And the Oscar goes to...

It’s December, which means only one thing. The Oscar Race has officially begun. The New York Film Critics Circle has announced their winners, the Gotham Awards have given out their trophies to the independent films worthy of recognition, the National Board of Review have also announced, the Los Angeles Critics will soon follow, building up the excitement surrounding some of this year’s best films.

Even in the months ahead of such events, pundits, critics and fans alike love to speculate over who will be the big winner come Oscar night. It is still without doubt the biggest night in Hollywood, celebrated at the very end of the long awards calendar. Celebrating films of this year, the Academy Awards will be held on 22nd February 2015, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. Already the buzz is strong on certain films and performers, and this week Felix Film looks at the hotly anticipated contenders whose names and performances you should watch out for in the coming months. And let the long, intense, competitive race begin.

Best Leading Actor

A lot of worthy names fighting out for the Oscar with no clear winner set as of yet but the States should brace themselves for a healthy amount of British invasion, withactors Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Eddie Redmayne_(The Theory of Everything), _Cannes winner Timothy Spall _(Mr Turner), and David Oyelowo(Selma) _in hot contention for their performances. They all played real-life heroes, (Alan Turing, Stephen Hawking, J. M. W. Turner, and Martin Luther King Jr., respectively) which will work hugely in their favour, but the main focus at the moment is on Michael Keaton, who has put on a performance of a lifetime in Birdman. Would you also believe that Steve Carell _(Foxcatcher) could cause a serious upset at Keaton’s chances? Others who should not be overlooked but have a high chance of getting unjustly ignored are performers whose films have not been seen widely. Chadwick Boseman(Get On Up) _is a revelation as James Brown, and Jake Gyllenhaal _(Nightcrawler) _is brilliantly mad.

Best Leading Actress

Julianne Moore_(Still Alice) can most certainly expect nominations to start flooding in, given her wonderfully measured, masterful performance as a linguistic professor with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. It is about time for Moore to score some awards, given years of injustices of missing out on wins and nominations, and she may as well start polishing up on her acceptance speeches. Reese Witherspoon(Wild) for a while was the frontrunner, displaying a strong, moving performance in a film that is very well-reviewed, Amy Adams(Big Eyes) practically scores a deserving nomination in whatever serious role she plays, and there is talk of Brit newcomer Felicity Jones(The Theory of Everything) also joining the mix. Hilary Swank (The Homesman) _may be a serious contender to the remaining space in her feminist Western. Critics may be divided over the quality of Gone Girl, but they are unanimous in praising Rosamund Pike’s frighteningly unforgettable performance. Is there space for Essie Davis (The Babadook)? Possibly not.

Best Supporting Actor

J. K. Simmons _(Whiplash) _should be in for a very clean sweep of every single Best Supporting Actor award there is out there, for his ferocious turn as a ruthless jazz band conductor who will stop at nothing to achieve the absolute best from his students. Edward Norton _(Birdman) is the most likely candidate running for distant second, veteran actors Robert Duvall (The Judge), Tom Wilkinson(Selma) _and Christoph Waltz _(Big Eyes) _are all gunning for spots, (this would mark Waltz’s third time in the category) and Duvall in particular seems to be likely to get in on the race, given his success with the Hollywood Film Awards earlier this year. It has been awhile since the underrated Ethan Hawke _(Boyhood) _has scored a nomination, but his strong supporting turn in what many argue as this 2014’s best film, gives him a big boost into the possibility of a nomination. Another cast member of _Foxcatcher _receiving attention for this performance is Mark Ruffalo, who might just get squeezed out given how much competition there is.

Best Supporting Actress

Hot off her New York Film Critics’ Best Supporting Actress win, it is full steam ahead for Patricia Arquette_(Boyhood)_ in her quest to win her first Oscar. She has had success on television, and is now displaying her talent returning to the big screen. Keira Knightley_(The Imitation Game)_ has won rave reviews for her warm, tender performance opposite Cumberbatch. A part of what made Wild special was the presence of Laura Dern providing excellent support for Witherspoon as the character’s mother, and everyone seems to have picked up on this, given the buzz surrounding her contribution to the film. It wouldn’t be Oscar season without the mention of Meryl Streep’s (Into the Woods) name, and her latest musical effort might help her score her 19th nomination. That’s right. 19th. Emma Stone (Birdman) could be looking at a first-ever nomination in a film loved by pretty much everyone, and if anyone was looking for an acting nomination with Interstellar, Jessica Chastain could be the one.