It’s that time of year again, when everyone collectively groans at the poor taste of the Academy as Oscar nominations prove interesting only for their glaring omissions. This year could be the year that they get it right though; you don’t have to look for something obscure and indie to find a cracking film, and gems such as Gravity and 12 Years a Slave are undeniably fantastic, regardless of budgets or A-list casts.
Zoe, Lilith and Rachel go through today’s nominations with varying degrees of intellectual commentary.
And the nominations are….
Best Supporting Actor
- Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips (16/1)
- Bradley Cooper – American Hustle (25/1)
- Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave, (4/1)
- Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street (11/1)
- Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club (1/4)
Jared Leto took the Golden Globe earlier this week so is, at the moment, the bookies favourite to win. But we here at Vision prefer Michael Fassbender’s odds, as his brilliant and terrifying turn as the brutal slave owner, Edwin Epps, in 12 Years a Slave. (We may be biased due to the cracking ginger beard and as the founding and sole members of York’s Fass Soc- still awaiting ratification.)
Best Supporting Actress
- Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave (8/11)
- Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle (11/10)
- Julia Roberts – August: Osage Country (10/1)
- June Squib – Nebraska (20/1)
- Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine (40/1)
Although not the bookies favourite, Lupita Nyong’o shone in her first on-screen role for 12 Years a Slave and is definitely in the running for a rising star award, so greatness is on the horizon for her. Jennifer Lawrence, sticking with the bookie’s favourites, is our pick for this year’s winner, even if it is to watch her (to quote Toy Story) ‘falling with style’ once again, which won her a place in our hearts this time last year.
Best Actor
- Christian Bale – American Hustle (12/1)
- Bruce Dern – Nebraska (33/1)
- Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street (6/1)
- Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave (8/11)
- Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club (6/4)
If Leonardo DiCaprio won, he would finally be receiving his long awaited recognition from the Academy, and of course, we have always loved him. It was, however, Ejiofor’s heartbreaking performance in 12 Years which we feel is pretty hard to beat.
Best Actress
- Amy Adams – American Hustle (10/1)
- Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine (1/6)
- Sandra Bullock – Gravity (5/1)
- Judi Dench – Philomena (20/1)
- Meryl Streep – August: Osage County (33/1)
Amy Adams received the Golden Globe, but it is Cate Blanchett who we think will come out on top this year. Despite mixed reviews of Blue Jasmine, Blanchett’s performance was the outstanding element of the film, her acting talent shining as always.
Best Director
- David O Russell – American Hustle (12/1)
- Alfonso Cuarón – Gravity (4/11)
- Alexander Payne – Nebraska (50/1)
- Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave (9/4)
- Martin Scorsese – The Wolf of Wall Street (18/1)
If Steve McQueen wins, he will not only be the first black director to take the award, but also the first Steve McQueen to win an Oscar. We think it’s a toss-up between McQueen’s notorious single shot takes and Cuarón’s out-of-this-world depiction of life in space.
Best Picture
- 12 Years a Slave (2/7)
- American Hustle (3/1)
- Captain Phillips (40/1)
- Dallas Buyers Club (25/1)
- Gravity (11/1)
- Her (100/1)
- Nebraska (66/1)
- Philomena (66/1)
- The Wolf of Wall Street (25/1)
12 Years a Slave won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Drama) and American Hustle was awarded Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), but at this early stage, it’s too difficult to call. With many of the films yet to come out in the UK, we reserve judgement as to which is our favourite. From what we have seen so far, each film is a worthy contender and we are looking forward to seeing if any compete with the front runners 12 Years a Slave and Gravity – either one would be well deserving of the accolade.
With the Oscars not on until early March, there’s still plenty of time to catch all the brilliant nominees. Get yourselves down to the cinema!