Movie Special: Campaign Kickoff for the Oscars
By Bill Wine
KYW Newsradio 1060
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Even the most casual of moviegoers pays attention during Oscar season, which is upon us.
As the movie calendar year winds down, the Academy Award races that will kick into gear when the Oscar nominations are announced on January 15th and climax at the Oscar ceremony on February 22nd, begin to come into focus.
So, based on an amalgam of indicators, including early screenings, festival outcomes, industry buzz, and Oscar track records, here are the probable and possible participants (that is, nominees) in the highest-profile Oscar races.
These are, then, the performances and titles to keep in mind and/or catch up with over the next few months if you intend to become or remain Os-current!
BEST ACTOR
Probable:
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Possible:
Matthew McConaughey, Interstellar
Ben Affleck, Gone Girl
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Bill Murray, St. Vincent
Miles Teller, Whiplash
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jack O'Connell, Unbroken
BEST ACTRESS
Probable:
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Possible:
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle
Anne Hathaway, Interstellar
Kristen Wiig, The Skeleton Twins
Mia Wasikowska, Tracks
Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Probable:
JK Simmons, Whiplash
Edward Norton, Birdman
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Possible:
Tom Wilkinson, Selma
John Goodman, The Gambler
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes
Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
Tim Roth, Selma
Charlie Cox, The Theory of Everything
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Probable:
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Laura Dern, Wild
Possible:
Jessica Chastain, Interstellar
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Emma Stone, Birdman
Anna Kendrick, Into the Woods
Rene Russo, Nightcrawler
Imelda Staunton, Pride
Marisa Tomei, Love is Strange
BEST MOTION PICTURE
Probable:
Birdman
Boyhood
The imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Gone Girl
Foxcatcher
Interstellar
Possible:
Selma
Mr. Turner
American Sniper
Into the Woods
A Most Violent Year
Top Five
Love is Strange
Wild
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Unbroken