‘The Revenant,’ ‘Mad Max’ showered with nominations
Surprise snubs for StarWars, Depp, Elba and Spielberg
The Revenant is out of the woods and ahead in the Oscar race, leading Thursday’s nominations with 12 including best picture, director (Alejandro González Iñárritu) and actor (Leonardo DiCaprio).
The drama is one of eight films to fill the 10 available best-picture slots. Also nominated: Spotlight, The Martian, The Big Short, Mad Max: Fury Road, Brooklyn, Room and Bridge of Spies.
Other movies making a strong showing are the sci-fi epic Mad Max with 10 nods, including best director (George Miller), and astronaut drama Martian with seven, although director Ridley Scott was overlooked. Awards-season favorite Spotlight, about The Boston Globe’s Catholic Church sex-abuse investigation, earned six nominations, while late-surging Wall Street drama The Big Short snagged five.
Carol, Straight Outta Compton, Sicario, Creed and Star Wars: The Force Awakens are among the notable movies to earn recognition in precursor awards but miss out on best-picture nominations.
As expected, DiCaprio clinched his fifth Oscar acting nod for Revenant, playing a fur trapper fighting to survive and avenge his son. Fellow Golden Globe winner Matt Damon ( The Martian), Eddie Redmayne ( The Danish Girl), Michael Fassbender ( Steve Jobs) and Bryan Cranston ( Trumbo) also will vie for best actor, pushing A-listers Johnny Depp ( Black Mass), Steve Carell ( The Big Short) and Will Smith ( Concussion) out of contention.
In best actress, breakout star Brie Larson ( Room) is joined by Saoirse Ronan ( Brooklyn), Jennifer Lawrence ( Joy), Cate Blanchett ( Carol) and Charlotte Rampling ( 45 Years), a perceived underdog in the race. So far this season, Larson and Ronan have picked up the majority of critics’ prizes. Larson won the Globe for best actress in a drama Sunday.
Questions of whether Rooney Mara ( Carol) and Alicia Vikander ( The Danish Girl) would land in the leading or supporting category were answered, as both scored nominations in the latter. Surprise Globe winner Kate Winslet ( Steve Jobs), Jennifer Jason Leigh ( The Hateful Eight) and Rachel McAdams ( Spotlight) also received nods in the category, while Helen Mirren ( Trumbo) and Jane Fonda ( Youth) were shut out.
The season’s most wide-open field, supporting actor, finally came into view. Expected nominees Mark Rylance ( Bridge of Spies) and Sylvester Stallone ( Creed) each entered the ring, as did Christian Bale ( The Big Short), Mark Ruffalo ( Spotlight) and Tom Hardy ( The Revenant). Among the most notable omissions are Idris Elba ( Beasts of No Nation), Michael Keaton ( Spotlight), Jacob Tremblay ( Room) and under-the-radar picks Paul Dano ( Love & Mercy) and Michael Shannon ( 99 Homes).
The best director nominees closely mirrored those of the Directors Guild of America, announced Tuesday. They are Iñárritu ( The Revenant), Miller ( Mad Max: Fury Road), Lenny Abrahamson ( Room), Adam McKay ( The Big Short) and Tom McCarthy ( Spotlight). Contenders including Steven Spielberg ( Bridge of Spies) and Todd Haynes ( Carol) missed out.
Earning nods for best animated feature: Disney/Pixar’s brainy Inside Out made the cut, as did Charlie Kaufman’s acclaimed stop-motion Anomalisa. Shaun the Sheep Movie, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There round out the category.
The 88th Academy Awards air Feb. 28 on ABC and will be hosted by Chris Rock.