2015 Oscar Snubs & Surprises

A quick note to my readers - First off, thanks so much for checking in regularly! Things are still crazy since I've returned from my semester abroad, and along with the holidays, I've been working, getting ready to go back to school, looking for summer jobs/internships, and of course, watching movies. So the good news is I'll have my reviews for Interstellar, Birdman, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Unbroken, and hopefully a few more in the coming weeks. Having said that, I thought I'd address a few snubs and surprises for this year's Oscars to let you all know that I'm still alive.
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As usual, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences dropped a few jaws in the unveiling of their annual nominations for film excellence. A few names people are throwing around, like Selma and Nightcrawler, are among the films I have not yet seen. So here are a few films that surprised me with nominations, along with a few films that I feel were snubbed for recognition.

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Snub: Into the Woods. Despite being the most magical and musical movie of the year, Into the Woods is left with nothing but a few worthy design nods and one for Meryl Streep's witch. The rest of its talented cast (especially Emily Blunt and Lilla Crawford), its director, the screenplay, and the film itself have been wrongly ignored.

Surprise: The Lego Movie. No, this is not a snub. This is good news! A bit of honesty - I haven't seen any of the other animated nominees (Dragon 2 is on my queue), though after watching The Lego Movie, I (along with my 9 & 12 year old cousins) was majorly unmoved, and I failed to see how the film was getting so much critical and popular success. Looks like the Academy may have agreed with me on this one!

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Snub: Gone Girl. Despite shocking and captivating audiences, Gone Girl has been nominated only for Best Actress. I was harboring hope for both Ben Affleck and Neil Patrick Harris to be nominated, though neither were truly in the running. More likely were its nominations for Best Director or Best Picture, while its place on the Best Adapted Screenplay list was seemingly guaranteed. All three were unrealized, so instead of four or five nominations, Gone Girl only got one.

Snub: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The Hobbit had some of the most impressive technical features ever put on film. Aside from a sound nomination, the rest of its construction, from its visual effects, score, film editing, cinematography, and art design, was criminally overlooked.

Surprise: The Grand Budapest Hotel. After its Golden Globe win for Best Picture, nominations for Picture and Screenplay seemed like safe bets. But Grand Budapest secured nine nominations - that's a tie with Birdman for the most. The Grand Budapest Hotel was a good film - but fantastic enough to warrant nine Academy Award nominations?

Snub: Snowpiercer's Tilda Swinton. Honestly, I didn't get all the hype around summer's Snowpiercer. One thing that wasn't hyped enough about it, however, was Tilda Swinton's performance. Even though the BFCA found a spot for her name on their supporting actress shortlist, the Academy failed to reward Swinton's most engrossing, gut-wrenching, and transformative experience to date.

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Snub: The Equalizer's Marton Csokas. Okay - hear me out here. The Equalizer was nothing close to the year's best picture, but the film was bolstered by Csokas's performance as the ruthless and deadly Teddy. Descending into Teddy's meticulous madness, Csokas was deemed guilty by association with this so-so action movie.

Surprise: American Sniper. Most awards circuits didn't recognize Sniper with nominations of any sort. This morning, Sniper garnered six nominations, including Best Screenplay, Actor, and Picture. Don't count this war drama out of the running just yet.

Snub: Noah. With its all-star cast and breathtaking visuals, Noah was lauded by critics. Its chances for Best Picture were slim, but the score and technical construction should have been given more consideration.

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Snub: The Fault in our Stars. 
Transcending the moapy chick flick genre, The Fault in Our Stars told an uplifting yet somber story about love, loss, and life. Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodly gave two of the best performances of the year, yet their efforts were not acknowledged - a big mistake on the Academy's part if they wanted to bring in younger viewers. At the very least they could have thrown the filmmakers a bone with an Adapted Screenplay nomination.