The Oscar nominations were announced early this morning and we already know who we think is among the biggest Oscar snubs. But, what are the largest and most welcome surprises?
There are five that truly stand out as the dust begins to settle on another year of Academy Awards nominations shock and awe. Oscar Watch dives right in.
Hardy Has It
Tom Hardy scored a much deserved Best Supporting Actor for The Revenant. In a year that everyone seems to think is the year that Leonardo DiCaprio wins his first Oscar for his gritty turn in the survival-revenge flick, it is Hardy that we think is the actor of the two who most deserves the gold statue. His performance was simply out of this world and gave new depths to the concept of what a film villain can be. In a year that saw him triumph as the hero (in the also nominated Mad Max: Fury Road), Hardy deserves the supporting actor nod he scored for The Revenant and frankly, truly deserves to win. I mean, if Leo should win, then so too should Hardy.
Spectre Silliness
The Writing’s On the Wall scored a Best Song nomination for Spectre? Really? I mean, it’s not the worst Bond song of all time, but in the shadow of the Oscar-winning Skyfall from Adele, it is pale in comparison. And there so many other songs that deserved to get the nod, like the theme from Furious 7, See You Again. You know, Academy, it doesn’t have to be a given that a Bond theme song scores an Oscar nod. I know they’re legendary and iconic, but Sam Smith’s sonic ode to the spy franchise just feels a little flat.
Supporting Surprises
In the world we live in, Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl and Rooney Mara in Carol are lead actresses. They support no one. Vikander plays the wife of Eddie Redmayne, who was nominated for Best Actor, so too should have been Vikander. Mara plays the love interest of Cate Blanchett’s character in Carol and so too should have been Mara. They’re lead actresses, people!
Oscar Gets Sheepish
One of our favorite animated movies of the year is Shaun the Sheep Movie. We always felt it deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, but never in a million years thought that the stop motion British delight would get one. We have never been more thrilled to be so wrong.
Lenny Living Large
Lenny Abrahamson, director of Room, earned a nomination for Best Director and probably took the spot that might have gone to Ridley Scott (The Martian) or Todd Haynes (Carol). But, Abrahamson totally deserved it. What he did in the first half of the film was create a Room where it truly felt like the entire world existed in that small space. It could not have been an easy task to film in such a tight landscape. Love the fact that Oscar honored him with a well-deserved nomination.