The 2016 nominations for the 88th Annual Academy Awards were revealed Thursday morning at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. This year's nominations were announced amidst a contentious start to the award season, with unexpected films gaining accolades and acclaim and, consequently, others decidedly left in the dust. What were the biggest surprises in this year's nominations? The biggest snubs?
- Surprise: Fox leads the nominations with 20 nominations. With an astounding 12 nominations for “The Revenant” (the most for any single film this year), seven for “The Martian,” and one for “Joy,” 20th Century Fox is leading the Academy Award nominations by a considerable amount. This is a rather impressive feat, considering Fox has not had a film nominated for Best Picture since 2012 (with “Life of Pi”) while it has two very strong contenders in the running for Best Picture this year (“The Revenant” and “The Martian”). Also a surprise is the decided absence of The Weinstein Company in this year’s Best Picture running, something that has not happened since 2007. Although The Weinstein Company was fervently campaigning for “Carol” or “The Hateful Eight” to receive the Best Picture nod, the Academy’s failure to acknowledge either of these contenders left The Weinstein Company out of the running.
- Snub: Every actor of color. The cast of “Straight Outta Compton” (Universal Pictures) This comes as no surprise. After the Academy faced backlash last year for ignoring performances and works by persons of color, namely David Oyelowo for Best Actor and Ava Duvernay for Best Director, both for Selma, you’d think the Academy would try to diversify this year’s nominees, but alas the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag which took Twitter by storm last year proves to be just as relevant and applicable this year. Of the four acting categories recognized by the Academy, each is comprised entirely of white nominees. The only silver lining in this cloud is “Straight Outta Compton’s” nod for Best Original Screenplay, but even this is tempered by the fact that it was written by two Caucasians. Despite the incredible progress we’ve seen in the representation of minority groups in film this year (“Star Wars,” anyone?) the Academy still hasn’t seem to have caught up to the movement that’s shaking the very foundation of Hollywood film. It should be interesting what host Chris Rock will have to say about the blatant lack of diversity in this year’s nominations.
- Snub: Aaron Sorkin for Best Adapted Screenplay, “Steve Jobs” Director Danny Boyle (left) and Aaron Sorkin (right) on the set of “Steve Jobs” (Universal) Aaron Sorkin is lauded for his long-winded and nuanced screenplays, which often (read: always) involve long sequences of lengthy dialogue. “Steve Jobs” is no exception. Although the movie did not fare too well in the box office following its platform release, many critics praised Sorkin for his superior screenwriting, and while Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet were acknowledged for their performances in the film (for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively), Sorkin was distinctly overlooked by the Academy. This comes as especial surprise following his win for Best Screenplay at last week’s Golden Globe Awards.
- Snub: Quentin Tarantino for Best Director, “The Hateful Eight” The cast of “The Hateful Eight” (The Weinstein Company) Controversial as he may be, Quentin Tarantino is generally lauded for his writing and directing, and is recognized for such by the Academy when awards season comes around. While “The Hateful Eight” may be his most contentious film yet, it is nonetheless effortlessly accented by the unique style and directing that makes a Tarantino film so recognizable. The nominations it did receive – Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actress (for Jennifer Jason Leigh), and Best Original Score – seem to be unsatisfactory concessions when considered in light of Tarantino’s snub for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. What’s more, the Academy’s failure to nominate Samuel L. Jackson for his performance in the film is yet another blow to this postmodern piece.
- Surprise: Alicia Vikander for Best Supporting Actress, “The Danish Girl” Alicia Vikander as Ava in “Ex Machina” (Universal) Alicia Vikander emerged in 2015 as the “It” girl to watch, with her stunning performance as an AI robot in “Ex Machina.” Surprisingly, however, she was not nominated for this role but for her role as Gerda Wegener in “The Danish Girl,” opposite Best Actor nominee Eddie Redmayne. Although her performance in “The Danish Girl” was equally as compelling and striking as her performance in “Ex Machina,” it seems almost arbitrary that the Academy should acknowledge the former over the latter, especially considering the fact that her role in “The Danish Girl” may very well be considered a leading role. This did not pose an issue at the 2016 Golden Globes, where Vikander was nominated for both performances in both the “Drama” and “Comedy/Musical” categories.
