Movies
Matt Juul

The Academy Awards announced its list of nominees for the 2015 Oscars this morning, and there were plenty of snubs and surprises. From the cast of “Selma” to “The Lego Movie,” there were quite a few great actors, directors, and films that got passed over this year, but as always, some of the picks left us shaking our heads. Check out the five biggest snubs from the 2015 Academy Award nominations.

1. No Love for ‘Selma’ Actors…

One glaringly absent title from the list of acting nominees is “Selma.” The film, which profiles Martin Luther King, Jr. as he leads the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, AL on March 7, 1965, stars David Oyelowo as King — and many Twitter users believe he should have been nominated this morning. British-born Oyewolo was nominated for best actor in a drama at last weekend’s Golden Globes, but the award went to Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything.” 

The ironic lack of “Selma” nominations (it was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Song) on King’s birthday stuck out for Twitter’s @emarceg:

2. …Or Director Ava DuVernay

Forbes contributor Scott Mendelson is among those that are both surprised and disappointed in the Academy’s failure to nominate Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) for best director. His post, “Why Ava DuVernay’s ‘Selma’ Oscar Snub Matters,” which debuted soon after the nominations were announced, illustrates his feelings ​of frustration in a commanding, yet ​​eloquent tone:

DuVernay herself was positive about the film’s nomination for best picture, despite not being nominated herself.

 

3. ‘Gone Girl’ Doesn’t Make the Cut for Adapted Screenplay

We knew Ben Affleck wouldn’t get any love for “Gone Girl,” but what we didn’t know was that the film — arguably one of the biggest books-turned-films of 2014 — would be snubbed for best adapted screenplay. The 2012 Gillian Flynn novel sits atop the combined print & e-book fiction New York Times best seller list – nearly three years after it was first published. Flynn’s screenplay was nominated for a Golden Globe, but failed to make it into the Oscar ring. Fans noticed.

“Gone Girl” star Rosamund Pike picked up the film’s only nod (best actress) for her portrayal of Affleck’s on-screen wife, Amy Dunne.
 

4. Everything is NOT Awesome for ‘The Lego Movie’

“The Lego Movie” may have been one of the most talked about flicks of 2014, but it wasn’t enough to earn it a nomination for Animated Feature Film. Despite getting a nod for Original Song with “Everything is Awesome,” the snub is definitely not sitting well with fans on social media. The movie quickly became a trending topic on Twitter following this morning’s announcement as fans tweeted out their outrage.

As one fan on Twitter noted, perhaps the nefarious KraGl was behind the snub.

Co-director Philip Lord seems to be taking it well, though, and even made his own Oscar statue out of Legos.

 

5. No Best Picture Nomination for ‘Foxcatcher’

This year’s Best Picture category is pretty stacked, but the Academy definitely dropped the ball by not including “Foxcatcher.” Only eight films were nominated for the award this year, which is down one from last year‘s show. The Academy could have easily added one more to the list and included “Foxcatcher,” which many people thought would make the cut.

The film did get nominated in five other categories, including Best Actor for Steve Carrell and Best Director for Bennet Miller. Still, fans on social media wondered why “Foxcatcher” was passed for Best Picture, despite getting a number of other high profile nominations.

 

Honorable Mentions: Jake Gyllenhaal for ‘Nightcrawler,’ Jennifer Aniston for ‘Cake’

Two of the biggest names who were snubbed this year are “Nightcrawler” star Jake Gyllenhaal and “Cake” actress Jennifer Aniston.

As the creepy Lou Bloom, a freelance crime journalist who’s willing to cross ethical lines to get a story, Gyllenhaal turned in one of his best performances to date. The actor lost over 30 pounds for the role, a move that usually results in Oscar gold, but no dice this year for Gyllenhaal.

Aniston is another high profile snub that deserved some recognition this year.

Her performance in “Cake” earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama, but apparently it didn’t impress the Academy enough.

[This piece was co-written by BDCwire contributor Emily Wright]

Correction: The original post claimed that Michael Keaton won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for “Birdman.” We were wrong, the winner was Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything” and the piece has been corrected.