In terms of snubs and surprises in the major categories, Jennifer Aniston will be disappointed not to have landed a Best Actress nomination for her very well-regarded turn as a pill-popping chronic pain sufferer and grieving mother in Cake.
Instead, the US Academy showed their love for Marion Cotillard with a surprise nomination in this category. Marion won in 2008 with her turn as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose.
What are we to make of director Bennett Miller being one of the five nominated for Best Director, but his film Foxcatcher not being one of the eight Best Picture nominees?
The answer is: the director members of the Academy choose their category, but everyone votes in Best Picture. So, different voting pools.
Selma picked up a Best Picture nomination, but was omitted in all the acting categories, directing, writing, editing, cinematography and so on. It’s hard to see it winning Best Picture, with so little support for the individual elements in the film.
Conversely, Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper has done really well, with nominations across the board.
Bradley Cooper could now deliver an upset to frontrunner Eddie Redmayne in Best Actor.
Bradley is the first person to secure three consecutive Oscar nominations (2013, 2014, 2015) for acting since Renee Zellweger achieved that feat in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Go Bradley!
He did this with Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and now American Sniper.
Weirdly, Bradley and Renee starred together in the ill-fated 2009 horror movie Case 39. No Oscar nominations resulted.
Overall, the film to beat remains Boyhood, which is my favourite for Best Picture.
Additionally, the bookies are calling this year’s Oscars one of the most predictable in years, in terms of key races.
William Hill have got Boyhood a dead cert to win Best Director for Richard Linklater (odds of 1/14 – you bet £14 to get your stake back plus £1 profit) and Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette (odds of 1/25). Julianne Moore is 1/20 to win Best Actress for Still Alice. JK Simmons is 1/25 to win Supporting Actor for Whiplash.
Only in Actor do they see a contest, with Michael Keaton (Birdman) and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory Of Everything) neck and neck.