It’s shaping up to be a strange Oscar race. Here we are halfway through the year and, yet, there are no front-runners. Some very acclaimed films have been released this year and yet, few of them seem to be getting the type of buzz that usually accompanies a surprise Oscar nomination. Last year at this time, there was cautious buzz for Grand Budapest Hotel while almost everyone felt pretty safe assuming that Sundance favorites like Boyhood and Whiplash would be players in the Oscar race and many of us were highly anticipating the release of films like Birdman and The Imitation Game. (For that matter, a lot of people were also still convinced that Unbroken would win best picture. The buzz is not always correct but still, the buzz was still there.)
This year, some people are hoping that Mad Max: Fury Road will somehow break through the Academy’s aversion to “genre” filmmaking. (And seriously, the Doof Warrior deserves some sort of award, don’t you think?) Quite a few are hoping that Ex Machina will not be forgotten. Personally, I have high hopes for Inside Out. The buzz around Bridge of Spies is respectful, largely because it seems like the type of film that usually would be be nominated. (That said, this film also seems like it could bring out the worst impulses of both Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, leading to a movie that will have more in common with The Terminal than with War Horse.) Carol was beloved at Cannes.
So there are definitely possibilities out there. When I made my Oscar predictions for this month, I didn’t quite have to blindly guess as much as I did way back in January. But still, it cannot be denied that — as of right now — this race is wide open and there’s a lot of room for surprise.
Below, you’ll find my Oscar predictions for July. You can also check out my previous Oscar predictions for January, February, March, April, May, and June!
Best Picture
Black Mass
Brooklyn
Carol
I Saw The Light
In The Heart of the Sea
Inside Out
Sicario
Suffragette
The Walk
Youth
Best Actor
Michael Caine in Youth
Johnny Depp in Black Mass
Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Tom Hiddleston in I Saw The Light
Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett in Carol
Marion Cotillard in MacBeth
Sally Field in Hello, My Name Is Doris
Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Lily Tomlin in Grandma
Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks in Concussion
John Cusack in Love & Mercy
Benicio Del Toro in Sicario
Harvey Keitel in Youth
Kurt Russell in The Hateful Eight
Best Supporting Actress
Joan Allen in Room
Helena Bonham Carter in Suffragette
Jane Fonda in Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara in Carol
Best Director
John Crowley for Brooklyn
Todd Haynes for Carol
Ron Howard for In The Heart of the Sea
Denis Villenueve for Sicario
Robert Zemeckis for The Walk
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