94th Oscar nominations snubs and surprises: Lady Gaga, House of Gucci and more

While this year’s Oscar nomination list is a sigh of ecstasy for many, it has also pulled off a fair share of shockers. With a handful of pandemic-driven actors, directors, and makers, even the top award strategists were clueless about the final verdict, as it was not an easy poll to watch the pictures from screeners at home.

While the nominees’ list has been a matter of excitement for Netflix’s The Power of the Dog, it has also been a disappointment for movies like House of Gucci. There are more shocking omissions as well as surprise cheers throughout the list. Here are some of the snubs and surprises from this year’s Academy Award nominations:

Snubs:

Lady Gaga, House of Gucci

Amidst the swirling rumors about the House of Gucci bringing a new best-actress front-runner, Lady Gaga, the final results were shocking. The distaste for the film seems to have overpowered Gaga, as the Oscar polls have turned against the Ridley Scott biopic.

Meanwhile, the movie was snubbed in the costume category as well, though the Gucci costumes had earned a CDG nomination ahead of the Oscars.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up

Tho DiCaprio's "Don’t Look Up" has bagged six of the Oscar nominations, it seems like the actor has a complicated relationship with the Academy. While tracking back thru history, he could be seen snubbed for some of his best performances, including Titanic, Django Unchained, The Departed, and Catch Me If You Can. Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up is an addition to the list in which the actor was at his best, yet turned a blind eye to the panel.

The French Dispatch

The French Dispatch was snubbed, including the diligent production design and the soulful score of Alexandre Desplat. To be exact, it has been 15 years since Wes Anderson's features were ignored off of the Academy list.

The West Side Story screenplay

Musicals have always had a patchy history of nominations for earning screenplay credits. As an addition to the list, Kushner’s interpretation of classical music could not make it to the list, even with a recent WGA nomination for the script.

Ariana Grande, Don’t Look Up

Ariana Grande’s hilarious "Just Look Up" song has certainly been one of the best highlights of the year. The list does not consider the track for the Best Song category, which is a loss.

Surprises:

Essie Buckley, The Lost Daughter

The category of supporting actresses has been full of surprises. The biggest of them is Buckley's winning the nomination for essaying the younger version of Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter. Other than an Indie Spirit nom, she hasn’t pulled off any precursors, making her the least expected one to earn the Academy nom.

Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog

The supporting actor category has surprised everyone as well, as Plemons has been recognized along with his fellow teammates. He has earned his first Oscar nomination for essaying the gentle rancher in Jane Campion’s Western, led by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Drive My Car!

Drive My Car's scoring an Oscar nomination is quite a surprise. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s drama, which is known for its three-hour run time, bagged four nominations in total, including for the picture, director, adapted screenplay, and international film.

Kristen Stewart, Spencer

A SAG nomination for her front-running portrayal of Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s drama has put Stewart off the bets. Surprisingly, she has walked home with an Oscar nomination for the first time for the same movie.

ALSO READ: 94th Academy Awards: Netflix lead the pack with 27 nominations 

Flee marks history

An animated documentary from Denmark, "Jonas Poher Rasmussen," tells the story of a man recalling his escape from Afghanistan as a child. While there was much confusion about whether the film would score a nom for animated feature, documentary, or international feature, Flee wrote history by bagging all three.