As anticipated, the Daniels’ multiverse sleeper hit/pop cultural phenomenon Everything, Everywhere All at Once leads the pack with 11 nominations. Netflix’s international anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front, which was also everything, everywhere, stormed the Oscars with a staggering nine nominations, tied for second overall with the critical favorite The Banshees of Inisherin.
Here are the biggest snubs and surprises from Tuesday’s Oscar nominations:
Wakanda Forever and Glass Onion miss out on Best Picture Snub
Top Gun: Maverick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Avatar: The Way of Water all achieved the uncommon combination of being both blockbusters and award contenders in the same year, with all three sequels grossing millions of dollars and receiving prestigious recognition. If all three were nominated for Best Picture, it would be the most “audience-friendly” Oscar roster since…? (Now having ten nominees helps.) Unfortunately, only Top Gun and Avatar made the cut, with Wakanda Forever failing to follow in 2018’s footsteps (though the Marvel hit still fared well with five noms, including frontrunner Angela Bassett in Best Supporting Actress, the first MCU star to garner an acting nod).
Also excluded was the Knives Out sequel Glass Onion, which is Netflix’s equivalent of a box-office blockbuster and is already one of the streaming service’s most popular films of all time.
The Woman King in Best Picture Snub
Although Gina Prince-Bythewood’s action epic easily topped Sarah Polley’s personal drama at the box office, Academy voters favored Women Talking. The chamber-piece ensemble of Sarah Polley was nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, but The Woman King was rejected in every category. We believe that both films are winners.
Tom Cruise for Best Actor Snub
Even with the support of co-stars Glen Powell and Jennifer Connelly, Tom Cruise’s performance in Top Gun: Maverick wasn’t enough to earn him a place among this year’s best actors. That means the Mission: Impossible actor has not been nominated for an acting award since Magnolia in 1999. At least Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a first-time Best Picture candidate, thanked his star in his official statement: “On behalf of Tom, all the filmmakers, cast, Paramount and everyone who worked on Top Gun: Maverick, we are so honored by this recognition from the Academy.”
All Quiet on the Western Front Surprise
It was believed that Edward Berger’s German-language anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front (based on the 1929 novel of the same name) was quietly getting traction in the awards race at just the appropriate time after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was nominated in nine categories, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and a multitude of technical awards. It also quietly became the biggest Oscars player for Netflix, the streaming service notorious for spending millions on awards campaigns and which started the season with its hopes mostly put on films like Bardo, Blonde, and Glass Onion, all of which received only one nod.
Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde Surprise
After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, Blonde, Andrew Dominick’s violent, gloomy, gut-punching, nearly three-hour meditation on how terrible Marilyn Monroe’s life was, became one of the most polarizing films in the film industry. Even the film’s most ardent detractors had to concede that Ana de Armas’ portrayal as the lady born Norma Jeane Mortensen was remarkable. Voters awarded the rising Cuban-Spanish actress with her first Academy Award nomination.
Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler are among the Black performers Snubbed in the lead acting categories
While nominations for Angela Bassett and Bryan Tyree Henry as supporting actors were cause for celebration, Black artists were conspicuously absent from the Best Actor and Best Actress categories. The prominent snubs began with Woman King’s Viola Davis, who converted herself into an action hero for the stirring period epic, and Till’s Danielle Deadwyler, who had one of the most unforgettable sequences of the year. This error of judgment has already been criticized on Twitter.
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water Snub
Both Titanic and Avatar grossed more than $2 billion worldwide and garnered James Cameron two Best Director Oscar nominations and one victory. Avatar: The Way of Water was successful in the former… but not in the latter. While the blockbuster sequel finally reached the $2 billion club over the weekend, Cameron will have to settle for a nomination for Best Picture and three awards for his technical staff. We believe he is okay with that.
Adam Sandler Snub
While Adam Sandler’s low-key, superb basketball movie Hustle has been a season-long dark horse candidate, The Sandman caught a breeze in his sails when the Screen Actors Guild nominated him for the first time for his most recent dramatic performance. Unfortunately, Sandler was once again omitted from the Oscar nominations in favor of indie darlings Bill Nighy (Living) and Paul Mescal (Aftersun). Sadly, we cannot call it a major surprise. If the Academy did not acknowledge Sandler for his career-best performance in Uncut Gems, then Netflix’s Hustle was shooting from half-court.
Taylor Swift Snub
The Oscars almost had pop-star power rivaling the Grammys. Shortlisted in the Best Original Song category were Taylor Swift (“Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing), Lady Gaga (“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick) and Rihanna (“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). While Gaga and Rihanna are in, Swift failed to make the cut, which will leave her stuck at “E” and “G” in EGOT standings. Something (i.e., demand for concert tickets) tells us she’ll be just fine, though.
Source – Tru News Report
