The 10 Most Surprising Oscar Snubs

Another year, another list of snubbed Academy Award nominees. Whether you think the Oscars is still relevant or not, it's impossible to deny how important the award show is to both the industry and pop culture at large. For many who work in movies, winning an Academy Award is the pinnacle of filmmaking. There is literally no higher honour. Film analysts look to the other award shows that lead up to the Oscars to make their predictions, but every year, there will always be surprises. While some are welcome, including Charlotte Rampling's first Academy Award nomination for 45 Years, others are far more painful for all the dedicated cinephiles out there. The problem is that those who vote for the list of nominees are mainly drawn from a very specific demographic i.e. old, white men from America, which has led to laughably predictable nominations and snubs over the years that fail to reflect the diversity of real life cinema-goers. While award shows like these are undoubtedly subjective to a degree, the nominees list for the 88th Academy Awards has overlooked or even deliberately ignored some of the finest filmmaking of 2015. So, join us as we count down 10 particularly painful snubs that surprised us all. 10) The Martian - Best Director Film fans often bemoan Leonardo DiCaprio's failure to ever win an Academy Award, but at least he has a shot this year. Another industry legend who's been working for far longer than him was ignored yet again in the running for Best Director this time around, and his name is Sir Ridley Scott. Despite previously being nominated for Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down, Scott failed to land a nomination this year, which is particularly surprising when you consider that The Martian picked up various other nods, including Best Actor for Matt Damon, Best Adapted Screenplay, and even Best Picture. There is some consolation in the fact that Scott has been nominated for Best Producer due to The Martian's inclusion in the Best Picture race, but goddammit, this is the man who brought the world Alien and Blade Runner. Give him a bloody Oscar already! 9) Tangerine - Best Supporting Actress Tangerine is an astonishing achievement on so many levels. If you haven't heard of it already, Sean Baker's indie hit follows a trans sex worker who's searching for her pimps squeeze on the side. Technically, Tangerine is a marvel to behold, which is all the more impressive considering it was shot on an iPhone. However, Tangerine's chances for an Oscar nod always lied more with the performance of Mya Taylor, whose combination of brash street smarts and poignant earnestness led many to believe that she could be the first trans performer nominated for an Academy Award. Despite exhaustive campaigning and the high profile support of Caitlyn Jenner (although this may have actually worked against the film in some ways), our hopes for a more progressive nomination at the ceremony this year have fallen to the wayside. 8) The Diary Of A Teenage Girl - Best Adapted Screenplay Indie coming of age dramas come and go, but 2015 brought with it one of the most unique entries that the genre has ever seen, defying expectations to become one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. The Diary of a Teenage Girl features a stunning lead performance from newcomer Bel Powley, a fifteen year old girl who begins a relationship with her mother's older boyfriend. In a just world, Powley would have easily landed a nomination for her frank depiction of female sexuality, but the Oscars lean heavily towards a certain type of actress, so it's no surprise that Powley was unfortunately overlooked. However, the Academy Awards do tend to look out of their comfort zone more in the screenplay categories, nominating films like Ex Machina, which makes it even more disappointing that The Diary of a Teenage Girl wasn't considered for Best Adapted Screenplay. The graphic novel that the movie is based on is cleverly brought to life in many of the film's best scenes through illustrations that are used alongside the live action performers. Few films have explored female sexuality as honestly and bravely as The Diary of a Teenage Girl. An Oscar nomination could have helped pave the way for more filmmakers to tackle this sorely under-represented area of cinema. 7) Mad Max: Fury Road - Best Actress At first glance, some people may be surprised to see Mad Max: Fury Road appear on this list. After all, George Miller's explosive comeback earned ten nominations in total, including Best Picture, Best Director and a slew of technical awards, but no accolades were given for the acting. Fortunately, Tom Hardy was nominated for Best Actor in The Revenant, a deserved nod for the performer's best year in film yet, but co-star Charlize Theron was ignored, mirroring the gender inequality that the film strives to demolish. Theron is no stranger to the awards season, earning a win and a nomination for roles in Monster and North Country respectively, but it's hard to ignore the fact that she was shamelessly overlooked for her performance as Imperator Furiosa, one of the most iconic characters to grace our screens this millennium. Perhaps it was too much to ask for the Academy to nominate an action movie AND consider the central performances alongside the typical roles played in more heavily dramatic films. 6) The Hateful Eight - Best Director/Best Picture/Best Original Screenplay Eight features in and Tarantino is as divisive as ever, wowing audiences with a unique directorial style that offends as much as entertains. Some dismissed Tarantino's latest feature for its long running time and portrayal of racism, but The Hateful Eight is still leagues above the majority of other films released this year. Apparently, the Academy doesn't agree though, shutting Tarantino out of high profile categories such as Best Director, Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Despite the controversial nature of his films, Tarantino has been consistently loved by the Academy in the past, receiving an award for Django Unchained's screenplay juts a few short years ago. If it's any consolation, Jennifer Jason Leigh has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress, after being overlooked for far too long. The Hateful Eight may also walk away with awards for Best Cinematography and Best Original Score on the night, although it's a shame Samuel L. Jackson wasn't considered for his lead role in the film. If nothing else, that disturbing flashback story featuring the naked man in the snow should have automatically given him a nomination! 