10. Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
If you didn't believe in reincarnation, after watching Matthew McConaghey's career over the last two or three years, it is kind of hard to deny. Cashing-in check after check by starring in dreadfully inane romantic comedies, McConaughey, practically on the dime, has done a massive turnaround (like Hitler becoming a Zionist, okay, not quite like that) and become a favorite among critics. With fantastic performances in movies like Bernie, Magic Mike, The Paperboy, Killer Joe, and Mud, McConaughey has been born again and is now clearly an awards season player (even if he did miss out on a nomination last year). This is why, above all other actors, I am most confident about McConaughey's chances. A string of performances this good is commonly rewarded. Then there is the role itself, which for the members of the academy, is the equivalent to what chum is to sharks. Based on a true story, McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a homophobic drug enthusiast who happens to contract the AIDS virus during the height of the epidemic in the mid-1980's. Given only 30 days to live, Woodroof resorts to creating his own drug ring operation of sorts, the Dallas Buyers Club, smuggling in non-FDA approved drugs and selling them to AIDS patients in order to extend their lives as long as possible. You don't have to own 15 books on the Academy Awards to know that this is a prime role not only for a nomination, but very likely for a win. For anyone who has seen photos from the set, you'll also know the type of physical transformation Mr. McConaughey has undergone for the role, shedding pounds to point where he is currently sporting an extremely gaunt figure. This sort of dedication to craft has historically played extremely well with the Academy, as examples such as Robert De Niro in Raging Bull and Tom Hanks in Cast Away have proven. By this time next year, we may be talking about Academy Award-Winner Matthew McConaughey, words that were previously unthinkable just a few short years ago.