You never want to miss out on watching the Academy Awards: it’s the one night of the year the glitz and glamour of Hollywood truly come to life, and the most deserving of actors and actresses (or so you would think) are crowned with the crème de la crème of acting honors. Though the most anticipated award show will air at the exact same time as the Krewe of Bacchus will be rolling down St. Charles, my predictions (and my Oscars wish list) below will hopefully provide some insight to the die hard film fans who simply refuse to give up a night of Mardi Gras, like myself.
Fair warning: Have I seen all the movies? No. Am I going to touch on every category? Only the ones most people seem to care about. Am I biased and opinionated when it comes to movies and the Oscars? Absolutely.
Best Picture
Nominees: American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street
The Winner: 12 Years a Slave
Ok, so 12 Years a Slave was one of the films I didn’t see, and I really regret not getting myself out of bed and to the movie theater for this one (I lead a rough life, clearly). Here is the theory behind it: the lower budget indie films, though they have been rightly recognized, never seem to stand a chance, knocking Her, Nebraska, and Philomena out of the race. The Academy loves larger, epic films of the drama genre, and 12 Years a Slave fits the bill perfectly, not to mention it won the Golden Globe for Best Picture—Drama (dramas never lose! Unless if it’s to other dramas, of course). Fairly so, a film depicting the tortuous turmoil of slavery is sure to win the Academy over (unless it’s Django Unchained). American Hustle would stand a decent chance if not for Gravity, the epic space thriller that will garner director Alfonso Cuaron with an Oscar and could possibly steal the golden statue from 12 Years a Slave.
Who Should Win: American Hustle
A movie starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, directed and written by David O. Russell of The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook fame? How could you not like this film?! Out of the ones I did see, American Hustle was truly my favorite, despite it not covering a serious topic such as slavery or the AIDS epidemic or the future of technology. I was entertained and captivated throughout the entire film. The Academy should learn that dramas are not the only films worth awarding.
Best Actor
Nominees: Christian Bale, Bruce Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew McConaughey
The Winner: Matthew McConaughey
If you have seen Dallas Buyers Club, then you will understand why McConaughey has been the favorite throughout the awards season. In a performance that completely shatters all previous hunky, rom-com conceptions and stereotypes, McConaughey truly delivers from the bottom of his heart as Ron Woodruff, a raging homophobe who suddenly finds himself diagnosed with AIDS and breaks the rules in order to receive true treatment for himself and for others. Though I am sure Ejiofor delivered a great performance and could possibly rob our favorite rom-com guy, McConaughey has wins from almost every other major film awards ceremony, and there is the fact that he lost so much weight and completely altered his appearance for the role. He has truly shown his potential as an actor in this film, among other projects (check out True Detective on HBO). McConaughey deserves this award more than any other actor in the category.
Unless…
Who Should Win: Matthew McConaughey…or Leonardo DiCaprio
If you’ve ever listened to me talk about movies, you will know that I worship Leonardo DiCaprio with every fiber of my being: he is the king of all modern day actors, not to mention insanely attractive. Leo has been snubbed time and time again; the internet even came up with the Leonardo DiCaprio Oscar memes. People (including myself) have come up with theories as to why he hasn’t won yet, and the fact that he hasn’t is practically an injustice. He is an amazing, selfish, sex and drug addicted villain in The Wolf of Wall Street (viewer discretion is advised…), and the infamous scene with the quaaludes is one of the best bits of acting he’s ever done. I never thought I would say this, however, but Matthew McConaughey deserves it just as much as Leo does. Matthew’s got this win, but Leo, we’ll never let go.
Best Actress
Nominees: Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Judi Dench, Meryl Streep
The Winner: Cate Blanchett
Honestly, I haven’t seen any of the movies these actresses are in besides American Hustle. Given the outpouring of love from critics and awards from all the other major film ceremonies, however, it seems Cate Blanchett is the clear winner.
Who Should Win: Amy Adams
Perhaps it’s a little unfair to say since I only saw her performance, but Amy Adams is almost starting to get snubbed just as much as Leo. She is the only one out of these actresses who hasn’t won an award. Be fair, Academy!
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Barkhad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Michael Fassbender, Jonah Hill, Jared Leto
The Winner: Jared Leto
In Dallas Buyers Club, Jared Leto is nothing short of flawless as a transgender woman who has AIDS and helps McConaughey’s Ron Woodruff fight against the use of AZT as suitable treatment. Leto’s character is sassy and funny, along with heartbreaking as the disease catches up to her. The character is actually reminiscent of Angel from Rent, only infinitely more fleshed out. Leto brought so many people to tears with his performance, and he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
Who Should Win: Jared Leto
As much as I loved both Bradley Cooper’s and Jonah Hill’s performances, Leto deserves the win. If Bradley and Jonah keep it up though, they are both bound to win sometime (tell that to Leo…).
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Sally Hawkins, Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong’o, Julia Roberts, June Squibb
The Winner: Jennifer Lawrence or Lupita Nyong’o
Nyong’o is getting lots of praise for her performance in 12 Years a Slave, but seriously, she’s up against Jennifer Lawrence.
Who Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence
She is the queen.