After such a strong year for movies, the brutal limitations of Oscar nominations were bound to have some big omissions. But there were several genuine shockers Thursday morning, including widely expected nominees like Ariana Grande and Paul Mescal missing out on nods in their respective acting ca.<\/b>
\nAfter such a strong year for movies, the brutal limitations of Oscar nominations were bound to have some big omissions. But there were several genuine shockers Thursday morning, including widely expected nominees like Ariana Grande and Paul Mescal missing out on nods in their respective acting categories. In some cases, that meant room for long overdue recognition, as with Delroy Lindo, who earned his first nomination for \u201cSinners.\u201d
Here are the biggest snubs and surprises:
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\u201cWicked\u201d got a staggering 10 nominations last year, and yet its much darker sequel, \u201cWicked: For Good,\u201d ended up with zero. That\u2019s possibly because the film wasn\u2019t as well received as the first by critics \u2014 but most still thought that Grande would snag another supporting nomination for her effervescent Glinda. It also means that Cynthia Erivo was left out of best actress, though she wasn\u2019t on many prediction lists this time around, and that it was roundly rejected for both crafts and \u2014 with two new, original options \u2014 song (yet somehow Diane Warren still managed to get through again).
One of the best surprises of the morning was Lindo\u2019s supporting actor nod for playing the hard-drinking blues great Delta Slim in \u201cSinners.\u201d It\u2019s his first ever Oscar nomination and long overdue. But his inclusion also meant that another \u201csure thing\u201d didn\u2019t make it.
That seemingly sure thing was Mescal, who delivered an achingly poignant performance as the grieving father William Shakespeare in \u201cHamnet.\u201d It would have been his second Oscar nomination; in 2023, he was recognized for playing another sad father in \u201cAftersun.\u201d
It was widely assumed that three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro would get a best director nomination for \u201cFrankenstein,\u201d his lifetime passion project that got nine other nominations. The slight surprise is that the academy nominated Joachim Trier for \u201cSentimental Value\u201d instead. Somewhat shockingly, del Toro has only been nominated for best director once, for \u201cThe Shape of Water\u201d (he won that year).
Who says awards campaigns don\u2019t pay off? Kate Hudson made it into the best actress category on a wave of celebrity support and goodwill for her performance as Claire Sardina, one part of a Neil Diamond tribute act. It\u2019s recognition that was a long time coming. Her first and last acting nomination was 25 years ago, for playing Penny Lane in \u201cAlmost Famous.\u201d
Hudson\u2019s inclusion meant that Chase Infiniti did not get her first Oscar nomination for \u201cOne Battle After Another.\u201d Her performance as the teen Willa, wrapped up in a life-or-death situation of her parents‘ making, was the heart of Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s masterpiece, and an arrestingly great screen debut.
Amanda Seyfried was not as widely expected to get a leading actress nomination as Infiniti was, but she deserved one for her visceral, ecstatic turn as Shakers founder Ann Lee. With only one nomination to her name, for playing Marion Davies in \u201cMank,\u201d Seyfried is becoming one of our most underappreciated talents, at least as far as awards are concerned.
Oscar voters hate to be boxed in, and apparently this year they heard the cries about biases against horror movies. Zach Cregger\u2019s \u201cWeapons\u201d was certainly one of the most talked about films of the year, but that doesn\u2019t always translate at awards time. But Amy Madigan, who seemed like the rebellious, out-of-the-box pick for critics groups, made it into the hypercompetitive supporting actress category. Not included, however, were the women of \u201cMarty Supreme,\u201d Gwyneth Paltrow and Odessa A\u2019zion, or Regina Hall for \u201cOne Battle After Another.\u201d
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi did get nominations for the Palme d\u2019Or-winning revenge drama \u201cIt Was Just an Accident\u201d (original screenplay and international feature), but it seems like a wild oversight that one of our most vital and persecuted filmmakers wasn\u2019t also recognized for best picture and best director. Panahi filmed \u201cIt Was Just an Accident\u201d clandestinely in Iran following a seven-month stint in prison that only ended in 2023 once he went on a hunger strike. A Tehran court in December sentenced him to a year in prison in absentia and imposed a two-year travel ban on him leaving Iran.
The Oscars have long overlooked anime, despite its immense popularity and quality and, this year, \u201cDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,\u201d which has made over $722 million worldwide, was the big oversight in the animation category. Even \u201cElio\u201d was nominated.
Another headscratcher was Jesse Plemons missing out on a best actor nomination for his raw turn as the conspiracy theorist who kidnaps and tortures Emma Stone\u2019s CEO character in \u201cBugonia.\u201d As one of our great next generation character actors, it\u2019s wild that he\u2019s only been nominated once, for \u201cThe Power of the Dog.\u201d But Plemons not making it in meant that Ethan Hawke did for his unassailably wonderful performance as the witty and deeply insecure Lorenz Hart in \u201cBlue Moon.\u201d
The Formula One racing movie \u201cF1\u201d might have been a big crowd pleaser and a hit for Apple, but it hadn’t been on many lists for a best picture nomination.
Noah Baumbach\u2019s \u201cJay Kelly\u201d might have once been a top Oscar nominee. It\u2019s everything the academy tends to swoon over, a lovingly comedic ode to their industry and the people in it. Adam Sandler was great! As was Nicholas Britell\u2019s score. But this year it was just another film that got zero nominations.
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For more coverage of the Oscars and nominations, visit https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/academy-awards.<\/p>\n