“Congratulations to those men” said a disappointed Issa Rae after the announcement of yet another year of Oscars rewarding only male directors. It came at the tail-end of a streamed event that featured a variety of categories more shocking for what was missing than what was included. Most notably Cynthia Erivo being the lone performer of colour nominated amongst a lineup of talented, melanin-deficient actors was a disappointment for those hoping for a more diverse pool. Meanwhile, Film Twitter was quickly up in arms about the lack of a single nomination for a female director of narrative film (female documentarian directors did rather well with four nods). It was a wild morning that requires examination a bit more than the standard quick perusal allows. These are, in no particular order, the biggest surprises, the most upsetting snubs, and the unlikely nominations that are a damn shame nevertheless.

SNUB - BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: APOLLO 11

Once again, the presumed winner did not even show. No pundits have been able to pinpoint why exactly this has occurred with such regularity.

SURPRISE - BEST ACTOR + BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: ANTHONY HOPKINS + JONATHAN PRYCE (The Two Popes)

These were not genuine surprises in that the only major precursor they missed out on was the SAG Awards, but still worth noting as most pundits had decided to ignore ‘the Popes movie’ in their predictions for more well-known performances like….

SNUB - BEST ACTOR: TARON EDGERTON (Rocketman)

He could not realistically invite the entire acting branch to his birthday party, now could he?

DAMN SHAME - BEST PICTURE: KNIVES OUT

Golden Globe and PGA nominations were not enough to push Rian Johnson’s politically-focused whodunnit into the Best Picture category, though Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is not needed to see why. The Academy rarely rewards comedies, and this was no exception.

DAMN SHAME - BEST DIRECTOR: GRETA GERWIG (Little Women)

There is a reason for the distinction between a snub, and a damn shame and this is it. Unfortunately, Gerwig had no major nods or wins in the lead-up to this morning and recognition here was unlikely. Her beloved direction’s potential appearance on the ballot was instead taken up by..

DAMN SHAME - BEST DIRECTOR: TODD PHILLIPS (Joker)

*Presented without Comment*

SNUB - BEST ACTRESS: LUPITA NYONG’O (Us)

Another case of The Academy’s literal fear of horror films, but a miss here for an incredible dual performance by an actress of colour is a disappointing end after so many Best Actress wins from a variety of precursors.

SNUB - BEST ACTOR: CHRISTIAN BALE (Ford v Ferrari)

Sometimes category fraud bites in the ass.

DAMN SHAME - BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: THE ENTIRE FEMALE CAST (Parasite)

One of the most significant aspects of Parasite likely led to its downfall in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category: there were so many great female performances that no one stood above the rest. Everyone seemed to have a personal favourite, which likely split the votes. That line of thinking, however, does not apply to…

DAMN SHAME - BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - SONG KANG-HO (Parasite)

As the patriarch of the Kim family, Song was Parasite’s best chance at an acting nomination. Another possibility is the acting branch’s well-known dislike of subtitles could have led to Parasite being ignored, but that is complicated by…

SURPRISE - BEST ACTOR: ANTONIO BANDERAS (Pain and Glory)

This is a legitimate shock. No precursors and the film is a foreign-language film with no other major nominations. There is a chance Banderas got in on name recognition alone, but the film does have its fans, so it is hard to say.

SNUB - BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: NICOLE KIDMAN (Bombshell)

If only her wig were bigger.

SNUB - BEST ACTRESS: AWKWAFINA + ZHAO SHUZHEN (The Farewell)

Though in different categories, there is a possibility based on the ‘either/or’ nominations in precursor ceremonies that Oscar voters chose Awkwafina or Shuzhen, not both, leaving neither with recognition. Though the film not showing in other categories could also mean it just was not watched or loved by as many Academy members as by critics and audiences.

DAMN SHAME: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: CLAIRE MATHON (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)

After France chose Les Miserables as its submission over Celine Sciamma’s quiet period romance, there was only one spot where the Cannes Film Festival winner could show up. Nevertheless, unlike last year’s surprise nominee, Cold War, it could not overcome its position as a missable film in a, particularly stacked year.

DAMN SHAME - BEST ACTOR: ROBERT DE NIRO (The Irishman)

The least showy role of the three main stars in Martin Scorsese’s lengthy epic was also the only one of the three to miss out. It was DeNiro’s best work in years but did not stick in viewers’ minds enough to make the cut.

DAMN SHAME - BEST ACTOR + BEST PICTURE: ADAM SANDLER + UNCUT GEMS

The tense tightly-written thriller featuring one of Sandler’s best performances was a long-shot to be nominated, but that does not help the sting for fans.

JUST A TOTAL SH*TSHOW - BEST ORIGINAL SONG: The Entire Category

This was just a mess. No Beyonce and unmemorable songs from Toy Story 4 and Breakthrough sliding in were the main surprises for a bizarre category. With a list this weak, it is plausible that ABC could pull songs from the broadcast this year.

DAMN SHAME - BEST ACTOR: EDDIE MURPHY (Dolemite is My Name)

Eagle-eye pundits saw this one coming for a mile away, but that does not make the exclusion of the only potential appearance of an actor of colour any less infuriating.

SNUB - BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: FROZEN II

Looking for a clear-cut example of a snub? Nothing is more of a shock than one of the presumed frontrunners and highest-grossing animated film of all time, Frozen II, missing out on a nomination. Nevertheless, its fall gave way to another winter-themed film to take its place.

SURPRISE - BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: KLAUS

This may be hard to call a straight-up surprise as it did land a nod for the most notable animation precursor, The Annie Awards. Regardless, the well-received NETFLIX Original’s near-silence in conversation in the lead-up to the Oscars made this one of the most welcomed moments of the morning.

SNUB - BEST EDITING: ONCE UPON A TIME IN…HOLLYWOOD

Not saying this sunk Tarantino’s chances for a Best Picture win, but rarely does a film win the big prize without a nomination for editing.

SNUB - BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: JENNIFER LOPEZ (Hustlers)

There were many narratives this year of formerly lowbrow actors turning in award-worthy performances, but like Sandler and Murphy, the lack of hype about the films as a whole probably lessened the chances of voting members getting around to seeing it. Though few people seeing their film did not stop a nomination for…

SURPRISE - BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: KATHY BATES (Richard Jewell)

Another situation of the writing being on the wall with her omission from the SAG Awards most likely be due to an error in her submission. However, she took potential frontrunner Lopez’s spot, which made it more than worthy for its placement on this list.

SNUB - BEST PICTURE: CATS

A travesty. Pour one out for Skimbleshanks.

The 92nd Academy Awards premieres live on ABC February 9th 2020

92nd Academy Awards - Snubs, Surprises, and Damn Shames

Medical Police - Season 1

Seberg