2025 Oscars Snubs & Surprises: Denzel Washington, Reznor & Ross, Nicole Kidman Left Out

Relying on how you concentrate on it, each nomination acquired on Oscars nominations morning represents an Oscar nomination somebody else didn’t get. Probably the most notable snubs and surprises of the 2025 Oscar nominations signify loads of disappointment, because the Academy closely favored movies like Emilia Perez, The Brutalist, and Depraved as an alternative of spreading the love throughout a wider vary of movies. However there have been additionally some blissful shocks, for actors who may not have been thought-about favorites, or films that had been assumed to be longshots.

Under, we break down essentially the most eyebrow-raising choices of those that voted for the 97th Academy Awards, from a brutal shutout for one among our most acclaimed filmmakers to the actor who arguably acquired nominated for the unsuitable efficiency. Plus, Diane Warren is right here — however possibly not for the explanation you count on.

SNUB: Sorry, Reznor and Ross

Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, picture by John Nacion / Getty Photos

Most likely the most important shock of the morning was Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross not including to their nominations tally with recognition for his or her Challengers rating — their unique tune “Compress/Repress” additionally didn’t make the reduce. It’d be much less stunning, to be sincere, if Reznor and Ross didn’t have already got a confirmed monitor document with the Academy. However having already gained twice and been nominated thrice, not seeing their names on the listing was surprising. Particularly since, y’know, it was top-of-the-line scores of 2024. If not the greatest. The Golden Globes acquired it, no less than.

SNUB: Actually, Sorry to Luca Guadagnino

Queer (A24)

The Name Me By Your Title filmmaker launched two films final 12 months, each of which had been completely shut out by this 12 months’s nominations: Challengers, as talked about above, couldn’t break by way of within the music classes, and the William S. Burroughs adaptation Queer additionally went unrecognized. Each movies had been critically acclaimed, although Queer maybe to a lesser diploma — that mentioned, Daniel Craig gave a very worthy efficiency within the latter movie.

SURPRISE: Sebastian Stan Will get Nominated for… the Improper Efficiency?

The Apprentice (Cannes Movie Pageant)

Sebastian Stan got here into awards season with two high-profile performances — enjoying a rising Donald Trump within the controversial The Apprentice and a person affected by neurofibromatosis in A Completely different Man. Of the 2 movies, A Completely different Man is the extra complicated and difficult on all fronts, and Stan’s efficiency is admittedly exceptional — so of course he acquired nominated for The Apprentice as an alternative. (Stan truly gained a Golden Globe for his work in A Completely different Man. That’s two, Globes.)

SNUB: Was the Academy Not Entertained by Denzel Washington?

Gladiator II (Paramount)

Gladiator II was one among 2024’s larger disappointments, creatively — its omission from the Finest Image lineup is an accurate one — however Denzel Washington’s gleefully insidious efficiency was one among its excessive factors, and positively worthy of consideration. The movie as an alternative acquired a single nod for Costume Design, so maybe voters had been no less than in a position to admire the best way Washington flaunted his character’s capes and robes on display.

SURPRISE: Monica Barbaro Does Joan Baez Justice

A Full Unknown (Searchlight Footage)

Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton had been each anticipated to obtain nominations for enjoying (respectively) Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger in A Full Unknown, however Monica Barbaro wasn’t fairly as a lot a lock, making her nod right here a pleasant shock.

SNUB: How the Hell Did Nickel Boys Not Get a Cinematography Nom?

Nickel Boys (Amazon MGM Studios)

Nickel Boys, flat out, deserved greater than two nominations this morning — the searing adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel was one among final 12 months’s greatest movies. Nevertheless it’s the Cinematography nod which hurts essentially the most, as RaMell Ross labored brilliantly with director of images Jomo Fray to inform this story by way of the literal eyes of its protagonists. That’s an unbelievable achievement by itself, made all of the extra highly effective by the best way it enhances the narrative. An actual oversight on this case.

SNUB: Kneecap Bought Kneecapped

Kneecap (Courtesy of the Sundance Movie Pageant)

Final 12 months’s Sundance darling was additionally a really stable and politically related music biopic, but regardless of showing on the shortlists for Worldwide Characteristic Movie and Authentic Track, Eire’s Kneecap couldn’t finally get any love from the Academy.