And The Oscar Goes To...
Rex FeaturesRosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Rosamund Pike had to beat off opposition from half of Hollywood to bag the role of “Amazing Amy” Dunne in the film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s thriller [i]Gone Girl</il, but the Brit proved film bosses made the right choice. The actress threw herself into the role, both losing and putting on weight to show how Amy’s physical transformation mirrored her cold, calculating scheme to frame her cheating husband.
PacificCoastNews.comJennifer Aniston, Cake
It’s hard to believe but the dowdy, suicidal addict Claire Simmons in Cake is none other than American sweetheart Jennifer Aniston. The former Friends star looks ready to shake off the mantle of Rachel Green and all her gloss for this complex role, which follows the life of a woman following a car accident. At the Toronto Film Festival, Jen got a standing ovation so make no mistake, she is a serious contender.
The Theory of Everything, Best Picture
It’s still a long way to February 2015 and, by then, The Theory of Everything has the capacity to leap frog its rivals and take home the Best Picture Oscar. Adapted from Jane Hawking’s autobiography, this film doesn’t just concentrate on their love story and Stephen Hawking’s disability but meatier issues like the origins of the universe and if science and religion can ever be reconciled, both of which the Academy is sure to lap up.
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Julianne Moore is the one to beat this year amongst the women. The actress, who has never won the golden gong despite being nominated four times, is up for her role in Still Alice, in which she plays a linguistics professor who starts to forget words. Random fact: if Julianne wins (and she is the current favourite), it will be the second year in a row that Alec Baldwin has played the husband of the Best Actress winner; remember he was married to Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine.
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
It was only a matter of time before the Academy woke up and recognised Benedict Cumberbatch. The actor’s turn as tortured code-breaker Alan Turing in The Imitation Game is almost certainly set to be nominated for Best Actor, but this is a category so packed with talent that it’s anyone’s guess who’ll go all the way and land the main prize.
Rex FeaturesSteve Carell, Foxcatcher
Steve Carell ticks a lot of the Oscars boxes when it comes to his role as paranoid schizophrenic John du Pont in Foxcatcher: mental illness, dramatically changed appearance, a murderer. Steve might be better known for his comedic work but is completely convincing in this movie and demonstrates his range as an actor. If he gets nominated in the Best Actor category (and he should do), we think it’ll be the start of a very interesting period in Steve’s career.
Birdman, Best Picture
Superhero movies don’t often make an appearance in the Best Picture category but Birdman, about a washed-up actor who used to play “Birdman”, might be about to change all that. Of course, this isn’t really an action movie in the traditional sense: there’s drug addiction, depression and lots of people get drunk so the Academy has plenty to sink its teeth into.
Rex FeaturesKristen Stewart, Still Alice
Kristen Stewart has made no secret of her desire to move on from the Twilight series – and her role in Still Alice goes a long way to achieving this. The actress, who is predicted to make an appearance in the Best Supporting Actress category, stars as Julianne Moore’s grown-up daughter, who struggles when her mother is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Things have been a bit quiet on the Oscars front for Reese Witherspoon, since her win for Walk The Line in 2006. That’s set to change come February. In Wild, she plays a woman who decides to hike over a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in an attempt to heal herself following a divorce and the death of her mother. Reese Witherspoon’s production company made the movie so the actress is doubly invested in its success.
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
There’s plenty of UK talent in the Oscars’ running this year and British darling Keira Knightley is rumoured to be landing her second Oscar nomination, thanks to her role as Turing’s friend and fiancée Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game. She’ll probably go for the Supporting Actress category, typically one of the hardest to predict, but the film is being distributed by the Weinstein Company, known for its successful Oscar campaigns, so Keira’s chances are solid.
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
With five Oscar nominations but no cigar, Amy Adams will be hoping it’s sixth time lucky come 2015. She’s got a good shot: In Big Eyes, she appears as an artist who finds herself locked in a bitter divorce battle when her husband takes the credit for her work. The film has Harvey Weinstein’s backing and she’ll be hoping he can work some of that Silver Linings Playbook magic with it.
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
It’s very likely that Eddie Redmayne will go head-to-head against best pal Benedict Cumberbatch in this year’s Best Actor category. Eddie plays Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, the theoretical physicist, who struggles with depression after he’s diagnosed with motor neuron disease. Eddie’s performance is excellent but in this battle of the biopics, we think Benedict might just beat him to it. Either way, may the best genius win!
Whiplash, Best Picture
Whiplash centres on the tense relationship between a young jazz drummer and his domineering music teacher. It might not scream “Oscar worthy” but this flick, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, has already picked up the top two prizes at the Sundance Film Festival. This is especially incredible when you consider it was made in only 19 days.
Rex FeaturesJessica Chastain, Interstellar/A Most Violent Year
Jessica Chastain could see herself getting two Oscar nods this year. In the Best Actress category, she has a shot with A Most Violent Year, which sees her as the wife of an immigrant trying to capitalise on NY’s crime and corruption. As a Supporting Actress, she could be nominated for Interstellar, a Christopher Nolan sci-fi flick, featuring a team of space traveller searching for a new planet for mankind. The former nomination is probably more likely as Interstellar hasn’t quite lived up to the hype since its release.
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Michael Keaton may have gone a bit quiet on us over the last few years but this year’s Best Actor buzz is all about him. The actor looks set to revive his trophy cabinet with Birdman, about Riggan Thomson, a former star who once played an iconic superhero. Notice any similarities? Anyway, Riggan is forced to confront his ego and his dysfunctional family life when he’s asked to direct and star in a Broadway play. Whether it’s from personal experience or super-dooper acting, Keaton’s performance is the favourite in this very competitive category.
Rex FeaturesRalph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
It will be interesting to see whether Ralph Fiennes’ performance in The Grand Budapest Hotel makes an appearance in this year’s Best Actor roll call. His crazy, but legendary, concierge Monsieur Gustave has been hailed as ingenious by critics but this is a comedic role, and the darlings at Oscar HQ usually prefer a little more serious drama for their Best Actor.
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Felicity Jones has certainly come a long way from The Archers. The Brit is being mooted as a contender in either the Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress categories for her role as Jane Hawking, opposite Eddie Redmayne, in The Theory of Everything. It’s thought that Felicity is a favourite among the British contingent of the Academy.
Emily Blunt, Into The Woods
In this reimagining of various Grimm brothers’ fairy tales, Emily Blunt stars as The Baker’s Wife, who’s cursed childless by an evil witch and must take a journey “into the woods” in order to break the spell. Amazingly, Emily Blunt has never been nominated for an Oscar (we double-, triple-checked this), despite a number of stellar performances. It’s unclear whether she’ll go for the Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress category but, either way, we hope 2015 is the year this snub of an incredible actress comes to an end.
Rex FeaturesEmma Stone, Birdman
Emma Stone looks to be setting her cap at a golden gong with her performance as the recovering drug addict daughter of Michael Keaton’s character in Birdman. The actress has missed out on nominations in previous years (The Help being the most notable) but this film is receiving rave reviews which the Academy can’t help but take into account.
Rex FeaturesThe Imitation Game, Best Picture
Being a biopic is never a bad thing when it comes to Oscar wins and, though there are a few lurking among this year’s contenders, it’s The Imitation Game that those in the know are putting their money on. Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley star as Alan Turing and Joan Clarke, who race against time to break the German’s Enigma code, while working out the nature of their own complex relationship.
