KEY POINTS:
This was always set to be a wildcard year for the Academy Awards, with no clear race leaders emerging in the build up to the nominations.
Yesterday's announcement saw There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men as the two strongest contenders, with eight award nominations each.
But there were some noticeable omissions as the nominees were read out, with several rumoured front-runners snubbed completely.
Angelie Jolie was named as one of five "sure-fire bets" for an Oscar nod by Newsweek in the build up to the nominations.
Yet her heartfelt portrayal of bereft widow Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart was overlooked as the nominees were announced.
Keira Knightley was also rumoured to be in contention for her role in the British romantic drama Atonement, but it proved to be just that - a rumour.
Likewise, co-star James MacAvoy was said to be a shoe-in for best actor, for his portrayal of a wrongly jailed man in Atonement; but yesterday's announcement revealed he too had failed to make the cut.
Sean Penn's coming-of-age tale Into the Wild had high Oscar hopes after garnering several nominations for the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Yet the cast and crew were nearly completely shut out of the nominations, scoring just two nods for best editing and best supporting actor (Hal Holbrook).
Other films which failed to live up to their Oscar buzz include American Gangster, Charlie Wilson's War and The Assassination of Jesse James.
-NZ HERALD STAFF
