Oscar Nominations 2021: 7 Ups & 8 Downs

2. Only Eight Best Picture Nominees

2021 marks the final year where the Best Picture field can nominate anywhere between five and ten movies - from 2022 it will be locked to 10 nominees no matter what.

And so, this year's slate contained a mere eight nominees, leaving a number of deserving films out in the cold, namely Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, One Night in Miami, News of the World, and hell, maybe even Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

While some might argue that having a mandatory 10-nominee list devalues a Best Picture nomination, there are so many great movies released in even a soft year that there shouldn't ever be trouble to fill the slots.

Thankfully this won't be an issue from next year onward.