The nominations for the 88th Annual Academy Awards were announced today, and there are more than a few surprises here. Let’s begin with one of the major upsets:Carol,Todd Haynes' gorgeous, emotionally resonant romance, failed to secure a Best Film nomination, and Haynes also was snubbed as director; in both cases, they were seemingly pushed aside forLenny Abrahamson’sRoom, a very good movie in comparison to the greatness ofCarol. On the other hand, Jacob Tremblay surprisingly didn’t get a nomination for his rather wonderful performance, and it’s nice to seeRooney Mara,Cate Blanchett, andPhyllis Nagyget nominations for a film that deserved to sweep the whole damn thing.
Otherwise, the main categories are pretty business-as-usual, with the exception of the screenplays. I must say I’m surprised to seeQuentin Tarantinonot on the list for Best Original Screenplay for the lovingly unhingedThe Hateful Eightin favor, it would seem, ofF. Gary Gray’sStraight Outta Compton. Similarly, seeing anAaron Sorkinscript not get nominated is a strange, strange sight to behold. But the glut of the nominations went to the movies that we were expecting to get the noms, withStar Wars: The Force Awakenspredictably picking up a slew of technical nods.
One last notable surprise would be the absence ofFurious 7’s “See You Again,” which was a favorite for the award right next to “Writing’s on the Wall,“Sam Smith’s theme forSpectre. (Would that Radiohead’s jettisoned take on the theme could have been nominated, which would have been my favorite Bond theme by a mile, had it been released.) “See You Again” was seemingly usurped by “Earned It,” The Weeknd’s catchy, seductive song forFifty Shades of Grey, and it’s easy enough to assume that The Weeknd’s famed stage show (as well as the film’s success) was a deciding factor here. Indeed, if The Weeknd performs and has half the energy he brought to his performance of “Can’t Feel My Face” at the MTV Music Video Awards, he may very well steal the show.
The 2016 Oscars will air live on Sunday, February 28th on ABC, hosted byChris Rock. Here are the nominees:
BEST PICTURE
The Big Short
The Revenant
The Martian
Mad Max: Fury Road
Bridge of Spies
BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro G. Iñárritu –The Revenant
Adam McKay –The Big Short
Tom McCarthy –Spotlight
George Miller —Mad Max: Fury Road
Lenny Abrahamson —Room
BEST ACTRESS
Brie Larson –Room
Saoirse Ronan –Brooklyn
Cate Blanchett –Carol
Charlotte Rampling –45 Years
Jennifer Lawrence —Joy
BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio –The Revenant
Michael Fassbender –Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne –The Danish Girl
Bryan Cranston –Trumbo
Matt Damon –The Martian
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Alicia Vikander –The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet –Steve Jobs
Jennifer Jason Leigh –The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara –Carol
Rachel McAdams –Spotlight
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mark Rylance –Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone –Creed
Christian Bale –The Big Short
Mark Ruffalo –Spotlight
Tom Hardy —The Revenant
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Big Short– Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
Room —Emma Donaghue
Carol– Phyllis Nagy
The Martian– Drew Goddard
Brooklyn– Nick Hornby
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Spotlight– Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Inside Out– Josh Cooley, Pete Docter, Meg LeFavue
Straight Outta Compton— Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus
Ex Machina– Alex Garland
Bridge of Spies– Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Revenant– Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario– Roger Deakins
Carol– Edward Lachman
Mad Max: Fury Road– John Seale
The Hateful Eight– Robert Richardson
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Hateful Eight– Ennio Morricone
Star Wars: The Force Awakens– John Williams
Bridge of Spies– Thomas Newman
Carol– Carter Burwell
Sicario— Johann Johannsson
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST FILM EDITING
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
The 100-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Danish Girl
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Cinderella
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Earned It” fromFifty Shades of Grey
“Manta Ray” fromRacing Extinction
“Til It Happens to You” fromThe Hunting Ground
“Writing’s on the Wall” fromSpectre
“Simple Song #3” fromYouth
BEST SOUND EDITING
BEST SOUND MIXING
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Inside Out
Boy and the World
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FEATURE
Mustang– France
Son of Saul– Hungary
Theeb– Jordan
A War— Denmark
Embrace of the Serpent— Colombia
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Look of Silence
Cartel Land
What Happened Miss Simone?
Winter’s on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom
Body Team 12
BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Bear Story (Historia de un Oso)
