Oscars 2014: The People

When I look at the lists of actor, actress and director nominees, there's not one that would be a bad choice for the Oscar. This year was was rich with passionate performances and skillful direction. If the Oscar went to the most powerful performances Chiwetel Ejiofor, Meryl Streep, June Squibb, Leonardo DiCaprio or Barkhad Abdi would win. If it went to the most nuanced performance it would go to Jared Leto, Mattew McConaughey, Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench or Lupita Nyong'o. Every director nominated turned out a film that was a signature piece. I'd like to see Martin Scorsese win, but Steve McQueen or Alfonso Caron will probably win. I think the actors who will win are DiCaprio, Streep, Nyong'o and Leto. If I were running the academy, I'd just buy an extra 20 statues and give them all a hearty "well done!"