This sunday marks the 84th Academy Awards, and this years nominees are closets they have been in years with no clear winners in the top categories. Not even awards season could predict who takes the golden statue home. For your consideration here are my picks for the 2014 academy awards.
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1. Best Picture
The nominees are:
“Captain Phillips”
“American Hustle”
“Dallas Buyers Club”
“Gravity”
“Her”
“Nebraska”
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“Philomena”
“12 Years a Slave”
“The Wolf of Wall street”
The winner is: “12 Years a Slave”
Possible upset: “Gravity”
Going purely on the trend of this awards season, “12 Years a Slave” is a guarantee to win – especially because the Oscars have always favored films that have historical or cultural significance.
2. Best Actress
The nominees are:
Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine”
Amy Adams in “American Hustle”
Sandra Bullock in “Gravity”
Meryl Streep in “August: Osage County”
Judi Dench in “Philomena”
The winner is: Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine”
Possible upset: Amy Adams
Cate Blanchett and Amy Adams both stand out as favorites for best actress this year. Blanchett’s performance in “Blue Jasmine” stands out as exceptional even with the controversy surrounding the film’s director and writer.
3. Best Actor
The nominees are:
Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”
Christian Bale in “American Hustle”
Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”
Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”
The winner is: Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”
Possible Upset: Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”
We all want to see Leo finally take him an Oscar but, alas, Matthew McConaughey is more likely to be favored as winner simply because of the trend in wins this awards season.
4. Best Supporting Actress
The nominees are:
Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave”
Jennifer Lawrence in “American Hustle”
Sally Hawkins in “Blue Jasmine”
Julia Roberts in “August: Osage County”
June Squibb in “Nebraska”
The winner is: Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave”
Possible upset: Jennifer Lawrence in “American Hustle”
Lupita Nyong’o’s performance in one of this years Best Picture nominees is one of the most powerful this year. It was surprising when Jennifer Lawrence won the Golden Globe this year, but Nyong’o quickly become a favorite with critics and fans with an extensive list of awards and nominations including a SAG, BAFTA, and Golden Globes.
5. Best Supporting Actor
The nominees are:
Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave”
Jonah Hill in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Jared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club”
Barkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips”
Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle”
The winner is: Jared Leto “Dallas Buyer’s Club”
Jared Leto has been a tour-de-force this awards season, winning the SAG and Golden Globe for his role as Rayon a transgender woman in “Dallas Buyer’s Club.”
6. Best Animated Feature
The nominees are:
“Frozen”
“The Wind Rises”
“The Croods”
“Despicable Me 2”
“Ernest & Celestine”
The winner is: “Frozen”
It’s Disney, that alone is an almost guarantee.
7. Best Director
The nominees are:
Steve McQueen “12 Years a Slave”
Martin Scorsese “The Wold of Wall Street”
David O Russell “American Hustle”
Alfonso Cuarón “Gravity”
The winner is: Alfonso Cuarón “Gravity”
Possible upset: Steve McQueen “12 Years a Slave” or David O Russell “American Hustle”
Alfonso Cuarón is the brilliant visionary behind “Gravity” but has some tough competition in a three way tug of war between “12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen and “American Hustle” director David O Russell.
