Oscar snubs and surprises
On Jan. 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for their annual much-anticipated Academy Awards. Like every year, this slate of nominees was full of snubs and surprises; here are some that the Thresher believed were especially notable.
Snubs:
“Challengers”
“Challengers,” in case you didn’t know, absolutely rocks. It’s an absorbingly melodramatic sports movie with more momentum than most action movies. The film stands as a monument to both the next generation of movie stars and director Luca Guadigno’s established crew of collaborators.
It’s apparently too much fun for the Academy, which did not nominate the film despite its cultural and technical significance. It, at the very least, deserved nominations for Best Supporting Actor (for Josh O’Connor’s slimy performance), Best Cinematography (for Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s innovative camerawork) and Best Original Score (for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ inspired house soundtrack). - Jay Collura
Marianne Jean-Baptiste in “Hard Truths”
Usually, the Oscars have a penchant for big, explosive performances, which makes it somewhat surprising that Marianne Jean-Baptiste was not nominated for her excellent work in “Hard Truths.” Mike Leigh’s quaint but powerful drama is fundamentally centered around this performance, in which Jean-Baptiste plays a woman constantly lashing out against the world around her. As the roots of this aggression materialize, the film transitions from bleak comedy into a gut-wrenching drama, a transition told entirely on the face of Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who definitely deserves her flowers. - Jay Collura
“Nickel Boys”
This writer’s pick for the best film of 2024, “Nickel Boys” was nominated for just two Oscars, Picture and Adapted Screenplay. Yes, this masterpiece deserved nods for Aunjanue Ellis and for its score, but most shocking were the snubs in Cinematography and Director.
Shot entirely in first-person perspective, Jomo Fray’s visionary camerawork was overlooked, and while the Academy nominated Jacques Audiard for the shallow and gaudy “Emilia Perez,” RaMell Ross’ groundbreaking direction bringing Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel to cinematic life was ignored. Their empathetic and lyrical filmmaking flourishes here, making the film’s omissions downright criminal. - Arman Saxena
Denis Villeneuve for Achievement in Directing
“Dune: Part 2,” like the first installment, left audiences asking for more. While the film received five nominations this year, none of the nominations recognized Villeneuve’s influential work. His directing has demonstrated the necessary balance of authenticity and consistency with the source material, making “Dune” and “Dune: Part 2” among the best book-to-screen adaptations. Villeneuve beautifully crafted the world of Arrakis by filming on-site in deserts across Asia and made the “unadaptable” book adaptable and enjoyable, one of the most challenging feats in storytelling. I fully believe his work will influence future filmmakers, and for that, he should be recognized. - Ridhi Dondeti
“All We Imagine as Light” in Best International Feature
The winner of Best Film Not in the English Language at the National Society of Film Critics awards and the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, “All We Imagine as Light” was completely shut out by the Academy in every category.
This is partly because, for a film to be nominated for Best International Feature Film, each country’s film academy must submit a single film for Oscar contention and India decided to go with “Laapataa Ladies” instead, hypothesized to be due to the fact that “All We Imagine as Light” and director Payal Kapadia’s previous film “The Night of Knowing Nothing” criticize the ruling BJP government. Even still, the Academy failed to nominate Kapadia for her intimate and incredible direction, something that even the Golden Globes was able to do. - Arman Saxena
Surprises
“I’m Still Here” in Picture
Probably one of the most pleasant surprises on nomination morning was the inclusion of Walter Salles’ poignant and political family drama “I’m Still Here”. Following lead Fernanda Torres’ Best Actress in a Drama win at the Golden Globes, the Brazilian film rode a wave of momentum to three nominations at the Oscars — one for Picture, Actress and International Feature. This is a full-circle moment for both director Walter Salles and Torres, as Salles’ magnificent 1998 drama “Central Station” also received multiple nominations, one for Best International Feature and the other for the performance of its lead actress Fernanda Montenegro, Torres’ mother. - Arman Saxena
“Flow” for Best International Feature
Animation is hardly recognized at the Oscars, almost exclusively relegated to its respective categories. “Flow” is a perfect example of why this must change. Beyond its gorgeous animation, the feature is an excellent example of the fundamental cinematic power that draws us to the cinema in the first place. Told without dialogue, “Flow” captures a sense of scale that acknowledges both the breath-taking and minute, constructing a moving story about how we find family. The film is one of the year’s best, and I am glad it has rightly risen above the belittling labels placed on animated films. - Jay Collura
Sebastian Stan in “The Apprentice” for Lead Actor
With Sebastian Stan’s nomination, he becomes the ninth actor in Oscar history to be nominated for playing a U.S. president: with Daniel Day-Lewis being the only winner for “Lincoln.” While Stan has also been garnering more acclaim with his role in “A Different Man” and winning a Golden Globe, it is surprising that “The Apprentice” was nominated at all this award season, considering the fact that Donald Trump’s lawyers tried to ban the movie’s release in the U.S. Ultimately, “The Apprentice” powerfully depicted the “past life” of the president through its interactive storytelling and authentic portrayal in the biopic. - Ridhi Dondeti
“The Substance” in General
One of the bigger surprises of this year’s Oscar nominations is “The Substance” not only securing a spot in the Best Picture race but also earning recognition in other major categories such as Best Director for Coralie Fargeat. Horror films, especially body horror films, rarely break into the Academy’s top categories, making this a historic moment not just for the genre but also for female directors, with Fargeat joining the still too-short list of women recognized for their work behind the camera.
Whether or not it takes home the top prize, its nomination is already a victory for horror fans, women in film and those who believe bold, unhinged storytelling deserves more than just a cult following. – Jennifer Liu
Monica Barbaro in “A Complete Unknown” for Supporting Actress
Monica Barbaro’s unexpected nod for Best Supporting Actress is another notable highlight of this Oscar season. While Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Bob Dylan was a safe bet, Barbaro’s performance as Joan Baez in the Dylan biopic was a pleasant surprise. After being overlooked by the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and BAFTAs, Barbaro’s name had largely flown under the radar in the Best Supporting Actress race, until the SAG nominations rolled in. Now, the rising actress is anything but a complete unknown. – Jennifer Liu
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