Oscars 2017 Nominations: The 11 Biggest Snubs and Surprises

The 2017 Oscar nominations yielded a fairly predictable group of trophy candidates, with "La La Land," "Moonlight," and "Arrival" dominating the list. Still, there were a few major inclusions and omissions that made jaws collectively drop. Here are the biggest WTF moments from the Academy's announcement.

1. Amy Adams
The five-time nominee may be an Academy favorite, but while she delivered not one but two awards-worthy 2016 performances -- in "Arrival" and "Nocturnal Animals" -- she wasn't nominated for either one. (Even though "Arrival" managed to score eight other nominations.)

Then again, anyone who expected Annette Bening ("20th Century Women") or Taraji P. Henson ("Hidden Figures") to earn a Best Actress nod was disappointed as well. On the other hand, congrats to Ruth Negga, often overlooked this awards season, for scoring a Best Actress nomination for biopic "Loving."

2. Martin Scorsese and "Silence" Denied
Scorsese is also an Academy favorite, but his movie "Silence," once expected to be a major contender this year, got nothing except for Best Cinematography. Actually, the other various awards organizations have also largely turned a deaf ear to "Silence," but still, that's gotta sting. Insult to injury department: Andrew Garfield, star of both "Silence" and "Hacksaw Ridge," was nominated only for the latter.

3. Mel Gibson
By the way, "Hacksaw" got six nominations, including Best Picture and Director, so apparently, Hollywood's forgiveness of Mel Gibson is now complete.

Other projected Best Director nominees as Denzel Washington ("Fences"), Garth Davis ("Lion"), and David Mackenzie ("Hell or High Water") came up empty-handed.

4. Hugh Grant Snubbed
Good will for "Florence Foster Jenkins" apparently extended only as far as Meryl Streep (her 20th nomination!) and those who costumed her. Grant was widely expected to get a Supporting Actor nod, but this category was full of surprises.

Lucas Hedges, not widely mentioned during awards season so far, grabbed one of the six nominations for "Manchester by the Sea." And Michael Shannon got one for "Nocturnal Animals," over his widely touted co-star (and Golden Globe winner) Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

5. No Love for Pixar
When's the last time the beloved animation studio missed out on a nomination? "Finding Dory" got swamped, but then so did several of last year's other popular animated features, including "Sing," "The Secret Life of Pets," and "Trolls."

The category offered instead some foreign-made surprise entries: "My Life as a Zucchini" (not that big a surprise, since it got a Golden Globe nomination as well) and "The Red Turtle," a dialogue-free fantasy romance from Studio Ghibli that was a big winner last year at Cannes but which has yet to make a splash on these shores.

6. "Deadpool"
Okay, the smash-hit superhero spoof was a longshot for Best Picture or Best Actor, but still, nada for adapted screenplay, editing, sound, or even make-up? C'mon, making Ryan Reynolds look hideously disfigured ought to be worth something.

7. Viggo Mortensen
The "Captain Fantastic" star's nomination for Best Actor was a mild surprise, but it was still a long shot. And there was no nomination for two-time winner Tom Hanks ("Sully") or for Negga's "Loving" co-star, Joel Edgerton.

8. "The Empty Chair"
Documentaries don't often generate Best Original Song nominees, but Sting's tune about slain journalist James Foley from "Jim: The James Foley Story" earned a nod over such pre-nomination favorites as Pharrell Williams and Lalah Hathaway's "Runnin'" ("Hidden Figures"), Shakira's "Try Everything," ("Zootopia"), and Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande's "Faith" ("Sing").

9. No Love for "20th Century Women"
Mike Mills' follow-up to his Oscar-winning "Beginners" was widely expected to be a factor this year, with possible nods for directing and actresses Annette Bening and Greta Gerwig. But the film's only nod was for Mills' original screenplay.

At least he made it into that category; such prospective nominees as "Jackie" and "Zootopia" did not.

10. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" Snubbed
This little-seen indie is one of the best films of 2016 (and of the decade), and it was virtually ignored during its platform release last summer. Its soft (read: practically non-existent) awards campaign didn't help it get the attention it deserves either. Another indie that fell off the Academy's radar...?

11. "Sing Street"
Dollars-to-donuts, this perfect indie gem is the original musical that everybody should be talking about. (Sorry not sorry, "La La Land.") Its catchy 80s ballads and resonate coming-of-age story put many a smile on the faces of those few that saw it, too bad that didn't extend to Oscar gold.

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