Okay, so it's time to deal with my least favorite categories this year, because they're all so boring and/or undeserving, and those are the big acting awards. These are the ones that everybody waits for on the show, but this time around, they're going to be a letdown, so I'm letting you know that in advance. Let's get this over with.
BEST ACTOR
- Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
- Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
- Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
- Michael Keaton, Birdman
- Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Well, I'd be pretty stupid not to predict the Globe, SAG and Bafta winner to also take the Oscar, so...I guess it's Redmayne. But I HATE this win, and I really wouldn't care who of the other guys upset him, as long as one of them did, so I'm rooting for anyone else. Keaton still has the best chance of doing it, but Bradley Cooper might be able to spoil (he wasn't nominated at any of the precursors, so he hasn't competed against the other two yet). I just cannot stand that they are falling for Oscar Bait 101: Real Life Person With a Disability, but from the most mediocre of mediocre movies to come out last year. I said it before and I will say it again- Daniel Day-Lewis did this already, he did it 25 years ago and he did it a million times better, in a much better film. If you want to see the real thing and not the poor man's imitation of a physical transformation performance, go back and watch My Left Foot. There's no reason for anyone to watch The Theory of Everything. Let's just hope that if Birdman is strong enough for Best Picture, that means that Keaton is going along for the ride.
Winner: Eddie Redmayne
Alternate: Michael Keaton
Dark Horse: Bradley Cooper
BEST ACTRESS
- Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
- Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
- Julianne Moore, Still Alice
- Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
- Reese Witherspoon, Wild
This one I just don't have much to say. It's Julianne Moore, it's a terrible movie, not a terrific performance, but it's a career award and certainly a deserving one at that, so...congratulations to her, right? If I really thought any of the performances this year were that much better I'd complain more. Of these my favorite is actually Cotillard, but she does already have an Oscar, so I can't get too worked up. The others are all good to fair, but none are all that electric, so it's just a dull category, I'm sorry to say.
Winner: Julianne Moore
Alternate: none
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Robert Duvall, The Judge
- Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
- Edward Norton, Birdman
- Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
- J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Simmons, obviously. He won all the precursors, he's winning, it's over. He's also the best, although I did like Hawke, Norton and Ruffalo too. But what can I say? He was great, so good for him.
Winner: J.K. Simmons
Alternate: none
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
- Laura Dern, Wild
- Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
- Emma Stone, Birdman
- Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
This one is also signed and delivered for Arquette, and frankly I do NOT think she deserves this, but like in Actress, I don't know who else I'd pick. From this group anyway. They're all good, but no one really stands out that much. Still, Arquette is winning this award because she aged 12 years on film, which literally any other actress could have done, and to be quite honest, some of her scenes are actually badly acted (there's one scene where she yells at her daughter getting out of the car in Boyhood that I cringed while watching). But it's a done deal, so there you go.
Winner: Patricia Arquette
Alternate: none
