Today, the nominations for this year’s Oscars ceremony were announced. I am surprised by a few of the nominees and snubs, but I overall was fond of these nominations. Here are the nominees for most of the categories (the ones in bold are the ones I believe will win the category):

Best Picture:
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Best Director:
Adam McKay – The Big Short
George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson – Room
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

Best Actor:
Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Matt Damon – The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl

Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett – Carol
Brie Larson – Room
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years
Saiorse Ronan – Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor:
Christian Bale – The Big Short
Tom Hardy – The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight
Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone – Creed

Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara – Carol
Rachel McAdams – Spotlight
Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs

Best Original Screenplay:
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton

Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room

Best Animated Feature:
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

Best Cinematography:
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario

Best Visual Effects:
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Film Editing:
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Production Design:
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant

Best Costume Design:
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

Best Original Score:
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Sound Mixing:
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Sound Editing:
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I am mostly satisfied with these nominees, although I have a few concerns, and found some snubs on the list. First off, I don’t understand why Christian Bale is credited as a Supporting Actor, for he was the main star of his film The Big Short. Also, I feel that Aaron Sorkin should have been nominated for writing Steve Jobs, and although I have yet to see the film, he won the Golden Globe for writing the film, and Sorkin always knows how to write fantastic screenplays. Also, Quentin Tarantino probably deserves a nomination for writing The Hateful Eight, although it would be cool to see Ex Machina, an excellent, underrated science fiction movie that exceeded expectations in every way, win that award. I am also very surprised that neither Carol nor Steve Jobs received Best Picture nominations. It seems like The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens may end up sweeping up most of the awards this year. There is only one way to find out: to watch the Oscars on February 28 to determine if my predictions were right!