Not everyone in Hollywood woke up to good news early Thursday, Jan. 16. As the nominations for the 2014 Academy Awards were announced just before 6 a.m. Los Angeles time, frontrunner-contender films like Gravity, American Hustle and 12 Years a Slave –– and stars like Jennifer Lawrence, Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey and more — were named on this year's ballots for the early March Oscars. Still, a fair amount of 2013's most acclaimed and talked-about films and actors were snubbed and overlooked.
Spike Jonze' flick Her — hailed by some critics as the best film of 2013 — was named among the Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay nominees, but it failed to garner nods for director Jonze or its celebrated star, Joaquin Phoenix. Another critical darling of 2013, folk-music saga Inside Llewyn Davis, directed by American auteurs the Coen Brothers, nabbed just two nominations total in Sound Mixing and Cinematography, with breakout star Oscar Isaac's work ignored.
In her first major film role in decades, TV star Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been applauded for her work in Enough Said, with nearly universal praise as well for the film (directed and written by Nicole Holofcener), which also featuring a revelatory final performance by the late James Gandolfini; Enough Said received no nominations. Beloved Hollywood veteran Robert Redford — who has won a directing Oscar and a Lifetime Achievement Oscar, but no individual acting trophies — was denied a nod for his acclaimed, stark work in All Is Lost.
This year, perennial Oscar fave (and two-time winner) Tom Hanks was overlooked for his performances in both Captain Philips (a Best Picture contender) and Saving Mr. Banks. Hanks' Saving Mr. Banks costar and previous Oscar winner Emma Thompson was likewise shut out.
Two talked-about films may have suffered from earlier-in-the-year releases: Fruitvale Station (featuring an astonishing turn by relative newcomer Michael B. Jordan) and Lee Daniels' The Butler, which included standout work from Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.
Even with those snubs, there were a few happy surprises as well: former Best Actress nominee Sally Hawkins finds herself in the Best Supporting category for her performance opposite Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine, and Jonah Hill, as well, grabbed an unexpected Best Supporting nod for his Wolf of Wall Street turn. Although she already has an Oscar on her mantel, Dame Judi Dench wasn't guaranteed a slot in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category — but the Brit nabbed one, this time for Philomena.
Tell Us: Which stars and films were the most shocking snubs and surprises this year for the Academy Awards?
