New Delhi: As the countdown begins to the biggest movie night in showbiz, The Academy Awards, are there going to be the proverbial Oscar upsets, snubs and jaw-hanging surprises? Unlikely.
Christopher Nolan's epic blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer which chronicles the life and times of the father of the atomic bomb, j Robert Oppenheimer is poised to make a clean sweep in the major categories. The film has been lauded for being one of the most detailed and intricate biopics and has been the indisputable toast of the industry.
Oppenheimer has had the perfect season so far, bagging every honor from the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, DGA, BAFTA, SAG and PGA, in the run-up to the Oscars.
Everyone has bet their last penny that not only will the film take home Best Picture, but will also win Christopher Nolan the Best Director trophy.
Cillian Murphy's restrained and moving performance as Oppenheimer is a hands-down winner in the best actor category. But, he could face a likely upset from Paul Giamatti for his moving performance as the cranky teacher in “The Holdovers”.
In the best actress category, it is a race between Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone with the latter having a slight edge.
Gladstone's restrained performance as Molly Burkhart has been called the soul of “Killers of the Flower Moon”.
Emma Stone as the uber-exuberant feminist Bella Baxter in Poor Things is as impressive but might get upstaged by Gladstone. Emma Stone has previously won La La Land, and if Gladstone wins it could well be Oscar history, as she would be the first Native American to win Best Actress.
The best-supporting actor category seems locked with Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”) leading the pack. But Downey Jr's turn as the charismatic Lewis Strauss is the likely one to take the golden man home.
He will in all probability be accompanied by Da' Vine Joy Randolph for best actress in a supporting role. Randolph has been applauded and won all industry accolades for her performance in The Holdovers as Mary, a grieving mother who works as a cook at a private school.
Greta Gerwig's “Barbie” has been snubbed at most awards and appears to be the frontrunner in the original song category, with the Grammy-winning “What Was I Made For? And with Ryan Gosling giving us some Ken Vibes with his performance of “I Am Just Ken from the film.