In a year rife with great films and performances, snubs and surprises were to be expected following this morning's announcement of the 2014 Oscar nominations.

Perhaps no bigger snub was Oprah Winfrey failing to earn a nom for her supporting role in "The Butler." After being snubbed by the Golden Globes, Winfrey seemed destined for a nomination, especially after having received a Screen Actors Guild nod. Instead, she and "The Butler" were shut out entirely from the 86th Academy Awards.

The films that dominated the nominations this year were "American Hustle" and "Gravity," leading the way with 10 noms, and "12 Years a Slave" with nine nominations. "Nebraska" and "Dallas Buyers Club" also did surprisingly well, nabbing six nominations, alongside "Captain Phillips."

See Complete List: 'American Hustle,' 'Gravity' Dominate 2014 Oscar Nominations

The surprises came in the ultra-competitive best actor category, which was already expected to be a slugfest with so many great roles for men. But the actress categories had a couple of surprises of their own. Keep reading for our list of snubs and surprises:

1. Redford Out, Bale In

There is still a lot of love for Robert Redford in Hollywood; he's won two Oscars, but never for his acting. The 77-year-old actor-director scored a Golden Globe nod for his one-man performance in the lost-at-sea drama "All Is Lost," though Matthew McConaughey took home the award for "Dallas Buyer's Club." But with so much competition among actors this year, an Oscar nomination was not a sure thing. Yahoo! Movies contributing editor Thelma Adams predicted, "I think Leo may rise and Robert Redford may fall. It's musical chairs, and someone has to be left off." Leonardo DiCaprio did indeed earn a nomination for "The Wolf of Wall Street," but it was Christian Bale, who claimed a spot for "American Hustle," and not Redford or Tom Hanks in "Captain Phillips."

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2. Meryl Does It Again

Never count out Meryl Streep, even in a year when she seemed to be lobbying for other actresses to win the nomination instead of her. Streep, who has won three Oscars, received her 18th (!) nomination for best actress for her role as a pill-popping mama in "August: Osage County." Adams had predicted that Streep would get knocked off the list by Dame Judi Dench for "Philomena." "As much as this is a great Meryl performance, I don't think she would mind waiting this one out. She wants Emma Thompson to get it," Adams said. Instead Dench made it, with the rise of "Philomena" or Philo-mania, if you will, and Thompson, who played "Mary Poppins" author P.L. Travers in "Saving Mr. Banks," got left out.

3. Sally Hawkins Swoops In

British actress Sally Hawkins from "Blue Jasmine" claimed the spot in the supporting actress category that many believed would go to Winfrey. It may be Hawkins' first Oscar nomination, but she's no stranger to awards season. Earlier she received a Golden Globe nod for her role as Cate Blanchett's sister in the film. And in 2008, she took home a Globe for her best actress role in "Happy-Go-Lucky."

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4. No 'Saving Mr. Banks'

Once-touted as a sure-fire best picture nominee, "Saving Mr. Banks" was left out of the field of nine best-picture nominees, and its stars, Thompson and Hanks, failed to earn nominations. Hanks had two shots at a nomination with his best actor role in "Captain Phillips," but was crowded out of that race by Bale.

5. Wolfing It Up

"The Wolf of Wall Street" may have come out late in the awards season but it's showing surprising strength, with nominations for best picture, director Martin Scorsese and stars DiCaprio and Jonah Hill. Perhaps most surprising is that 30-year-old Hill, the star of such films as "The Sitter" and "21 Jump Street," would actually score his second Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. His first was for 2011's "Moneyball."

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