Oscars 2014: 17 Unfair Snubs The Academy Got Completely Wrong

12. 12 Years A Slave €“ Best Cinematography

Some will readily argue that likely Best Picture winner 12 Years A Slave was snubbed in two categories, Cinematography and Best Original Score, but given how much of the 12YAS score was derived from Hans Zimmer's previous work, I wasn't particularly surprised or upset that it didn't get a nod. A snub for the cinematography is a much bigger deal, though, as it doesn't often mean good things for a Best Picture winner (though curiously, last year's winner Argo didn't get a lensing nod either). The beautifully bleak depiction of the American South, and the long take of Solomon hanging from a tree in particular (don't worry, that's not a spoiler), should have cemented this one as a sure thing. Instead it seems that the one to sneak in was Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster, which in my prior predictions article I noted could be a potential surprise in this category.