Who Was This Year's Biggest Oscars Snub?
It's finally here, Oscars season has arrived and we have our nominees. As always, and as expected, there are a ton of snubs and questionable nominations. What are the most egregious omissions? Let's discuss...
BEST PICTURE
The Academy is allowed to nominate a total of ten movies, but once again only nine movies made it through the process and into the final show. None of these were surprises, with 'Little Women' and 'Ford v Ferrari' sneaking in as the last two movies into the field.
What didn't make the field? Well, the answer is "a lot."
'Knives Out' would have likely been the tenth movie in the voting, based solely on sentiment around the movie and pre-nomination buzz. Rian Johnson did pick up a Best Original Screenplay nomination for the movie, which was more than deserved. No Best Picture nomination is slightly surprising, because the movie has picked up plenty of love all awards season. It's a brilliant, fun time and it's a shame it didn't get more recognition.
It was one of the most enjoyable theater-going experiences of the year for me and if you haven't seen 'Knives Out', I'd suggest going as soon as you can.
'The Farewell' and 'Uncut Gems' can probably be considered snubs, as well as the Netflix release 'The Two Popes'. I would have personally nominated 'Uncut Gems' but I also know I liked the movie more than most people, so there might be some bias.
I would say for the most part that they got it right, now the big question is this: will the complex voting system produce a winner people agree with?
BIGGEST SNUB: 'Knives Out'
OTHER SNUBS: 'The Farewell', 'Uncut Gems' and 'The Two Popes'
BEST ACTRESS - LEADING ROLE
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This is a category I have a big issue with. How the fuck did Awkwafina ('The Farewell') not get a nomination here? The Golden Globes are not an indicator for Oscars success and the BAFTAs and SAG Awards didn't nominate here, but it's tough to see her miss out just a week after this…
She had a fantastic, emotional performance in 'The Farewell' and has been looked over completely in this category.
Nothing else in this category caused too much commotion, despite the snub, Cynthia Erivo ('Harriet') received a very deserving nod. You could make an argument for Lupita Nyong'o ('Us'), but that one was not much of a surprise considering Jordan Peele's latest movie came out all the way back in March of last year. While it seems silly, the timing of a movie's release matters so much for the Academy and their nomination process.
BIGGEST SNUB: Awkwafina ('The Farewell')
OTHER SNUBS: Lupita Nyong'o ('Us')
BEST ACTOR - LEADING ROLE
The top three in this category, Joaquin Phoenix ('Joker'), Adam Driver ('Marriage Story') and Leonardo DiCaprio ('Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'), were absolute locks for nominations. You could also argue the same for Antonio Banderas ('Pain and Glory'), but there was a chance he got left off in the end.
Nevertheless, there are big-names and major roles snubbed from this category. The mainstream snub is easily Adam Sandler ('Uncut Gems'), even though it had become clear he wouldn't get a nomination. This movie is a bit polarizing, but I truly think Sandler turned in one of the year's best performances. It was a frantic, insane and compelling performance that should be the moment we look back on one day for Sandler's career and call it his best role.
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There is a silver lining with it all for Sandler, though…
The big surprise with this category ended up being that fact Jonathan Pryce ('The Two Popes') snuck in for a nomination. It isn't some sort of crazy, out of nowhere pick, but in terms of odds Pryce was likely behind Taron Egerton ('Rocketman'), who just won the Golden Globe and was amazing in his performance of singing and acting as Elton John…
…Egerton was unbelievable in the role and it's hard to not see him on the ballot a year after Rami Malek won for his role in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. He probably has the biggest gripe out of anyone following the announcements. Robert De Niro ('The Irishman') was trending down in terms of nomination chances and Eddie Murphy ('Dolemite Is My Name') was gunning for a spot on the ticket with his very underrated Netflix movie.
You can also add Christian Bale ('Ford v Ferrari') to the list of the actors squeezed out following a nomination at the Golden Globes.
