If this year and every other year before it is any proof, the Oscars can be difficult to predict. Take the Best Actor category in 2015: back in spring 2014, everyone thought Timothy Spall - coming off the back of a Cannes win for Mr. Turner - would be the eventual winner. He wasn't even nominated. Then, for a time, Foxcatcher's Steve Carell - after Cannes saw him make a significant transformation back in May - then Birdman's Michael Keaton were the obvious winners of award. On the night, however, they were both pipped to the post by plucky English upstart Eddie Redmayne. Aside from Redmayne giving a superb performance in The Theory Of Everything, there's another good reason why the actor came to take the prize: he suffered for his art. You see, if there's one thing you can predict at the Oscars, it's that the nominee who's gone to the most extraordinary lengths is going to be high up on every voter's list, for sheer commitment alone. Throughout Oscar history, awards hopefuls have acted themselves into exhaustion, and sometimes even allowed a role to take a serious physical toll. Injury means dedication, and dedication is a surefire way of getting yourself a head start in the race for acting Oscars.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
