Tuesday, December 30, 2014

My Current Best Acting Nominee Predictions!! (December 30, 2014 Edition)


Well, the nominations for the next Academy Awards ceremony will be released two weeks from this Thursday.So let's take a look at my current predictions for the two main acting categories, Best Actor and Best Actress, at the ceremony!
A few quick notes; each category is divided into two sections; Guaranteed Nominees, actors who are obviously a shoo-in to be recognized, and Possible Nominees, actors who have a really good shot at getting into the category. And again, this isn't based on personal opinion, but rather factors like what actors have been really favored by other awards ceremonies. Let's get started! 

Best Actor
Guaranteed Nominees
Michael Keaton should have no trouble getting into this category, while Benedict Cumberbatch (whose performance in The Imitation Game I'm about to finally go watch this morning!) should be able to ride great reviews and a major push from Harvey Weinstein to a nomination. David Oyelowo should similarly have no trouble securing a spot in this category.

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
David Oyelowo (Selma)

Possible Nominees
Foxcatcher has been gaining a lot of buzz recently, especially at the Golden Globes, so maybe Steve Carell can translate that buzz into his first ever nomination. I mentioned in my Best Picture predictions yesterday that Nightcrawler had been gaining a lot of momentum recently, much of that due to Jake Gyllenhaals performance, making him a very viable contender here. Eddie Redmayne, for The Theory Of Everything, I would have put as a guaranteed nominee as late as just a few weeks ago, but The Theory of Everything has been losing steam lately, making him a more vulnerable opponent.

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory Of Everything)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) 

There's also some folks like Bradley Cooper for American Sniper or Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel that have some buzz, but I doubt they'll play heavily into the awards season.

Best Actress
Guaranteed Nominees
There's four actress's that are guaranteed to be nominated come Oscar night; Felicity Jones for The Theory Of Everything is one, as is Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl. Julianne Moore is actually the favorite to win right now for Still Alice, while Reese Witherspoon is assured to have some sort of recognition for Wild.

Felicity Jones (The Theory Of Everything)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Possible Nominees
Where things get kind of interesting is the fact that the fifth spot in this category is pretty much up for grabs, though there does seem to be a front runner to get that coveted final nomination. Jennifer Anistons performance in the tiny feature Cake looks like it'll be the one to secure her her first Oscar nomination thanks to tons of awards recognition from the likes of the Golden Globes. Besides her, Hillary Swanks performance in The Homesman has actually received a lot of love and might get her to be a dark horse contender. 

Jennifer Aniston (Cake)
Hilary Swank (The Homesman)

I will say I have heard some buzz for Shailene Woodley in The Fault In Our Stars that I wish would grow considering how much I enjoyed that film and performance. 

Here are my official predictions at this current point for both categories:

Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
David Oyelowo (Selma)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory Of Everything)
Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) 

Best Actress
Felicity Jones (The Theory Of Everything)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Jennifer Aniston (Cake)

Alrighty folks, come back Thursday for my final round of predictions (for now!), where I look at the supporting acting categories. 

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