The Oscar nominations were released this morning, and as usual it was a mix of good, bad and ugly. Mostly it was a predictable list, following way too closely the media hype about certain Oscar bait movies. For me the biggest overall snubs were: No best actor nomination for Robert Redford (All is Lost); no best supporting actress nomination for Scarlett Johansson (Her); no best actress nomination for Julie Delply (Before Midnight); no big nominations for Inside Llewyn Davis.
If I had my way, this is what I would have nominated in some of the main categories:
Best Picture: Before Midnight, Her, To the Wonder, Gravity, Inside Llewyn Davis, Museum Hours, Frances Ha, 12 Years a Slave, All is Lost, Short Term 12.
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Before Midnight; Spike Jonze, Her; Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity; Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave; Destin Cretton, Short Term 12.
Best Actor: Robert Redford, All is Lost; Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave; Joaquin Phoenix, Her; Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight; Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt.
Best Actress: Brie Larson, Short Term 12; Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine; Barbara Sukowa, Hannah Arendt; Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha; Julie Delpy, Before Midnight.
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave; Will Forte, Nebraska; Nathan Fillion, Much Ado About Nothing; Keith Stanfield; Short Term 12; James Gandolfini, Enough Said.
Best Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson, Her; Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave; June Squibb, Nebraska; Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine; Leslie Mann, The Bling Ring.