Oscars 2012: Surprises and Snubs

This is a list of the biggest surprises and snubs in this year's Oscar nominations:

Best Picture:
Surprise:
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close -this is a film that I greatly enjoyed, but after mediocre reviews, I don't think that anybody thought that this would actually get nominated.

Snub:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - After a lot of support from the guilds this masterpiece (in my opinion) was left with five nominations... but not one for BEst Picture. It seemed like a lock.

Best Director:
Snub:
Steven Spielberg - This one is barely a snub since not a lot of people really thought that Spielberg would get nominated, but I thought his direction in "WAr Horse" was flawless and deserving of a nomination.

Best Actor:
Surprises:
Demian Bichir - I have not yet seen this movie, but it didn't seem like the type of movie thAT WOULD GET AN ISCAR NOMINATION. THIS REALLY CAME OUT OF THE BLUE, EXCEPT FOR THE SAG NOMINATION.

SNUBS:
MICHAEL Fassbender - Anyone who has seen "Shame" would know that Fassbender does an amazing job as a sex addict and he is really committed to the role. Everybody thought that he would receive an Oscar nomination, even if just for show.
Leonardo DiCaprio - Although "J. Edgar" didn't get stellar reviews from critics, DiCaprio was well deserving of a nomination.

Best Actress:
Snubs:
Tilda Swinton - This is an incredible movie and Swinton was much more deserving of a nomination that Close, whose movie was not very good.

Best Supporting Actor:
Surprises:
Nick Nolte - I have hear very good things about this movie, but I never expected an Oscar nomination to come from it.
Jonah Hill - I'm not a huge fan of Hill, and I thought that he was just okay in "MOneyball." His performance did not seem like a standout performance in anyway to me.

Snub:
Albert Brooks - He was seen as an early frontrunner in the OScar race, but he didn't even get a nomination. He seemed as sure if a nomination as Plummer did.

Best Supporting Actress:
Surprise:
Melissa McCarthy - I am a very big fan of "Bridesmaids", but did anybody actually think that she would get a nomination?

Snub:
Shailene Woodley - She pulled off a "Mila Kunis" (A.K.A. a young, pretty actress getting nominated for a Golden Globe but not for an OScar in a major award contender)! I was very confident in her getting a nomination for her amazing work as George Clooney's daughter.
Carey Mulligan (Shame) - I know she wasn't an awards favorite, but she did give one of the best performance of the year and she did get a SAG nominations. There is always a random nominee or two, and I hoped it would have been her.

Best Original Screenplay:
Surprise:
A Separation - This very well received Iranian film was seen as an outside contender in the category, but not a lot of foreign films get screenplay nominations.
Margin Call - This was a very small film that people speculated might possibly contend for some awards, but that chance was not very likely.

Snub:
50/50 - One of the most well-received films of the year: a comedy about a man with cancer. This is something that has never really been seen like this before, so I thought the academy would embrace it.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Surprise:
The Ides of March - Cue random George Clooney nomination. I personally love this movie, but I did not think it would get an Oscar nominations, let alone in the Screenplay category.

Snub:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - The nomination from the WGA made my hopes rise... a lot.

Best Animated Feature:
Surprises:
Chico & Rita and A cat in Paris - I'm placing these two films together because they really came out of left field.

Snub:
The Adventures of Tintin - This seemed like a definite nomination, and even possibly a win. At least this makes "Rango" safe...

Best ScOre:
Surprises:
The Adventures of Tintin - I didn't even know it was possible for a composer to get two nominations in one year...
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - I honestly don't even remember the music from this film, but it must have been good!!

Snub:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - This score has received a lot of attention from other awards, so I am really surprised to see it not get nominated.

Best Original Song:
Surprises:
"Real in Rio" Rio - A random song from a random kid's movie got a nomination? I really like this movie, but best song? really?
Only 2 nominees!! - wtf


Snubs:
"THe Living Proof" The Help, "Hello Hello" Gnomeo and Juliet, and many other songs - This is more of a snub for a missing three nominees.

Best Art Direction:
Surprise:
Midnight in Paris - I love this movie, but I don't know what set designs made this a nominee.

Best Cinematography:
No snubs or surprises because I guessed all of them!


Best Costume Design:
No Snubs or Suprises!


Best Editing:
Surprise:
The Descendants - I don't know what was so great about the editing in this film. This is one of my favorites of the year, but the editing was not a standout.

Best Makeup:
No snubs or surprises(, but I still thought that "Albert Nobbs" was a very creepy movie and the make up was not that good...)

Best Sound Editing:
Surprise:
Drive - Of all the nominations the Academy could have awarded this amazing movie, they give it one for Sound Editing.

Snub:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - This movie was an amazing example of all sorts of technicalities, including sound.

Best Sound Mixing:
Surprise:
Moneyball - What Sound Mixing was there in "Moneyball" that was worthy of an OScar nomination?

snub:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - This movie was an amazing example of all sorts of technicalities, including sound.

Best Visual Effects:
Surprise:
Real Steel - The effects do look great, but this nomination was not really expected.

Snub:
The Tree of Life - Just see this movie. You will understand.