Luckily for me, some of my favorite films of the year are looking to also be the big winners at The Academy Awards.
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The Academy Awards ceremony is the biggest talk in the entertainment business right now. Half the fun of watching the Oscars is seeing if your predictions (and favorites) take home the golden man. Here are my predictions for this year, and I’m anxiously awaiting to see if I am correct.
Best Picture
Nominees:
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
What I’m rooting for: Boyhood. This film was not only one of my favorites of the year, it has also sneaked its way into being one of my favorite films of all time. Being able to see a boy grow up from age six to age 18 within the span of 165 minutes is mind-blowing on its own, not to mention the story of this boy’s life captured my heart. It’s the ultimate coming-of-age film.
What will win: Boyhood. Director Richard Linklater’s ambition to create a film that took 12 years to make is enough for it to take home the trophy. It’s the most groundbreaking film out of the eight nominations, and it already won the Golden Globe for Best Picture – Drama. Also, it was highly rated by critics according to Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 98%.
Watch the trailer here:
Best Actor
Nominees:
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Steve Carrell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Who I’m rooting for: Eddie Redmayne for his portrayal as Stephen Hawking. This was one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. Redmayne made you believe that he really was struggling with disease. It was his acting that MADE this movie, not to mention all the tears that came along with it.
Who will win: Eddie Redmayne. Although there has been a lot of buzz about Michael Keaton taking home the trophy, I can’t possibly see anyone stealing this trophy away from Redmayne. Sure, Keaton’s acting in Birdman was good and it revived his career, but his performance isn’t even comparable to the once-in-a-lifetime performance that Redmayne gave. If Redmayne doesn’t win, I just might lose trust in The Academy.
Watch the trailer here:
Best Actress
Nominees:
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Who I’m rooting for: Rosamund Pike. I won’t give any spoilers away (but if you haven’t seen Gone Girl, I suggest you do so), but her performance is one of the best I’ve ever seen by an actress. Without giving anything away, she is beyond believable, to say the least.
Watch the trailer here:
Who will win: Julianne Moore. This is her fourth Oscar nomination and she has yet to take home the trophy even once. Knowing The Academy, I think they will say that Moore has been nominated enough times to deserve to actually win now (unless, of course, you’re Leonardo DiCaprio). Plus, her portrayal of a woman struggling with early-onset Alzheimer’s is quite moving, I must say.
Watch the trailer here:
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees:
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Edward Norton, Birdman
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Who I’m rooting for: J.K. Simmons. His performance as the all-controlling jazz instructor is perhaps the most chilling non-horror film performance I have seen. He really went all-out on this role, and he is incredibly believable. A very big performance for a very small film.
Who will win: J.K. Simmons, no doubt. This is the only category of which I am 100% certain about the outcome. Taking all the buzz into perspective, it seems like no one else has a chance to win this award (although there are other great performances in this category, specifically Ethan Hawke and Edward Norton). I wonder if Simmons is as confident in his win as everyone else is.
Watch the trailer here:
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees:
Emma Stone, Birdman
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Laura Dern, Wild
Kiera Knightly, The Imitation Game
Who I’m rooting for: Patricia Arquette. Her portrayal as the mother in Boyhood made this coming-of-age film relateable to viewers of all ages. She was the rock that kept this movie on its feet and showed audiences a real depiction of what motherhood is really like. Plus, I’m overall disappointed with the nominees in this category. I don’t think that most of them deserve taking home the trophy, honestly. I wasn’t even impressed with Queen Meryl’s performance in Into the Woods. This award belongs to Arquette.
Who will win: Patricia Arquette. She’s won enough awards for this role, so why not give her the Oscar as well? All jokes aside, she is the only nominee that I can envision winning this award. The other nominees just aren’t on the same level.
Watch a clip here:
It looks like this year I’ll be getting pretty lucky with my favorites actually taking home the Oscars.
Your Hollywood Treasures 