Movie and Oscar fanatics Molly Oretsky and Stephen Proler have returned to share their picks for who will win Best Actor and Best Actress tonight at the 86th Annual Academy Awards! Who will emerge victorious and who will go home empty-handed?
Best Actor
Nominees: Christian Bale (“American Hustle”), Bruce Dern (“Nebraska”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf of Wall Street”), Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”), Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”)
Molly: Poor Leonardo DiCaprio. The guy just cannot catch a break. And for the first time, it is not the Academy’s fault. Though he gave a brilliant performance as real life excess-addicted, Wall Street shark, Jordan Belfort, DiCaprio can blame walking out empty-handed again on, you guessed it, Mr. Matthew McConnaughey His captivating portrayal of Ron Woodroof, the Texan hustler and electrician who is suddenly diagnosed with AIDS, has officially finalized the construction of McConnaughey 2.0. This guy is on a roll, and there is no one standing in his path. His performance is mesmerizing, nuanced enough to strike a real emotional chord, and showy enough to earn the statuette. McConnaughey has achieved a complete career 180, and I’m excited to see what he will do next. For now, I have his incredible performance in “Dallas Buyers Club” to look back on, and I’m confident the Academy will give him his due. Plus, as one of his other competitors this year also playing a conman can tell him, shedding all those pounds didn’t exactly hurt his chances.
Stephen: This is where everything gets tricky. Although I feel Matthew McConnaughey’s role in “Dallas Buyers Club” was outstanding, I am going with the under-dog Leonardo DiCaprio for the winner of the Best Actor for his role in “Wolf of Wall Street.” I say this mainly because McConnaughey played a “cowboy role”, one that wasn’t that difficult for him to achieve, but Dicaprio portrayed an egocentric drug addict of a modern day Gordon Gekko. DiCaprio has told countless enterainment networks and publishers he has never taken any drugs before making this role one of his most difficult. Although the entire three hours of “The Wolf of Wall Street” can be seen as vulgar, DiCaprio shows the transformation of eager, young businessmen into greedy, unrestrained billionaires. I salute everything DiCaprio has done in his 25 year career, and I personally am rooting that this is the year he does not come up short of an Academy award again.
Best Actress
Nominees: Amy Adams (“American Hustle”), Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”), Sandra Bullock (“Gravity”), Judi Dench (“Philomena”), Meryl Streep (“August: Osage County”)
Molly: This year’s best actress is pretty much a shoo-in. Cate Blanchett will be taking home the golden statuette on Sunday night for her portrayal of a troubled New York social-lite. Even with the Woody Allen scandal, there is no slowing her down, as she has taken every other major award this season. I honestly cannot even think of a dark horse that could challenge her. Her performance stands head and shoulders above the rest. I have been a fan of Cate Blanchett for a long time (She alone is worth watching “I’m Not There” for performance as Bob Dylan), and I’m glad that her talents will be rewarded on Sunday. I’ll be utterly shocked if her name is not called. If you’re filling out a ballot for Oscar night, this is a sure pick.
Stephen: Although there has been much speculation on the winner of this category, I have to agree with most critics on the sad and beautiful portrayal Cate Blanchett gives in “Blue Jasmine.” Woody Allen knows how to give amazing roles to women, so Blanchett did him one more by creating his charcter in a way that some might not have ever seen. Amy Adams is a possible under-dog winner, but Blanchett seems to me as the clear winner. I have heard rumors that Sandra Bullock has a possible chance, but no actress in this field showed the emotional range of Blanchett or created a performance as awe-inspiring.
Check later today for their opinions on this year’s nominees for Best Director and Best Picture! Do you agree with today’s predictions? Vote in the poll below!
