So the Oscars are this week and I bet you’re pretty excited about it. If you’re like me, you’re banking on disappointment on the winners because that seems to be the way things go these years. Anyway, without being too bitter, here’s a quick rundown of what I think will win in some of the major categories, as well as what I think should win.
Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Who Will Win: Boyhood. It seems like the two front-runners for the top prize are Boyhood and Birdman, both of which I was underwhelmed with, which seems to be happening more and more often. The more love Boyhood gets, the less I like it, but that’s just me.
Who Should Win: I’ve only seen 4 of the films nominated for Best Picture, but my favorite of those is Whiplash. I don’t think it has a chance, but I would be pretty happy to see this upset all the others. I also wouldn’t mind The Grand Budapest Hotel sneaking in here.
Best Actor
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Who Will Win: Michael Keaton. I think Keaton has a couple things going for him with this one. First of all, I think Birdman is going to take most categories that it’s nominated for that Boyhood is not. Secondly, Michael Keaton is the elder statesman in this group and he’ll get it for the career and for the comeback. Not that he isn’t really good in Birdman; he is, but I think there are other factors here.
Who Should Win: I’m pulling for Michael Keaton, because we need more Keaton in our lives.
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Who Will Win: Julianne Moore looks like one of the biggest locks to take the statue on Sunday. I haven’t seen Still Alice, but it looks like a weepfest and she’s a solid actress, so I’m expecting this to be locked up.
Who Should Win: Not that Julianne Moore doesn’t deserve it, but I would love to see Rosamund Pike win this for her performance in Gone Girl. It’s a crazy-as-fuck performance and she essentially has to portray two entirely different people. It’s a pretty interesting role and I’d like to see more genre-based films get some love.
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
JK Simmons – Whiplash
Who Will Win: JK Simmons is the Julianne Moore of this category and it’s rightly deserved. He’s fantastic in Whiplash as he is in just about every role that he takes on. It’s always nice to see character actors get some recognition.
Who Should Win: Simmons deserves the award here, though I could justify Edward Norton here, as well. He was the most interesting thing about Birdman.
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Who Will Win: Patricia Arquette. She was okay and probably the best thing in the movie, but she honestly wasn’t anything special. She cries a lot.
Who Should Win: The only one I haven’t seen is The Imitation Game and honestly, no one else really impressed me. Of the four I’ve seen, I’ll say Laura Dern deserves it the most and I will formally request that Meryl Streep takes a year off from acting, because Into the Woods was dreadful.
Best Director
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game
Who Will Win: Hollywood is obsessed with the fact that Richard Linklater took 12 years to film Boyhood, so it’s probably going to be him. I don’t get it though; it if took me 12 years to write a screenplay, people would call me lazy.
Who Should Win: I’d like to see The Grand Budapest Hotel win for this. I’m a fan of Wes Anderson and this one seems to be his most grand effort thus far.
The Main Damie 
Reblogged this on inkandsilver.
Decent list. : )
Best Motion Picture: Really wish it would be the Grand Budapest Hotel. But the chances are slim. Hope Wes gets best director though.
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne all the way for me. Really loved his performance.
Best Actress: Agree, Rosamund Pike should get it.