Cate Blanchett, Leo DiCaprio score Oscar noms

The foreign language category drew films from Hungary (“Son Of Saul”), France (“Mustang”), Jordan (“Theeb”), Denmark (“A War”) and Colombia (“Embrace the Serpent”).

If you don’t know who Charlotte Rampling is, then you’re missing out on the spectacular career of an actress who has been working for 50 years.

The nominations were full of surprises. Fury Road, the most critically acclaimed film of the year according to Rotten Tomatoes, comes in a close second with ten nominations. As The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell reported, diverse movies make a ton of money, even if they are regularly ignored by prestige awards – or dubbed “surprise” hits when they rake in cash at the box office.

Alicia Vikander has been getting plenty more recognition for Ex Machina on the awards circuit, especially from critics, than she has for The Danish Girl, so it seems weird that she ended up with an Oscar nod for the latter and not the former.

Other familiar faces are returning, as well, like last year’s best actor victor, Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”), Jennifer Lawrence (a record fourth nomination for the 25 year-old for “Joy”) and mainstay composer John Williams, who notched, staggeringly, his 50th nomination.

Now that we’re done complaining about the Golden Globes, it’s time to move on. Scott, 78, has been nominated three times and never won. “Room”, a small-scale drama of captivity and mother love, also received unexpected affection from Academy members, being nominated for best picture, director (Lenny Abrahamson), actress (Brie Larson), and adapted screenplay.

Following the news that Mad Max: Fury Road has been nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, Miller is clarifying his position on the series. About 73 percent of characters in the top 100 films past year were white. Once again, #OscarsSoWhite was trending on social media.

Jennifer Jason Leigh picked up a (deserved) supporting actress nomination, and Ennio Morricone’s score and Robert Richardson’s cinematography were honored, but not being nominated for best picture, director, or original screenplay? And this year’s Academy Awards will be yet another Rocky Mountain Oscars. And as we have come to expect, all Best Picture nominees were directed by men.

On the other hand, such crowd-pleasing performers as Damon, Stallone, DiCaprio and Lawrence got selected in the performing categories.

The other animated feature nominees are “Anomalisa”, “Boy and the World”, “Shaun the Sheep Movie” and “When Marnie Was There”. When up to 10 titles can get Oscar nominations in the best film category, some directors will be left out in a category that’s limited to five nominees.

The Oscar winners will be announced at the 88th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Chris Rock in Hollywood on February 28.