BEST ACTOR
I’m not saying Eddie Redmayne wasn’t good in The Theory of Everything, but come on, we all know that the Oscars love actors who play handicapped geniuses – remember Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot? What’s more, Redmayne doesn’t play any ordinary genius; he’s Stephen Hawking for god’s sake! Poor Michael Keaton doesn’t stand a chance. Only guy who deserved a nod but didn’t land one – Jake Gylenhaal for his deliciously creepy turn in Nightcrawler.
Who should win? Michael Keaton, Birdman
Who will win? Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
BEST ACTRESS
There’s no discussion needed here. The award has Julianne Moore’s name inscribed on it even before Matthew McConaughey steps up on stage to open the envelope.
Hers is the strongest performance in a category that includes two previous winners (Reese Witherspoon, Marion Cottilard) and two newbies (Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike) that never really stood a chance. As a linguistics professor struggling with early onset of Alzheimer’s disease in Still Alice, Moore delivers a devastating performance characterized by a heartbreaking scene in which her character wets her pants because she can’t remember where the bathroom is.
Who should win? Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Who will win? Julianne Moore, Still Alice
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
JK Simmons is a lock to win for his terrific performance as the terrifying, abusive music teacher in Whiplash.
Edward Norton in Birdman and Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher will prove worthy runner-ups, but there’s really no contest here for the main prize.
Who should win? JK Simmons, Whiplash
Who will win? JK Simmons, Whiplash
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
No one but Patricia Arquette has a claim on this trophy, having won every award there is in the lead-up to the Oscars. To be fair, she did deliver a nuanced and vanity-free performance as a single mother struggling to raise her kids right in Boyhood.
So good she was, in fact, that it prompted Time magazine to declare that the film might well have been titled Motherhood. Even Meryl Streep, landing her 19th nomination for Into The Woods, will be cheering for Arquette as she takes the stage on Oscar night.
Who should win? Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Who will win? Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
(Noted film journalist and critic Rajeev Masand is Entertainment Editor at CNN-IBN)
*This is the second and concluding part of Rajeev Masand’s Oscar predictions for The Quint*
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