The 2016 Oscars are now just a handful of weeks away and the nominations were announced this week with the Revenant leading the way with twelve nominations.
Carol
And while many of the films and performances that we expected to be in the mix are, there are some that have been sadly overlooked. As the dust settles we take a look at some of those that have been left disappointed after missing out.
Carol was one of the most acclaimed movies of 2015 and Oscar whispers have been swirling around this movie for months. While it did pick up six nominations - including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara - the film was overlooked for Best Picture.
I don't know about you, but I thought Carol was a certainty to pick up a Best Picture nod as it is one of the finest films that I saw last year. The fact that it was overlooked did come as a major surprise to me. The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room and Spotlight make up the Best Picture category this year.
There was more disappointment for Carol as the nominations were announced, as Todd Haynes was also overlooked in the Best Director category. Haynes has been recognised for his work at the Golden Globes and the Baftas and to see him missing from the line-up was another major shock.
There were a few shocks in the Best Director category as Ridley Scott also failed to bag a nomination for The Martian. The sci-fi film was one of the big surprises of Thursday afternoon as it picked up seven nods, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Matt Damon and Best Adapted Screenplay for Drew Goddard.
However, there was no place for Scott in the Best Director category - despite picking nominations at the Golden Globes and the Baftas. Scott has been nominated three times for Best Director but has failed to get his hands on the gong.
Johnny Depp was being tipped to be in the Best Actor Oscar race at the end of last year for his role in Black Mass, but his performance was another that was overlooked.
Depp is in the Best Actor mix at the Screen Actors Guild Awards but has also missed out on a nomination at the Golden Globes and Baftas. We haven't seen Depp in the Oscar race since 2008 for his performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
There has been a lot of controversy over the fact that all the actors who have been nominated in the acting categories are white... sadly, Idris Elba was overlooked in for Best Supporting Actor. Elba's performance in Beats of No Nation had been whipping up a storm and he was given nods by the Golden Globes and Baftas. Sadly, he will have to wait a little longer for his first Oscar nomination - you have to feel that it can't be too far away now.
Inside Out has been one of the most critically acclaimed animation movies of all time and was regarded by many as one of the best films of 2015. While the Pixar film leads the way and is the favourite to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, it failed to make an appearance in the Best Picture category.
In the history of the Academy Awards, only three animation films have been nominated for Best Picture; Beauty and the Beast, Up and Toy Story 3... Inside Out really should have been the fourth.
The Best Animated Feature Oscar category is an exciting one but there was no place in it for Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie - a film that I was certain would be in the mix.
This film brought the character of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and co to a new generation while retaining the charm of the original comic strip and television cartoon. Anomalisa. Boy and the World, Inside Out, Shaun the Sheep Movie, and When Marnie Was There make up the shortlist. Inside Out is the hot favourite to win.
It is great to see so many British stars in the mix at this year Oscars, but there was no place in the nominations for Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith as the dames of British cinema were overlooked for their performances in Trumbo and The Lady in the Van.
Mirren picked up a Best Supporting Actress nod at the Golden Globes while Smith is in the Best Actress Oscar at the Baftas. Sadly, there have been so many great female performances on the big screen this year that a handful of them have had to miss out.
Tagged in Johnny Depp Inside Out Oscars Todd Haynes