Culture -- 15 days ago
Words: Violet
It’s that time of year again and, even in the UK, our media outlets are swamped with hysterical reportage as the 86th Academy Awards draws closer. Here are my thoughts on who will be taking a naked golden man home on March, 2nd, who it should really be and what we really think of the Oscar nominations.
Best Picture
Will win: 12 Years a Slave
Should win: Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis surprisingly wasn’t even nominated.
Best Director
Will win: David O. Russell (American Hustle)
Should win: Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)
David O. Russell is held in very high regard by the academy with The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook exceeding expectations in the past awards ceremonies.
Best Actor
Will win: Christian Bale (American Hustle)
Should win: Christian Bale(American Hustle)
I’m going for a surprise here – many people think that Matthew McConaughey is a shoe-in but the Bale/Russell combination is a powerful one. Despite The Fifth Estate bombing at the box office, Benedict Cumberbatch should have been nominated for his super creepy portrayal of WikiLeaks weirdo Julian Assange.
Best Actress
Will win: Amy Adams (American Hustle)
Should win: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Cate Blanchett is the obvious choice but Blue Jasmine’s lack of nominations may indicate a win for Amy Adams or Sandra Bullock.
Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Should win: Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
It would also be splendid if Jared Leto won for his portrayal of a transgender woman in Dallas Buyers Club.
Best Supporting Actress
Will win: Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
Should win: Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
I’ll admit it – this is another unusual prediction but I feel that Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong’o simply did not have enough screen time or lines to justify the win.
Best Foreign Language Film
Will win: The Great Beauty
Should win: The Great Beauty
Although the sycophancy of The Broken Circle Breakdown towards American culture may earn it a few votes I still expect Italy’s film of the year to win.
By Guy de Vito