- Snub: “See You Again” by Whiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth for Best Original Song Paul Walker in “Fast and Furious 7” (Universal) This is undoubtedly one of the best, if not one of the most well-known, songs of the year (it certainly got enough radio play!). The fact that the Academy overlooked this touching and perfectly penned tribute to the late “Fast and Furious” star Paul Walker seems to be a bit of a rebuff. And although Walker’s passing doesn’t necessarily imply the Academy is obligated to place the song in the running, the song as a standalone is certainly deserving of some recognition.
- Surprise: “Mad Max” for Best Picture Charlize Theron (left) and Tom Hardy (right) in Mad Max: Fury Road” (Warner Bros. Pictures) Although George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” is a stunning visual masterpiece, as rightfully indicated by its recognition in all seven of the technical categories (including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Set/Production Design), the Academy is usually not so keen to award high-speed action films with minimal dialogue with a Best Picture nod. It seems as if the Academy is trying to bridge the gap between itself, an organization comprised of primarily white, middle-aged men who are notoriously fond of films about the film industry itself (or some person in history who has overcome struggle), and its audience. The Academy recognized that a post-apocalyptic action film – what typically would have been an unlikely choice for a Best Picture nominee – can also possess some merit, and is ultimately staying (or trying to stay) relevant by doing so.
- Snub: Ridley Scott for Best Director, “The Martian” Ridley Scott on the set of “The Martian” (20th Century Fox) Ridley Scott was favored among many critics to receive a nod for Best Director for his film “The Martian,” which was equally as praised for its directing, acting, writing, and visual effects. Although the film was nominated in seven categories, the third most for any film this year, Ridley Scott’s absence in the Best Director category was markedly felt, especially by critics who not only considered Scott to be a lock for the category, but even a leading candidate for the Best Director recipient. Instead, “Room” director Lenny Abrahamson secured a place in the running, which came as a pleasant surprise to film critics.
- Surprise: Alejandro G. Inarritu, Eddie Redmayne, and Mark Ruffalo secure nominations for the second year in a row. The nominations for Inarritu for Best Director (“The Revenant”) and Redmayne for Best Actor (“The Danish Girl”) aren’t really a surprise, given their incredible performances on their respective films. Should Inarritu take home one of the biggest accolades of the ceremony – a very real possibility considering his most recent Best Director win at last week’s Golden Globes – he will be only the third person in Oscar history to win two consecutive Best Director awards (the first being John Ford in 1939 and 1940 and the second Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1949 and 1950). Redmayne’s potential win in this category is not as likely, but he will similarly join a minority of persons to have won the Oscar for Best Actor two consecutive years in a row should he take home the prize. What does come somewhat as a surprise, however, is Mark Ruffalo’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Spotlight,” following his nomination for the same category in “Foxcatcher” in 2015. With Spotlight being a favorite for many critics to take home the Best Picture prize, a hope that his since been tempered following this unpredictable awards season (see the 2016 Golden Globe winners here), Mark Ruffalo’s repeat nomination comes as a pleasant surprise to fans of Tom McCarthy’s adaptation. The same can be said for Rachel McAdam’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. Both of these acting nods are well-deserved (and I’m sure much appreciated considering the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s failure to acknowledge either of these performances), though Michael Keaton’s lack of a nomination makes these “Spotlight” victories bittersweet. Michael Keaton arguably led this ensemble cast with a stunning performance, but he failed to receive the same repeat nomination treatment his costar did.
See the full list of nominees here.
Catch the 88th Annual Academy Awards on February 28th, live on ABC.
Annenberg Media