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BIGGEST SNUB: Taron Egerton ('Rocketman')
OTHER SNUBS: Adam Sandler ('Uncut Gems'), Eddie Murphy ('Dolemite Is My Name'), Robert De Niro ('The Irishman'), Christian Bale ('Ford v Ferrari')
BEST ACTRESS - SUPPORTING ROLE
One of the biggest surprises of the nominations was from this category as Jennifer Lopez ('Hustlers') not getting a nomination was a big shocker this morning.
I would call it a miss to not have J-Lo in this category and she was a heavy favorite to pick up her first-ever Oscars nomination. Scarlett Johansson ('Jojo Rabbit') and Kathy Bates ('Richard Jewell') were the surprise nominations in the category, with ScarJo also picking up another nomination in the Best Actress category.
Who else did the Academy potentially miss? Zhao Shuzhen ('The Farewell') was considered a favorite to get a nomination, but she was on the bubble, and Lee Jung Eun ('Parasite') didn't get enough pre-nomination buzz. In general, the acting award potential for 'Parasite' was never high, but it is still crazy to see a movie so highly regarded pick up zero acting nominations.
While I am fine with this category as a whole and don't think her performance was the best of the year, J-Lo getting left off of the ballot is a miss here by the Academy.
BIGGEST SNUB: Jennifer Lopez ('Hustlers')
OTHER SNUBS: Zhao Shuzhen ('The Farewell'), Lee Jung Eun ('Parasite'), Annette Bening ('The Report')
BEST ACTOR - SUPPORTING ROLE
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This was a tough category to swallow for me because it basically put a nail in the coffin on the potential for 'Parasite' to win Best Picture. Song Kang Ho ('Parasite') not getting a nomination in this category is a tough blow for a movie that is getting a ton of love all over the place, a pleasant surprise for a foreign-language film that is one of the year's best releases. Everyone in that movie turned in a haunting performance, but that was especially the case for Song Kang Ho.
The top four in the category were locks and Anthony Hopkins ('The Two Popes') is still deserving of a nomination, but it is hard to hide my disappointment.
An extra nod should be given to Willem Dafoe ('The Lighthouse'), it never seemed like the movie would ever pick up steam, but there was an outside shot he ended up with a nomination for the role.
BIGGEST SNUB: Song Kang Ho ('Parasite')
OTHER SNUBS: Willem Dafoe ('The Lighthouse')
BEST DIRECTOR
Finally, we end with the category that usually fires up the most controversy.
The surprise in this category at the Oscars was the same surprise at the Golden Globes: Todd Phillips ('Joker'). It's no surprise now as 'Joker' led all movies with 11 total nominations, but a few people missed out on being one of the five nominees as Phillips slid in.
Greta Gerwig ('Little Women') is the name being floated around the most for being left off the list of all-male nominees. I think Gerwig was great behind the camera for 'Little Women', so I get the outcry, especially with the polarizing opinions on 'Joker'.
The big snub for me, however, has to be Taika Waititi ('Jojo Rabbit'), without getting into the bizarre outrage over the movie, there had been rumors some voters didn't love the movie, so it makes sense his name got left off the ballot. But I still feel as though Taika put together a complex, at times hilarious and ultra-creative movie with 'Jojo Rabbit'.
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The other name people have been mentioning is Noah Baumbach ('Marriage Story'), he didn't grab a directing nomination but like Gerwig, he grabbed a nod for Best Screenplay.
This category is so top-heavy that, despite some tough cuts, I would say they got it right.
BIGGEST SNUB: Taika Waititi ('Jojo Rabbit')
OTHER SNUBS: Greta Gerwig ('Little Women'), Noah Baumbach ('Marriage Story')
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That's that on the main categories, but who did you think was a bad snub from The Academy? The Oscars are in a few weeks and I couldn't be more excited, we have a ton more coverage ahead!