celebuzz.comLeonardo DiCaprio’s epic western The Revenant is leading the race for the 2016 Oscars.
The gritty tale of survival was nominated in half of the possible categories, including Best Picture, as well as a surprising nod for Tom Hardy as Best Supporting Actor, making a total of 12 nominations.
With a Best Actor nomination for The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio is considered a strong favourite for the award, after outrageously failing to win it three previous times.
The film’s director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, could also make it two in two, after winning the Best Director award last year for Birdman.
The Revenant isn’t the only tale of survival in the face of all odds to be nominated – the apocalyptic hit Mad Max: Fury Road managed to get 10 nominations, taking it into second place for number of nominations.
While The Martian, again about a man battling nature and hostile adversaries, came in third with eight.
Despite there being 10 potential spots for Best Picture, only eight were nominated, with Spotlight, Bridge of Spies, The Big Short, Room and Brooklyn completing the list.
Shockingly, Steven Spielberg was not nominated for Best Director for spy thriller Bridge of Spies, while George Miller scored a surprise nod for Mad Max: Fury Road, as did Lenny Abrahamson for Room.
However, Martian director Ridley Scott did not get a nomination, despite the film arguably being one of his best in years and the film’s star, Matt Damon, being nominated for Best Actor.
The winners will be revealed at a glitzy ceremony in Hollywood on 28 February, hosted by Chris Rock. Controversially, Rock will be one of the few black people on stage during the ceremony.
Even after last year’s controversial lack of non-white nominees, including Selma’s lead actor David Oyelowo missing out on a Best Actor nomination, this year’s list seems to be even less diverse. Even the authors of the script for NWA biopic, Straight Outta Compton, who are up for Best Original Screenplay, are all white.
Also, despite Sylvester Stallone wining a Golden Globe win for best supporting actor and receiving a nomination at the Oscars for his role in Creed , neither his co-star Michael B Jordan nor director Ryan Coogler were nominated.
And, despite all the buzz surrounding Leo winning this year, we can’t help but shake the feeling that the Academy will give it to Bryan Cranston – you know, for the bants.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.