‘The Revenant’ Leads With 12 Oscar Nominations

Last year, the Oscar nominations attracted criticism for nominating only white actors in all four acting categories for the first time in 20 years.

The best actress category is the most fearsome this year, with Larson, who many feel is the front-runner, going head to head with Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn”, Cate Blanchett in “Carol”, Charlotte Rampling in “45 Years”, and 2013’s best actress victor Jennifer Lawrence in “Joy”.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said she had redoubled efforts to diversify the academy’s membership, and slated Chris Rock – who a year ago famously labeled Hollywood a “white industry” in an op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter- to host this year’s February 28 ceremony.

And the second-biggest film of the year, Universal’s “Jurassic World“, didn’t get a single nomination. Ridley Scott did not make the list of best directors, although his film “The Martian” was honored with several nominations.

Redmayne took home the Academy Award past year for his performance as Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything. They are: “The Big Short”, “Bridge of Spies”, “Brooklyn”, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “The Martian”, “The Revenant”, “Room” and “Spotlight”. The members of the Academy, who are experts in 17 different branches of film, choose which films created in the previous year were so incredible they deserve to be recognized.

Of the eight films nominated for “Best Picture”, the biggest omission of the bunch is Todd Haynes’ “Carol”, a rapturous and deeply felt drama about a 1950s romance between two women.

Alicia Vikander picked up a supporting actress nomination for her role as the wife of a transgender pioneer in “The Danish Girl”. For the latter, it will compete against “Spotlight”, “Ex Machina”, “Bridge of Spies” and “Straight Outta Compton”. That site calls The Revenant and Spotlight a dead heat, both at 3/1 for best picture.

McKay by phone said he made a pre-dawn party of watching the nominations, inviting over co-writer Charles Randolph and film editor Hank Corwin and his wife for some early breakfast.

Mad Max: Fury Road, which scored a best director nomination for Australian filmmaker George Miller, is also up for Best Cinematography award and Best Costume Design. Fury Road, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens are also among the nominated. But the smaller the nominated films are, the bigger the potential impact of nominations.

One of the most controversial announcements was Sylvester Stallone’s Oscar nod for his supporting role in Creed; lead actor Michael B. Jordan received no recognition from the Academy.

“Beasts Of No Nation” starring Idris Elba was another notable film and performance shut out of the competition.

Also, here’s the official Oscars nominees website for more information.

As for the short films, all 15 Oscar-nominated short films in the Animated, Live Action and Documentary categories will begin screening at Sundance Cinemas on January 29.