Surprises and Snubs from the 98th Oscar Nominations

The dust is still settling after yesterday morning’s Oscar nominations (where I went 90 for 110, prediction-wise, minus the shorts), to be sure, but some things have become clear. One Battle After Another remains a big frontrunner. Sinners has joined the history books as the most nominated film of all time. The list goes on, but beyond predictions and statistics, the movies and performances that were cited or not cited will generate conversation for a while. Today, I’m contributing to that in my own small way.

Below, you can find a few snubs and surprises from the slate of nominees, at least in my humble opinion. These are hardly the only ones, but I tried to focus on either things I didn’t predict happening, things I found particularly interesting, or just certain things that aren’t about to be discussed ad nauseam. So, if your pick isn’t below, just comment and let me know!

Here are some snubs and surprises from the Academy Award nominations. Take a gander:

Snubs

Chase Infiniti falls short in Best Actress – Considering how well One Battle After Another did with the nominations, this was the one snub for the film. Chase Infiniti had hit all the necessary precursors, so while she was always in a tight race with Song Sung Blue‘s Kate Hudson, it did feel like she had done enough to hold her off. Well, it turns out, she didn’t, though her time certainly could come again down the line.

Adam Sandler misses again – At this point, you have to wonder if it might never happen for Adam Sandler. His supporting turn in Jay Kelly was highly praised, cited throughout the precursors, and would have finally made him a nominee. Alas, it wasn’t to be, as Best Supporting Actor went in a different direction (more on that later). Oscar for the Sand Man will have to wait.

Guillermo del Toro is left out of Best Director – Frankenstein had been one of the more consistent over-performers throughout the precursor season, so Guillermo del Toro being the one who didn’t crack Best Director is certainly a surprise. He got into Best Adapted Screenplay, so he wasn’t ignored, nor was the movie, but this was certainly not expected.

Jay Kelly and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere among the films shut out – By yesterday morning, Jay Kelly had become Sandler or bust, while Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere was hoping for a surprise Jeremy Allen White nod in Best Actor or to beat the odds in Best Sound. It wasn’t to be, and this was probably the expected outcome, but considering how they started on the festival circuit, neither flick getting anything is a snub, besides both being among my top five favorites of 2025.

Surprises

Sinners sets the nomination record – We knew that Sinners was likely to lead the field yesterday, but there was a question of it could approach the record of fourteen. Well, not only did it beat it, the film shattered the record with sixteen. Now, not only has a horror movie taken the crown, it legitimately has to be considered a real threat to swoop in for Best Picture.

Delroy Lindo cracks the Best Supporting Actor field – Speaking of Sinners, Delroy Lindo is finally an Academy Award nominee! Supporting Actor just didn’t seem to have room for him, which was a shame, but voters opted to move out Hamnet‘s Paul Mescal and finally gave Lindo the nom. A surprising delight, to be sure.

One Battle After Another nearly ties the old record – The fact that One Battle After Another got thirteen nominations is almost being slept on, despite being the Best Picture frontrunner, is a definite surprise. In a way, I’m sure the movie is happy to fly below the radar a bit entering Phase Two, but still, considering its precursor domination, this is undoubtedly a surprising development for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s latest.

Wicked: For Good ends up empty-handed – I’d be lying if I said I was shedding a tear for Wicked: For Good, but there’s no way to slice it except to say that this sequel getting shut out is rather shocking. Wicked got double digit nominations, including Best Picture, while Ariana Grande was seen as a Best Supporting Actress frontrunner this year. In the end? It wound up with bupkis, which no one was predicting.

What are your snubs and surprises for this year? Let us know!