The ballots are in! The nominations for the 89th annual Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday, January 24, and as predicted, La La Land is a strong favorite, tying the all-time record with 14 nods — but there were also many snubs, surprises and upsets! Watch this year’s crop of nominees be announced in the video above.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the nominees via a pretaped segment this year, instead of the usual live very-early-on-the-West-Coast press conference. Although the new presentation format was met with mixed reviews, fans were happy to see that the slate is much more diverse after the #OscarsSoWhite scandals over the past several years. There are minorities and people of color nominated in all the major categories this year.
Us Weekly’s film critic, Mara Reinstein, weighed in on this year’s nominees from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Here are the biggest shockers:
Supporting Actor Switch-Up
“Michael Shannon gets the nod over Nocturnal Animals costar Aaron Taylor-Johnson for Best Supporting Actor even though the latter won the Golden Globe! But anyone who’s seen the movie knows this was the right call. Shannon’s work as a no-B.S. investigator was a standout.”
A Fantastic Surprise for Lead Actor
“Viggo Mortensen is a minor upset for Captain Fantastic, but he got the SAG nom and Golden Globe nom as well. More people should see his wonderful performance. Stream it now! He got the vote over Tom Hanks (Sully), Joel Edgerton (Loving) and Michael Keaton (The Founder).”
Justin Timberlake Is on His Way to an EGOT
The singer-actor already has multiple Emmys and Grammys, and he now has a Best Original Song Oscar nod for “Can’t Stop the Feeling” in Trolls. “He’ll vie against Sting (‘The Empty Chair,’ in Jim: The James Foley Story), Lin-Manuel Miranda (‘How Far I’ll Go,’ in Moana) and maestros Benji Pasek and Justin Paul (two-time nominees for La La Land with ‘Audition (The Fools Who Dream)’ and ‘City of Stars’). This is a stacked category.”
No Love for Pixar’s Animated Features
“No Sing or Finding Dory! It’s shocking that a well-regarded Pixar movie did not even get a nomination. Finding Dory was the biggest box-office hit of 2016. Zooptopia will win.” The Disney film is up against Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini and The Red Turtle.
Another Speech for Meryl Streep?
The Lead Actress category had quite a few surprises. “No Amy Adams for Arrival! Wow. I wonder if Meryl Streep took her spot after the Golden Globes speech. The role as a vain opera singer (in Florence Foster Jenkins) was very slight compared to Adams’ heavy lifting. (AA, after all, literally saved the entire world in her performance.) Ruth Negga was easily the best part of Loving — that nomination wasn’t such a surprise. I thought Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures) might slip in there, as well as Annette Bening for 20th Century Women. It’s nice to see so many strong contenders in this category.”
Scorsese Snubbed for Best Director, Mel Gibson Is Forgiven
“Mel Gibson for Hacksaw Ridge over Martin Scorsese for Silence! Both are heavy, faith-based dramas. Oh, my goodness, this never would have seemed possible 10 years ago.” In 2007, Scorsese won for The Departed, and Gibson’s career took a hit after his misogynistic, anti-Semitic rant while getting pulled over for a DUI.
Best Picture Shocker
“Hacksaw Ridge! This has to be considered a big upset considering that Mel Gibson was a pariah as recent as a year ago. Hidden Figures got that nomination too. It had to help that the movie is a crowd-pleasing hit.”
Superheroes Still Don’t Stand a Chance
Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds — who received a Golden Globe nod — was thought to be an Oscar contender, but after “unlikely buzz, it got shut out entirely. It will have to comfort itself in the money it made at the box office.”
