Tomorrow morning, the Oscar nominations will come out, and we’ll see what the Academy thinks is best. The thing is, they won’t get it right. Oh, the voters will get a lot right, but they’ll miss out on some works.
They almost have to. There are five spots in the best actor category, and there are at least seven “sure things” — men whose performances simply cannot be overlooked. But at least two will be … and five more that could sneak in still.
There have been controversies (The Wolf of Wall Street), late-comers (Lone Survivor), under-performers (Her), fading favorites (Lee Daniel’s The Butler) and over-praised mediocre films (American Hustle) all around, but what I’m gonna do now isn’t a prediction so much as a wish-list: The best movies, performances and writing in the major categories, and what should be on the ballot among the realistic contenders … though many will go home empty-handed, and American Hustle will surely do better with voters than with me. All of them are ranked in order of their deservedness, but that’s hardly a guarantee of a nomination. Let the race begin! (Five nominees are allowed in all categories except best picture, where up to 10 are permitted.)
![Dallas6](https://dallasvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Dallas6-e1389805068912.jpg)
Matthew McConaughey, the frontrunner for best actor in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’
Click back here tomorrow morning for the full list of nominees.
Picture: 12 Years a Slave; Gravity; Dallas Buyers Club; Fruitvale Station; Nebraska; Philomena; The Wolf of Wall Street; Inside Llewyn Davis; Her; August: Osage County.
Director: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity; Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave; Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street; Alexander Payne, Nebraska; Paul Greengrass, Capt. Phillips.
Actor: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club; Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave; Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station; Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street; Robert Redford, All Is Lost. (Note: This means that the following actors don’t get nominated: Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom; Bruce Dern, Nebraska; Joaquin Phoenix, Her; Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis; Tom Hanks, Capt. Philips; Forest Whitaker, Lee Daniels’ The Butler; Christian Bale, American Hustle.)
Supporting actor: Harrison Ford, 42; Chris Cooper, August: Osage County; Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club; Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave; John Goldman, Inside Llewyn Davis.
Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine; Judi Dench, Philomena; Sandra Bullock, Gravity; Meryl Streep, August: Osage County; Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha.
Supporting actress: Octavia Spencer, Fruitvale Station; June Squibb, Nebraska; Margo Martindale, August: Osage County; Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave; Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels’ The Butler.
Original screenplay: Her; Nebraska; Enough Said; Gravity; Fruitvale Station.
Adapted screenplay: Philomena; 12 Years a Slave; The Wolf of Wall Street; August: Osage County; Before Midnight.
Cinematography: Gravity; Inside Llewyn Davis; Nebraska; The Wolf of Wall Street; 12 Years a Slave.