OSCARS 2015 : Final Predictions for the Academy Awards

It’s time folks. I can’t delay it any longer, even if I’d like to. I must put out my final Oscar predictions. There’s no more time to go back and forth on if Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman or Richard Linklater’s Boyhood will win Best Picture, as well as if Iñárritu or Linklater will take Best Director. It’s just down to this. As such, I’m not going to be giving any more analysis or reasoning for my picks, except to say that I ultimately couldn’t bring myself to predict a split. Does that mean I went all in on Birdman or went back to Boyhood? You’ll see below, but I’ll be saving the discussion points for Monday when I look at what the Academy choose to do, and why. Oscar voters have made their choices, so I’ve made mine as well. The Academy Awards are on Sunday night, so all we have to do is wait. I know I’m super excited and nervous, and I’d imagine you all are as well. Suffice to say, this was a unique season. Anyway, here’s to the Oscars!

Without any further delay at all, here now are my up to date and very last set of Academy Award predictions:

BEST PICTURE

1. Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
2. Boyhood
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. The Imitation Game
5. Whiplash
6. American Sniper
7. Selma
8. The Theory of Everything

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Alejandro González Iñárritu – Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
2. Richard Linklater – Boyhood
3. Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game
5. Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher

BEST ACTOR

1. Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
2. Michael Keaton – Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
3. Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
4. Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
5. Steve Carell – Foxcatcher

BEST ACTRESS

1. Julianne Moore – Still Alice
2. Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
3. Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
4. Reese Witherspoon – Wild
5. Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
2. Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
3. Edward Norton – Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
4. Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
5. Robert Duvall – The Judge

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
2. Laura Dern – Wild
3. Emma Stone – Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
4. Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
5. Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
3. Boyhood
4. Foxcatcher
5. Nightcrawler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. The Imitation Game
2. Whiplash
3. The Theory of Everything
4. American Sniper
5. Inherent Vice

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1. How to Train Your Dragon 2
2. Big Hero 6
3. The Boxtrolls
4. Song of the Sea
5. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Into the Woods
3. Interstellar
4. Mr. Turner
5. The Imitation Game

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Unbroken
4. Mr. Turner
5. Ida

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Into the Woods
3. Mr. Turner
4. Maleficent
5. Inherent Vice

BEST FILM EDITING

1. Whiplash
2. Boyhood
3. American Sniper
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. The Imitation Game

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Foxcatcher

BEST SOUND MIXING

1. Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
2. Whiplash
3. American Sniper
4. Interstellar
5. Unbroken

BEST SOUND EDITING

1. Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
2. American Sniper
3. Interstellar
4. Unbroken
5. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1. Interstellar
2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1. The Theory of Everything
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Interstellar
4. The Imitation Game
5. Mr. Turner

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

1. Selma – Glory
2. Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me – I’m Not Gonna Miss You
3. Begin Again – Lost Stars
4. The Lego Movie – Everything Is Awesome
5. Beyond the Lights – Grateful

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

1. Citizenfour
2. Last Days in Vietnam
3. Finding Vivian Maier
4. Virunga
5. The Salt of the Earth

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FEATURE

1. Ida
2. Leviathan
3. Wild Tales
4. Timbuktu
5. Tangerines

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

1. Feast
2. The Dam Keeper
3. The Bigger Picture
4. Me and My Moulton
5. A Single Life

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

1. Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
2. Joanna
3. Our Curse
4. White Earth
5. The Reaper

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

1. Boogaloo and Graham
2. The Phone Call
3. Aya
4. Parvaneh
5. Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak)

Stay tuned to see what actually happens on Sunday night!