A few days ago, I posted a list of the biggest snubs from the Oscar nomination announcement. Now, I want to take a look at the flip side of that, running down some of the biggest surprises from that morning. There were plenty of both, to be sure, but with the snubs already hit, the surprise nominations are getting their due. It’s hard sometimes not to focus on the Oscar exclusions solely, but the inclusions are worthy of some discussions as well, being as they’re perhaps a bit more positive. As such, that’s what I’ll be doing right now, taking a look at the surprises from that morning…
Here are the ten biggest surprise nominations this year:
1. Eight nominees in Best Picture – We’ve gotten so used to nine being the new default number in the Best Picture field, seeing the reduction of one nominee was a huge surprise for sure. Especially when you consider how close Foxcatcher apparently came to cracking the lineup (or something like Nightcrawler, perhaps), there seemed to have been a tailor made nine again. Nope, eight it is, this year at least. Next year? Who knows.
2. Bennett Miller in Best Director – Similarly, the new way of voting on Best Picture was assumed to have eliminated the Lone Director type of nomination. Obviously that isn’t the case, as Miller slipped in for Foxcatcher, despite the film being snubbed in Picture. It was a well deserved nod for sure, but a surprising one, without question. A director getting in without his film is a rare occurrence, to say the least.
3. Bradley Cooper in Best Actor – For a little bit, Cooper seemed a threat to win for American Sniper, but then he faded from the Best Actor race. Then, nominations were announced and there he was again. Considering the fondness that the Academy had for American Sniper, it’s not a huge shock, but going into the big morning he wasn’t expected to have his name called out.
4. Laura Dern in Best Supporting Actress – Dern’s supporting turn in Wild was always on the cusp of getting in, but it was assumed that Best Supporting Actress would wind up featuring someone else in the final slot. Then, she turned up, surprising a number of folks. Her campaign wasn’t flashy, but it sure worked.
5. Ida in Best Cinematography – We know that the Academy loves their black and [...]
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