Here's Who We Think Should Win The Oscars
The 86th annual Academy Awards take place this Sunday.
"12 Years a Slave," "American Hustle," and "Gravity" lead the nominations.
If you're finalizing your Oscar predictions, here's who we think will take home the biggest awards of the night.
Best Supporting Actor
ABC screencap
The nominees:
Barkhad Abdi in "Captain Phillips"
Bradley Cooper in "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender in "12 Years a Slave"
Jonah Hill in "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Jared Leto in "Dallas Buyers Club"
Who will win:
Kirsten Acuna, BI's Associate Entertainment Editor: Jared Leto
While Jonah Hill is up for his second Oscar, his comedic performance in "Wolf" was nothing compared to that of Barkhad Abdi's ship-stealing Somalian pirate in "Captain Phillips" and Jared Leto's turn as a transgender woman with HIV in "Dallas Buyers Club." So far, Leto has swept the awards including the Critics Choice and Golden Globes for his performance. He's a sure lock to win.
Who the critics say will win:
Deadline: Jared Leto
Entertainment Weekly: Jared Leto
Gold Derby:
Best Supporting Actress
ABC
The nominees:
Sally Hawkins in "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence in "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong'o in "12 Years a Slave"
Julia Roberts in "August: Osage County"
June Squibb in "Nebraska"
Who will win:
Kirsten: Lupita Nyong'o
As much as I want to see stage actress June Squibb win an Oscar for her raw performance in "Nebraska" as a foul-mouthed, bossy pants of a wife, how could your heart not go out to Nyong'o? Though Lawrence won the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards, Nyong'o's performance as a distraught and raped cotton-picking slave outshined that of Lawrence's as a nagging, simple-minded housewife in "American Hustle."
Who the critics say will win:
Deadline: Jennifer Lawrence
Entertainment Weekly: Lupita Nyong'o
Gold Derby: Jennifer Lawrence
The Hollywood Reporter: Lupita Nyong'o
Vulture: Lupita Nyong'o
Best ActorABC
The nominees:
Christian Bale in "American Hustle" Bruce Dern in "Nebraska" Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street" Chiwetel Ejiofor in "12 Years a Slave" Matthew McConaughey in "Dallas Buyers Club"
Who will win:
Kirsten: Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio's performance in "The Wolf of Wall Street" was one of his finest. He put his heart and soul into bringing an eccentric, cocaine and Quaalude-addicted Jordan Belfort to the big screen. Scenes of him riding and wrecking a Lamborghini and subsequently rolling around on a kitchen floor with Jonah Hill and a telephone cord were gold.
Did I weep, feel enraged, and have my heartstrings pulled at by Ejiofor's performance of a free man stolen, put into slavery, and forced to whip another slave in "12 Years a Slave"? Yes. May Ejiofor win the Oscar? Certainly. This is one of the most difficult Lead Actor races to call in years. Matthew McConaughey may very well take the win. After all, he already won the Golden Globe for playing Ron Woodroof, the persistant man who refused to accept a 30-day life sentence after being diagnosed with HIV. He completely transformed himself shedding 38 pounds for the role.
However, I wouldn't mind seeing Bruce Dern get the Oscar either for his performance of a stubborn man determined on claiming a lottery prize that doesn't exist. But after five nominations wouldn't it be nice to finally see DiCaprio get the Oscar?
Who the critics say will win:
Deadline: Matthew McConaugheyEntertainment Weekly: Bruce DernGold Derby: Matthew McConaugheyThe Hollywood Reporter: Matthew McConaugheyVulture: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Best ActressABC screencapThe nominees:
Amy Adams in "American Hustle" Cate Blanchett in "Blue Jasmine" Sandra Bullock in "Gravity" Judi Dench in "Philomena" Meryl Streep in "August: Osage County"
Who will win:
Kirsten: Sandra Bullock
Cate Blanchett won for "Blue Jasmine" at the Globes and BAFTA awards. However, it's tough to compare with the amount of preparation Bullock put into commandering the screen alone for the majority of "Gravity." Bullock spent up to 11 hours a day alone in a box filming Alfonso Cuaron's space odyssey. The result was a beautiful performance about survival and evolution. This would be Bullock's second Oscar after 2010's win for "The Blind Side."
Who the critics say will win:
Deadline: Cate Blanchett
Entertainment Weekly: Cate Blanchett
Gold Derby: Cate Blanchett
The Hollywood Reporter: Cate Blanchett
Best PictureCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
The nominees:
"American Hustle""Captain Phillips" "Dallas Buyers Club" "Gravity" "Her""Nebraska" "Philomena" "12 Years a Slave" "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Who will win:
Kirsten: "Gravity"
The difference between a good movie versus a great movie is that a great one stays with you long after you see it. It makes you feel something long after you walk out of the theater and reminds you why you pay to head to the theaters. They're a rarity - even among Oscar contenders. That movie was "Gravity." If you try to watch it at home on Blu-Ray or DVD, you will never have the same experience. Alfonso Cuaron spent more than four years waiting for the right technology to bring his film about an astronaut fighting to get back home to the big screen and it was well worth the wait.
"12 Years a Slave" may have swept awards season - with good reason, it's typical Oscar fodder - and "Her" has received critical acclaim, but there is only one movie that totally wowed me last year. Alexander Payne's black and white "Nebraska," which delivers a poignant story about family underneath its surface lottery winnings plotline, is a close second.
What the critics say will win: Deadline: "12 Years a Slave"Entertainment Weekly: "12 Years a Slave"Gold Derby: "American Hustle"The Hollywood Reporter: "12 Years a Slave"Vulture: "12 Years A Slave"