Relying on how you concentrate on it, each nomination acquired on Oscars nominations morning represents an Oscar nomination somebody else didn’t get. Essentially the most notable snubs and surprises of the 2025 Oscar nominations symbolize a variety of disappointment, because the Academy closely favored movies like Emilia Perez, The Brutalist, and Depraved as an alternative of spreading the love throughout a wider vary of movies. However there have been additionally some joyful shocks, for actors who may not have been thought of favorites, or motion pictures that had been assumed to be longshots.
Under, we break down essentially the most eyebrow-raising selections of those that voted for the 97th Academy Awards, from a brutal shutout for certainly one of our most acclaimed filmmakers to the actor who arguably bought nominated for the fallacious efficiency. Plus, Diane Warren is right here — however possibly not for the rationale you anticipate.
SNUB: Sorry, Reznor and Ross
Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, photograph by John Nacion / Getty Photographs
In all probability the most important shock of the morning was Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross not including to their nominations tally with recognition for his or her Challengers rating — their authentic tune “Compress/Repress” additionally didn’t make the minimize. It’d be much less stunning, to be trustworthy, if Reznor and Ross didn’t have already got a confirmed observe document with the Academy. However having already received twice and been nominated 3 times, not seeing their names on the checklist was sudden. Particularly since, y’know, it was among the best scores of 2024. If not the greatest. The Golden Globes bought it, no less than.
SNUB: Actually, Sorry to Luca Guadagnino
Queer (A24)
The Name Me By Your Identify filmmaker launched two motion pictures final 12 months, each of which had been completely shut out by this 12 months’s nominations: Challengers, as talked about above, couldn’t break by way of within the music classes, and the William S. Burroughs adaptation Queer additionally went unrecognized. Each movies had been critically acclaimed, although Queer maybe to a lesser diploma — that stated, Daniel Craig gave a very worthy efficiency within the latter movie.
SURPRISE: Sebastian Stan Will get Nominated for… the Flawed Efficiency?
The Apprentice (Cannes Movie Pageant)
Sebastian Stan got here into awards season with two high-profile performances — taking part in a rising Donald Trump within the controversial The Apprentice and a person affected by neurofibromatosis in A Totally different Man. Of the 2 movies, A Totally different Man is the extra advanced and difficult on all fronts, and Stan’s efficiency is de facto exceptional — so of course he bought nominated for The Apprentice as an alternative. (Stan really received a Golden Globe for his work in A Totally different Man. That’s two, Globes.)
SNUB: Was the Academy Not Entertained by Denzel Washington?
Gladiator II (Paramount)
Gladiator II was certainly one of 2024’s greater disappointments, creatively — its omission from the Finest Image lineup is an accurate one — however Denzel Washington’s gleefully insidious efficiency was certainly one of its excessive factors, and definitely worthy of consideration. The movie as an alternative acquired a single nod for Costume Design, so maybe voters had been no less than in a position to respect the way in which Washington flaunted his character’s capes and robes on display.
SURPRISE: Monica Barbaro Does Joan Baez Justice
A Full Unknown (Searchlight Footage)
Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton had been each anticipated to obtain nominations for taking part in (respectively) Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger in A Full Unknown, however Monica Barbaro wasn’t fairly as a lot a lock, making her nod right here a pleasant shock.
SNUB: How the Hell Did Nickel Boys Not Get a Cinematography Nom?
Nickel Boys (Amazon MGM Studios)
Nickel Boys, flat out, deserved greater than two nominations this morning — the searing adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel was certainly one of final 12 months’s greatest movies. Nevertheless it’s the Cinematography nod which hurts essentially the most, as RaMell Ross labored brilliantly with director of images Jomo Fray to inform this story by way of the literal eyes of its protagonists. That’s an unbelievable achievement by itself, made all of the extra highly effective by the way in which it enhances the narrative. An actual oversight on this case.
SNUB: Kneecap Bought Kneecapped
Kneecap (Courtesy of the Sundance Movie Pageant)
Final 12 months’s Sundance darling was additionally a really strong and politically related music biopic, but regardless of showing on the shortlists for Worldwide Characteristic Movie and Unique Music, Eire’s Kneecap couldn’t finally get any love from the Academy.
