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8 Oscar Nominees That Deserve To Win (But Will Definitely Lose)

Anybody who's read The Hollywood Reporter's annual Brutally Honest Oscar Ballots series will know that Academy Awards aren't always handed out based on merit. In fact, it's rare to find one of THR's secret Oscar voters voting based on quality; more often than not, a vote will be cast based on what the voter's peers are doing or whether or not they feel a candidate 'deserves' it. Sometimes voters make their decisions without even having watched the movies.

8) Best Actress

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Carol

Will win: Brie Larson, Room

Should win: Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson is great in Room; even if she wasn’t, she’d probably deserve to be in the running this year simply to make up for the Academy snubbing her performance in Short Term 12 back in 2013. After her Golden Globe win, Larson seems set to take home the 2016 Best Actress Oscar, not least for playing such a difficult, taxing part. But if we’re going on merit alone, others were better in 2015.

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Saoirse Ronan, who so delicately depicts a young woman’s coming-of-age in Brooklyn, wouldn’t be unworthy of the Best Actress prize this year, but the award should really be for the best female performance of 2015: Cate Blanchett’s in Carol, a potentially career-best performance. Blanchett only won two years ago, though, and already has two Oscars to her name. So, it’s likely that the Academy will be looking to reward some new blood in her place this year.