Predictions For The Anticipated 87th Annual Academy Awards
This is the Super Bowl of movies. Many times the best of the best are able to get in and hopefully get awarded for their greatness from actor to actress, from director to screenwriter, from Best Picture, Animated or otherwise. If you are one of the many people who believe they are above the Academy and say “I’m not gonna watch it because X or Y didn’t get nominated,” admit it, you are going to at least check out the results the next day. If you are taking bets on who’s going to win, then get your scorecards out because I am going to help you ace the Oscars.
Best Picture:
American Sniper – Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro González Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole
Boyhood – Richard Linklater and Cathleen Sutherland
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson
The Imitation Game – Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky and Teddy Schwarzman
Selma – Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner
The Theory of Everything – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce and Anthony McCarten
Whiplash – Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook and David Lancaster
We finally got less than nine nominees, but I think at this point, either go to a straight ten or go back to five. Boyhood has the momentum of the Golden Globes while The Imitation Game is picking up steam and moving forward. Birdman has a lot on its side too (despite the Editing snub) and believe it or not, Selma is still in the race. American Sniper and The Grand Budapest Hotel also made a strong showing. However, the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and PGA (Producer’s Guild of America) chose Birdman in a shocking upset.
Should Win: Birdman – Alejandro González Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole Will Win: Birdman – Alejandro González Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole
Best Director:
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro González Iñárritu – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game
Bennett Miller‘s nomination for Foxcatcher was a shocking surprise, since it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture. For the majority of the season this category has been Richard Linklater’s to lose but Morten Tyldum has a powerful Harvey Weinstein behind him, and he’ll be pushing The Imitation Game with everything he’s got. Fox Searchlight is also pulling double duty with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Wes Anderson who both were a heavy presence on the circuit all year. Both have a feasible shot of upsetting. All I can say to poor Ava DuVernay (Director of Selma) is that your time will come soon. Still a shame though.
Should Win: Alejandro González Iñárritu — Birdman
Will Win: Richard Linklater — Boyhood
Best Actor:
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher as John Eleuthère du Pont
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper as Chris Kyle
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game as Alan Turing
Michael Keaton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) as Riggan Thomson
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything as Stephen Hawking
In the end, Steve Carell prevailed as an Oscar nominee for Foxcatcher. An amazing inclusion among these men, despite many feeling that a supporting bid would have him contend for the prize. And Bradley Cooper muscled his way in to his third consecutive nomination for American Sniper. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of David Oyelowo‘s marvelous turn as Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma. It’s worth noting that many are bummed about the Jake Gyllenhaal miss for Nightcrawler as well. So what do we have now? Michael Keaton‘s wins at the Golden Globes in Comedy/Musical, and his two trophies at the Critics Choice Movie Awards have firmed his place in the front of the pack. However, Eddie Redmayne‘s Golden Globe win in Drama, along with the Weinstein machine behind Benedict Cumberbatch can give Keaton some stiff competition. SAG rewarded Redmayne and may put up a bigger fight than we thought.
Should Win: Michael Keaton – Birdman
Will Win: Michael Keaton – Birdman
Best Actress:
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night as Sandra Bya
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything as Jane Wilde Hawking
Julianne Moore – Still Alice as Dr. Alice Howland
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl as Amy Elliott-Dunne
Reese Witherspoon – Wild as Cheryl Strayed
The road for Julianne Moore to the Oscar podium has been forthcoming for Still Alice. Winning lots of awards including the Globe and Critics Choice has been great for her campaign.With Jennifer Aniston out of the picture for Cake, a person I felt that would really challenge Moore for the title, the path is even clearer. Felicity Jones hopes to break up the party with The Theory of Everything but the buzz for any win for the film has been surrounding co-star Eddie Redmayne and the score. Reese Witherspoon nabbed key mentions for Wild but no one is really rallying for a second Oscar for her. Rosamund Pike would have needed Gone Girl to make a better showing than it did to contend while Marion Cotillard is just playing catch up for Two Days, One Night.
Should Win: Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Will Win: Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor:
Robert Duvall – The Judge as Judge Joseph Palmer
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood as Mason Evans, Sr.
Edward Norton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) as Mike Shiner
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher as Dave Schultz
K. Simmons – Whiplash as Terence Fletcher
No real surprise here. Steve Carell surely got votes in the Supporting Role category but got enough to sustain in Lead Actor. Shame because he could have really challenged fellow Sony Pictures Classics colleague J.K. Simmons. Edward Norton made a fine showing during the precursors but I think the real spoiler to Simmons is Ethan Hawke who could ride a Boyhood train on Oscar night.
Mark Ruffalo and Robert Duvall will just enjoy the show.
Should Win: J. K. Simmons – Whiplash
Will Win: J. K. Simmons – Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood as Olivia Evans
Laura Dern – Wild as Barbara “Bobbi” Grey
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game as Joan Clarke
Emma Stone – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) as Sam Thomson
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods as The Witch
Laura Dern managed to prevail and get nominated. Although Patricia Arquette has won every award she has been nominated for when it comes to Boyhood. Keira Knightley has Harvey Weinstein working for her behind the scenes and could push her forward in the end so don’t be surprised if she wins. Emma Stone needs Birdman to win Best Picture if she wants to win. Meryl Streep, for the first time, may be the least likely to win in the category. Into the Woods was just too even keel for the Academy to go for.
Should Win: Emma Stone – Birdman
Will Win: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Best Original Screenplay:
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo
Boyhood – Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher – E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy
The standard five made the cut and this looks like a clear race between Birdman, Boyhood, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Birdman did win the Golden Globe which hasn’t missed an Oscar winner in some time.