5) Beasts Of No Nation - Best Supporting Actor Netflix are slowly taking over the world of entertainment, making huge strides in both TV and cinema. The company's first original feature, Beasts of No Nation, has been hugely successful, receiving acclaim across the board... except from the Academy, who failed to award the film one single nomination. The voters who comprise the Academy are notoriously traditional and may resent films delivered in this new format, but a Golden Globe nomination for Idris Elba's role as the West African warlord led many to assume that an Oscar nomination would shortly follow. No such luck. Elba's omission from the list of nominees kicks off a disturbing trend that continues from last year. 4) Straight Outta Compton - Best Picture The Academy love biopics, and although Straight Outta Compton's focus on the hip-hop culture of the 90's isn't your standard Oscar fare, the film has been consistently discussed as a potential contender for Best Picture at the 88th award ceremony. Few films this year have ruled the box office and drawn such strong critical acclaim, yet F. Gary Gray's hit movie only gained one nomination for Best Original Screenplay, despite featuring some of the year's best performances. The lack of recognition for Straight Outta Compton is particularly troubling upon the realization that all twenty of the acting nominations this year have been awarded to white performers. Last year's lack of diversity led to the subject #OscarsSoWhite trending across the internet and now history is set to repeat itself. "At least Straight Outta Compton was recognized for its screenplay!" I hear some of you claim. This may be true, but when you consider that both of the nominated screenwriters are white, a worrying picture begins to form. 3) Creed - Best Actor/Best Director/Best Picture Aside from a misstep in last year's Fantastic Four reboot, Michael B. Jordan is one of Hollywood's fastest rising stars, first impressing audiences and critics alike with a star-making turn in the real life drama Fruitvale Station. After Jordan was snubbed for his breakout role, many believed the actor would be given his dues for playing the lead in Creed, a spinoff from the iconic Rocky series, but, #OscarsSoWhite, so... Ryan Coogler was also shut out from the race for Best Director, despite revitalizing a franchise many assumed had been knocked out for good, and you can guess how the film fared in the Best Picture category... However, there are two positives to take from Creed's recent success. While the Academy may have overlooked his talents, Marvel Studios were quick to snap Coogler up to helm Black Panther, the studio's first film to star a non-white superhero. Secondly, Creed did manage to snag one nomination in this Academy Awards, and that was for Sylvester Stallone, the one prominent white actor in entire film... Oh, wait. Make of that what you will. 2) Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Best Picture The Academy has never looked too kindly upon science fiction films as a rule, but exceptions are occasionally made for the most popular examples of the genre, including Avatar and the original Star Wars movie back in 1977. Prequels aside, it's impossible to underestimate how important Star Wars is, appealing to audiences across all demographics. The hype for J.J. Abrams' take on the franchise was unimaginable, yet The Force Awakens has exceeded all expectations, smashing every box office record while retaining the magic that made us all fall in love with the original films in the first place. Nominations for technical awards were a given, including Sound Mixing, Film Editing and Original Score, but the film that defined 2015 is nowhere to be seen in either the Best Picture or Best Director categories. The Academy Awards may regret this, as the film's inclusion in the high-profile categories would have surely provided the telecast with a huge boost, one sorely needed at a time when the Oscars are becoming less and less relevant to younger audiences with each passing year. 1) Carol - Best Picture/Best Director WHAT!? Carol seemed tailor made for success at the Oscars. Powerful period drama. Check. Lush visuals. Check. Stunning direction from one of cinema's premiere LGBT filmmakers... oh, there it is. Six Academy Award nominations for any film is impressive, and the fact that both of the lead actresses are in the running is commendable. Rooney Mara excels as Therese, while Cate Blanchett gives what is arguably her most subtly powerful performance to date, but critics were still shocked to discover that the film had been left out of the two biggest categories. Few films from 2015 topped as many end of year lists as Carol did, and it seemed to be a lock for both Best Picture and Best Director based on the number of awards it's already won. Todd Haynes has flirted with Oscar success before with Far From Heaven and I'm Not There, but not one of his critically adored films has ever been nominated for Best Director. Also, Carol is just amazing. Once again though, it seems like the Academy's stubborn refusal to acknowledge diversity has robbed Todd Haynes of a well deserved nomination that could have easily led to a win in either of the two main categories. The Danish Girl was also locked out of the running in these two key areas, although Carol is indisputably the better film. Diversity certainly shouldn't be shoehorned into award ceremonies for the sake of it, but when incredible films are locked out of the running for no apparent reason, it's not surprising that people are up in arms about the situation, causing subjects like #OscarsSoWhite and #SoWhiteAndStraight to trend worldwide. What do you think of the Academy Award nominations this year? Do we need more diversity? Which films do you think were overlooked? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

The 10 Most Surprising Oscar Snubs

10) The Martian – Best Director