Final Predictions for the 87th Annual Academy Awards

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Will win: Boyhood
Could win: Birdman
Should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Snubbed: Under the Skin, The Immigrant

Best Achievement in Directing

Will win: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Could win: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Should win: Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Snubbed: Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin, James Gray, The Immigrant, Ava DuVernay, Selma

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Will win: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Could win: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Should win: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Snubbed: Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler, Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel, David Oyelowo, Selma

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Will win: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Could win: No one else
Should win: Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night (although I am praying that Julianne wins)
Snubbed: Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars, Anne Dorval, Mommy, Essie Davis, The Babadook, Hilary Swank, The Homesman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Will win: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Could win: No one else
Should win: Edward Norton, Birdman
Snubbed: Riz Ahmed, Nightcrawler

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Will win: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Could win: No one else
Should win: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Snubbed: Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer, Rene Russo, Nightcrawler

Best Achievement in Writing – Original Screenplay

Will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Could win: Birdman, Boyhood
Should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Snubbed: Love is Strange

Best Achievement in Writing – Adapted Screenplay

Will win: The Imitation Game
Could win: American Sniper, Whiplash
Should win: Inherent Vice
Snubbed: Gone Girl, Snowpiercer, Under the Skin

Best Animated Feature Film

Will win: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Could win: Big Hero 6
Should win: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Snubbed: None

Best Foreign Language Film

Will win: Ida
Could win: Timbuktu
Should win: Haven’t seen enough to make a choice
Snubbed: Like Father, Like Son, Force Majeure, Mommy

Best Documentary Feature Film

Will win: Citizenfour
Could win: Virunga
Should win: Citizenfour
Snubbed: Haven’t seen enough to make a choice

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Will win: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Could win: Dick Pope, Mr. Turner
Should win: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Snubbed: Darius Khondji, The Immigrant, Bradford Young, Selma, Rodrigo Prieto, The Homesman

Best Achievement in Editing

Will win: Sandra Adair, Boyhood
Could win: Tom Cross, Whiplash
Should win: Tom Cross, Whiplash
Snubbed: Douglas Crise & Stephen Mirrione, Birdman, Kirk Baxter, Gone Girl

Best Achievement in Production Design

Will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Could win: Mr. Turner
Should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Snubbed: Snowpiercer, Birdman, The Immigrant

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Will win: Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Could win: Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods
Should win: Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Snubbed: Patricia Norris, The Immigrant, Lahly Poore, The Homesman

Best Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling

Will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Could win: Guardians of the Galaxy
Should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Snubbed: Snowpiercer

Best Achievement in Music – Original Score

Will win: Jóhan Jóhansson, The Theory of Everything
Could win: Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Should win: Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Snubbed: Marco Beltrami, The Homesman, Mica Levi, Under the Skin, Antonio Sanchez, Birdman

Best Achievement in Music – Original Song

Will win: “Glory,” Selma
Could win: “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glenn Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Should win: “Lost Stars,” Begin Again
Snubbed: None in particular

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Will win: American Sniper
Could win: Birdman
Should win: Birdman
Snubbed: Whiplash, Snowpiercer

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Will win: Birdman
Could win: Whiplash
Should win: Whiplash
Snubbed: Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Will win: Interstellar
Could win: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Should win: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Snubbed: Under the Skin

Best Short Film – Documentary

Will win: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Could win: Joanna

Best Short Film – Animated

Will win: The Bigger Picture
Could win: Feast

Best Short Film – Live Action

Will win: The Phone Call
Could win: Boogaloo and Graham

87th Annual Academy Award Nomination Predictions

*predicting everything except the Short categories

Best Picture

This is the only category I’ll list my predictions in order of likelihood.

• Boyhood
• Birdman
• The Imitation Game
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Theory of Everything
• Selma
• Whiplash
• American Sniper
• Gone Girl
• Nightcrawler

Likely Upsets: Foxcatcher, Unbroken, or Into the Woods

Best Director

• Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Ava DuVernay, Selma
• Clint Eastwood, American Sniper
• Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
• Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Likely Upsets: Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game), David Fincher (Gone Girl), or Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
• Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
• Michael Keaton, Birdman
• David Oyelowo, Selma
• Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Likely Upsets: Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), or Bradley Cooper (American Sniper)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Amy Adams, Big Eyes
• Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
• Julianne Moore, Still Alice
• Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
• Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Likely Upsets: Jennifer Aniston (Cake), Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), Emily Blunt (Into the Woods), or Hilary Swank (The Homesman)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Robert Duvall, The Judge
• Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
• Edward Norton, Birdman
• Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
• J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Likely Upsets: Tom Wilkinson (Selma), Josh Brolin (Inherent Vice), or Chris Pine (Into the Woods)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
• Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
• Rene Russo, Nightcrawler
• Emma Stone, Birdman
• Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Likely Upsets: Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year), Laura Dern (Wild), or Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer)

Best Original Screenplay

• Birdman
• Boyhood
• Foxcatcher
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Nightcrawler

Likely Upsets: Selma, Mr. Turner, or The Lego Movie

Best Adapted Screenplay

• American Sniper
• Gone Girl
• The Imitation Game
• The Theory of Everything
• Whiplash

Likely Upsets: Inherent Vice, Unbroken, or Wild

Best Cinematography

• Birdman
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Ida
• Mr. Turner
• Unbroken

Likely Upsets: Interstellar, Gone Girl or The Imitation Game

Best Editing

• American Sniper
• Birdman
• Boyhood
• The Imitation Game
• Whiplash

Likely Upsets: Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, or Interstellar

Best Costume Design

• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• The Imitation Game
• Into the Woods
• Maleficent
• Mr. Turner

Likely Upsets: Belle, Guardians of the Galaxy, or The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• Foxcatcher
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• The Grand Budapest Hotel

Likely Upsets: Maleficent or The Theory of Everything

Best Production Design

• Birdman
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Into the Woods
• Maleficent
• Mr. Turner 

Likely Upsets: Interstellar or The Imitation Game

Best Original Score

• Gone Girl
• How to Train Your Dragon 2
• The Imitation Game
• Interstellar
• The Theory of Everything

Likely Upsets: Unbroken or The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Song

• Begin Again (“Lost Stars”)
• Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me (“I’m Not Gonna Miss You”)
• The Lego Movie (“Everything is Awesome!!!”)
• Noah (“Mercy Is”)
• Selma (“Glory”)

Likely Upsets: Big Eyes (“Big Eyes”) or The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (“Yellow Flicker Beat”)

Best Sound Editing

• American Sniper
• Birdman
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Interstellar
• Unbroken

Best Sound Mixing

• American Sniper
• Birdman
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Into the Woods
• Unbroken

Best Visual Effects

• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
• Godzilla
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
• Interstellar

Best Animated Feature Film

• Big Hero 6 
• The Boxtrolls
• How to Train Your Dragon 2
• The Lego Movie
• The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Likely Upsets: The Book of Life or Song of the Sea

Best Documentary Feature

• The Case Against 8
• Citizenfour
• Last Days in Vietnam
• Life Itself
• Virunga

Likely Upsets: Tales of the Grim Sleeper, Keep On Keepin’ On, or The Overnighters

Best Foreign Language Film

• Force Majeure
• Ida
• Leviathan
• Timbuktu
• Wild Tales

Likely Upsets: Tangerines