And for the first time since 1999, no women were nominated in both the directing and the two screenwriting categories.
At a time when diversity is such an important topic that it's actually turned into something of a buzzword on television, the world of film continues to be dominated by the same old stories of white dudes that it always has.
That's the big story out of this morning's Oscar nominations. But there are tons of other things going on. If you haven't had time to read the full list, go here.
But if you just want the big story, read on.
Who were the big winners out of this morning's nominees?
For the first time since 2010, no film received a nominations total in the double digits. The two most-nominated films were the dark show business comedy Birdman and the quirky Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel. Both received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Birdman also received three acting nominations, while Grand Budapest dominated in the technical categories.
The Imitation Game also outperformed expectations, receiving eight nominations, including ones for Picture, Director, and Actor. And presumed frontrunner Boyhood received the six nominations it realistically could receive, keeping it on solid ground.
It's also worth looking at the Directing and Editing categories to see where the true overlap lies. Films that make both categories have a better shot at winning Best Picture, which suggests that Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Imitation Game are the biggest contenders here. One caveat: Birdman was actually not a factor in this category, as it's edited to appear as if it consists of one long take. That in and of itself is an editing feat, but one the Oscars were unlikely to notice.
Who were the surprise nominees?
I didn't dare hope that Marion Cotillard would actually crack the nominations lineup for Best Actress, even though nobody seemed super passionate about Jennifer Aniston's work in Cake, which had taken the fifth slot and most of the precursors. And yet Cotillard made it in for her work in the tiny foreign film Two Days, One Night, in which she plays a woman forced to beg her fellow employees to help her keep her job. It's a devastating watch, but Cotillard is brilliant in it.
The resilience of Foxcatcher was also surprising to some (including myself), with Steve Carell hanging on to his slot in Best Actor, and Bennett Miller proving an unexpected Best Director nominee (to the detriment of American Sniper's Clint Eastwood). The film itself, however, didn't manage to crack the Best Picture lineup, which was a surprise, given its other nominations.
