Every year the Academy Award nominees are announced, and every year the lists are picked apart. There’s always a name or two from each category that the punters think should have made it, but this year I noticed one that struck me as particularly off: best actor in a leading role. The actual nominees are:

• Christian Bale for American Hustle
• Bruce Dern for Nebraska
• Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf Of Wall Street
• Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years A Slave
• Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

But really, would anyone have been surprised if the list had been these five?

• Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips
• Oscar Isaac for Inside Llewyn Davis
• Michael B. Jordan for Fruitvale Station
• Joaquin Phoenix for Her
• Robert Redford for All Is Lost

Or Matthew McConaughey for Mud, come to that?

.:.

Cover photo by Rachel, used under Creative Commons license