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Arts and Entertainment

The Oscars: Who will win? Who should win?

Julianne Moore is nominated for an Oscar for her depiction of a woman suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease in “Still Alice.” Megan Bianco predicts Moore will win the award, but she prefers that Reeese Witherspoon wins for her performance in “Wild.”

For some movie fans, the Academy Awards are the equivalent of the Grammys, Emmys, or even the Super Bowl as the biggest television event of the year.

It’s an opportunity to see if a favorite movie is nominated and to see many of their favorite stars gathered at one large event. And with other awards being not-so-predictable this season, the winners of the big night also should be intriguing.

For the second year in a row, here are my predictions and personal choices for Sunday’s Oscars:

For Best Supporting Actor, aside from all the A-list movie stars nominated this season, the frontrunner since the beginning of winter has been character actor J.K. Simmons for his harsh, tour-de-force performance in Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash.” Although Simmons’ role is being called the performance of his career so far, Edward Norton in “Birdman” or Ethan Hawke in “Boyhood” potentially could pull an upset.

Prediction: J.K. Simmons

Preference: J.K. Simmons

The Best Supporting Actress department also has a clear frontrunner on Sunday with Patricia Arquette for her decade-long performance in Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood.” Despite coming from a family of three generations of movie actors, Arquette would be the first in her family to win – or be nominated for – an Oscar. While Arquette is deserving, co-nominee Keira Knightley, for “The Imitation Game,” would be my choice for an upset.

Prediction: Patricia Arquette

Preference: Keira Knightley

Julianne Moore has been predicted to win Best Actress since “Still Alice” hit the festival circuit last year, and the accolades she’s received since then support her chances of taking home the Oscar. This category holds the potential for the biggest upset of the night, possibly from the likes of Marion Cotillard (“Two Days, One Night”), Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) or Reese Witherspoon (“Wild”).

Prediction: Julianne Moore

Preference: Reese Witherspoon

At the beginning of Oscar season, everyone was praising Michael Keaton for his comeback performance in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Birdman.” Then Eddie Redmayne suddenly become a big contender with SAG and BAFTA wins for “The Theory of Everything.” But my pick for male lead of 2014 would have been Jake Gyllenhaal, who was overlooked by the Academy for “Nightcrawler.”

Prediction: Keaton or Redmayne

Preference: Gyllenhaal

Since “Boyhood” hit Sundance last year, indie film legend Richard Linklater has been a given for Best Director at the Oscars with a bunch of wins already on his side this season. But critical darling Alejandro G. Iñárritu also could take the trophy like he did at the DGAs for “Birdman.” Yet cult favorite Wes Anderson would be my pick of the nominees for Best Director for “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Prediction: Linklater or Iñárritu

Preference: Anderson

For this year’s Best Picture, two nominees appear to be running neck-and-neck this awards season – “Boyhood” and “Birdman.” Both films have been huge hits with critics, award shows and audiences, so it’s a toss-up on which could take the big title Sunday. If I could have it my way, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” or P.T. Anderson’s “Inherent Vice” would be the best of 2014.

Prediction: “Boyhood” or “Birdman”

Preference: “Grand Budapest Hotel” or “Inherent Vice”

With the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday and the Oscars on Sunday, it’s sure to be a movie lover’s weekend.

mbianco@durangoherald.com.



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