Should Win: Birdman – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo
Will Win: Birdman – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo
Best Adapted Screenplay:
American Sniper – Jason Hall from American Sniper by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice
The Imitation Game – Graham Moore from Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges
Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson from Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon
The Theory of Everything – Anthony McCarten from Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking
Whiplash – Damien Chazelle from his short film of the same name
Though this category was pretty much baron all season, we got a respectable crop of nominees. The Imitation Game is the standard front runner but Whiplash would be an inspired choice while The Theory of Everything has some fire power behind it. American Sniper is also making money by the minute.
Should Win: Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson
Will Win: The Imitation Game – Graham Moore
Best Animated Film:
Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
The Boxtrolls – Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable and Travis Knight
How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold
Song of the Sea – Tomm Moore and Paul Young
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya – Isao Takahata and Yoshiaki Nishimura
No Lego Movie. Yeah I’m sad too. How to Train Your Dragon 2 has the National Board of Review with the Golden Globe and the Annie Awards behind it. Walt Disney is gearing up for a serious leap for Big Hero 6 while The Boxtrolls remains a formidable spoiler.
Should Win: Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Will Win: How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold
Best Foreign Language Film:
Ida (Poland) in Polish – Paweł Pawlikowski
Leviathan (Russia) in Russian – Andrey Zvyagintsev
Tangerines (Estonia) in Estonian and Russian – Zaza Urushadze
Timbuktu (Mauritania) in French – Abderrahmane Sissako
Wild Tales (Argentina) in Spanish – Damián Szifrón
Should Win: Leviathan – Andrey Zvyagintsev
Will Win: Ida – Paweł Pawlikowski
Best Documentary Feature:
Citizenfour – Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Finding Vivian Maier – John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Last Days in Vietnam – Rory Kennedy and Keven McAlester
The Salt of the Earth – Wim Wenders, Lélia Wanick Salgado and David Rosier
Virunga – Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
Should Win: Last Days of Vietnam – Rory Kennedy and Keven McAlester
Will Win: Citizenfour – Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Best Short Documentary:
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 – Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Joanna – Aneta Kopacz
Our Curse – Tomasz Śliwiński and Maciej Ślesicki
The Reaper (La Parka) – Gabriel Serra Arguello
White Earth – J. Christian Jensen
Should Win: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 – Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Will Win: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 – Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Best Live Action Short Film:
Aya – Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
Boogaloo and Graham – Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney
Butter Lamp (La Lampe au beurre de yak) – Hu Wei and Julien Féret
Parvaneh – Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
The Phone Call – Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
Should Win: The Phone Call – Mat Kirkby and James Lucas Will Win: The Phone Call – Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
Best Animated Short Film:
The Bigger Picture – Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
The Dam Keeper – Robert Kondo and Daisuke Tsutsumi
Feast – Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Me and My Moulton – Torill Kove
A Single Life – Joris Oprin
Should Win: Feast – Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Will Win: Feast – Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Best Original Score:
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat
The Imitation Game – Alexandre Desplat
Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
Mr. Turner – Gary Yershon
The Theory of Everything – Jóhann Jóhannsson
Should Win: Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
Will Win: The Theory of Everything – Jóhann Jóhannsson
Best Original Song:
“Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie – Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson
“Glory” from Selma – Music and Lyric by John Legend and Common
“Grateful” from Beyond the Lights – Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me – Music and Lyric by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
“Lost Stars” from Begin Again – Music and Lyric by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois
Should Win: “Everything Is Awesome” – The Lego Movie
Will Win: “Everything Is Awesome” – The Lego Movie
Best Sound Editing:
American Sniper – Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Martin Hernández and Aaron Glascock
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
Interstellar – Richard King
Unbroken – Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro
Should Win: Interstellar – Richard King
Will Win: American Sniper – Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Best Sound Mixing:
American Sniper – John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga
Interstellar – Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
Unbroken – Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee
Whiplash – Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
Should Win: Interstellar – Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
Will Win: American Sniper – John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
Best Production Design:
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
The Imitation Game – Maria Djurkovic (Production Design); Tatiana Macdonald (Set Decoration)
Interstellar – Nathan Crowley (Production Design); Gary Fettis (Set Decoration)
Into the Woods – Dennis Gassner (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
Mr. Turner – Suzie Davies (Production Design); Charlotte Watts (Set Decoration)
Should Win: Interstellar – Nathan Crowley (Production Design); Gary Fettis (Set Decoration
Will Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel – Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)
Best Cinematography:
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Robert Yeoman
Ida – Łukasz Żal and Ryszard Lenczewski
Mr. Turner – Dick Pope
Unbroken – Roger Deakins
Should Win: Birdman – Emmanuel Lubezki
Will Win: Birdman – Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Makeup:
Foxcatcher – Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
Guardians of the Galaxy – Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White
Should Win: Guardians of the Galaxy – Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
Will Win: Guardians of the Galaxy – Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
Best Costume Design:
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero
Inherent Vice – Mark Bridges
Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood
Maleficent – Anna B. Sheppard
Mr. Turner – Jacqueline Durran
Should Win: Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood
Will Win: Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood
Best Film Editing:
American Sniper – Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach
Boyhood – Sandra Adair
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Barney Pilling
The Imitation Game – William Goldenberg
Whiplash – Tom Cross
Should Win: Whiplash – Tom Cross
Will Win: Boyhood – Sandra Adair
Best Visual Effects:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
Guardians of the Galaxy – Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
Interstellar – Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
X-Men: Days of Future Past – Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer
Should Win: Interstellar – Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
Will Win: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
