Saturday, February 21, 2015

87th Academy Awards: Oscar Predictions

Here we go with my quick rundown of what I think will win tomorrow night. As usual, I expect to get all 24 categories correct.

Picture
A genuinely tough call this year. It's a tight race between Boyhood and Birdman, with American Sniper perhaps a not-too-distant third given its popular success. But really it will be one of the first two. I feel almost like it's a toss-up even as to whether they will split Director and Picture or sweep.

My final answer is...

Birdman. (I actually typed Boyhood first and changed my mind, that's how indecisive I am). Ultimately perhaps it comes down to the fact that Birdman is about a tortured actor who sees himself as a true artist looking for critical approval. And actors make up the largest contingent of the Academy.

Director
Again, a close toss-up between Richard Linklater and Alejandro González Iñárritu, but I'm going to go with...

Richard Linklater for Boyhood for the sheer scope and balls of his project.

Actress
I would love to type Marion Cotillard here and truly believe that I will get it right because I really really really think her performance was marvelous and the best of these five, but...

Julianne Moore for Still Alice. Her time has come.

Actor
Wow! Only a month ago Michael Keaton was the odds-on favorite in this category. He has since been usurped by...

Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything because he won the SAG award.

Supporting Actress
Only one person has won just about every precursor and no one else has really been in the conversation...

Patricia Arquette for Boyhood

Supporting Actor
Ummm...

J.K. Simmons for Whiplash

Adapted Screenplay
Graham Moore for The Imitation Game
not a lot of competition here

Original Screenplay
A tough call because if lots of people vote Boyhood for Best Picture and Best Director, those same people may choose Birdman for the perennial runner-up screenplay award (c.f. Pulp Fiction, The Social Network). But I'm predicting a Birdman Best Picture victory so...

Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness for The Grand Budapest Hotel, which has a whopping nine nominations.

Animated Feature
The Lego Movie is the clear winner here. Wait. What? It wasn't nominated? Oh! In that case...

Big Hero 6 I guess.

Foreign Language Film
Ida from Poland

Documentary Feature
Citizenfour

Film Editing
American Sniper

Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki for Birdman

Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Original Score
Johann Johannsson for The Theory of Everything

Original Song
"Everything Is Awesome" from The Lego Movie

Makeup and Hairstyling
Guardians of the Galaxy

Sound Mixing
American Sniper

Sound Editing
American Sniper

Visual Effects
Interstellar

Documentary Short
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Live Action Short
Boogaloo and Graham

Animated Short
Feast

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