Meryl Streep, somehow got nominated for Best Actress. Anyone ever heard of her before this? 🙂
Aaron Taylor-Johnson – A Golden Globes win for the Nocturnal Animals actor and a BAFTA nomination but nothing from the Oscars. He has been a bit of a surprise all season so I suppose he should be happy he got some love during the awards pre-party. His co-star, Michael Shannon, likely took his slot in the supporting category.
Finding Dory – It was the second highest grossing film of last year and critics loved the Finding Nemo sequel but it didn’t score a spot in the Best Animated Feature category.
