Tomorrow, for the first time ever, the Oscar nominations for the 87th Annual Academy Awards will be announced live. Chris Pine, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, and directors Alfonso Cuarón and J.J. Abrams will be reporting in from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills at 5:30 a.m. PST as part of a special two-part live news conference to reveal the nominees for all 24 categories. We have our predictions of the nominees after the break.
And the nominees that I believe will be chose are:
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
- Edward Norton – Birdman
- Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
- Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
- Robert Duvall – The Judge
Wild Cards: None
This category is pretty locked in. I don’t really see any other potential candidates sneaking in here that stood out beyond these gentlemen.
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
- Laura Dern – Wild
- Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
- Emma Stone – Birdman
- Kiera Knightley – The Imitation Game
Wild Card: Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)
I truly believe Laura Dern deserves recognition for her role in Wild. She’s the glue that truly held that movie together for me and I believe the Academy won’t overlook her performance. Meryl’s great and all, but her portrayal as the witch is a nothing role.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
- Big Hero 6
- How to Train Your Dragon 2
- The LEGO Movie
- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
- The Boxtrolls
Wild Cards: The Book of Life; Song of the Sea
This category is pretty locked in too. Sure the HFPA gave their fifth nomination to The Book of Life instead of Prinecss Kaguya, but that’s a group of less than 100 journalists. There has been so much critical support for Princess Kaguya and praise for Studio Ghibli that I believe it will get the bid over The Book of Life.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- Leviathan
- Ida
- Force Majeure
- Wild Tales
- Timbuktu
Wild Cards: Tangerines; Accused
I’ve only seen Ida and Force Majeure, but based on the buzz and my research, I believe this category is pretty much set. But there are rumblings of Tangerines and Accused possibly grabbing a nom over Timbuktu.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- The Imitation Game
- Gone Girl
- Whiplash
- Wild
- The Theory of Everything
Wild Card: Unbroken
There were a lot of strong adaptations in 2014, and because Whiplash got moved into the ‘Adapted’ Screenplay category, I think that will edge out Unbroken. Jolie’s film has not gotten a lot of critical praise and Whiplash has been the talk of the town.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Boyhood
- Birdman
- Nightcrawler
- Selma
Wild Cards: Foxcatcher; A Most Violent Year; Interstellar
Originality was also key to 2014’s success. Moviegoers were rewarded by the many, many original stories that stretched our imaginations. The five that I believe will be chosen are the strongest in terms of creativity, dialogue, pacing, and character. The wildcards are definitely strong contenders though.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Selma
- Mr. Turner
- The Theory of Everything
- Birdman
Wild Cards: The Imitation Game; Unbroken; Gone Girl; Interstellar
I highly suspect Budapest Hotel, Turner, and Birdman gain nods, but the other two spots were difficult to fill. Selma and Theory of Everything have more unique qualities to their cinematography than what I believe my wild cards have.
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
- Julianne Moore – Still Alice
- Reese Witherspoon – Wild
- Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
- Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
- Amy Adams – Big Eyes
Wild Cards: Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One night); Jennifer Aniston (Cake)
I would really love to see Marion Cotillard overtake Felicity Jones, but I don’t think the Oscar voters are in favor of Two Days, One Night. Jennifer Aniston has been receiving a lot of praise, but I think Amy Adams has a stronger presence in the eyes of the Academy.
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
- Michael Keaton – Birdman
- Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
- Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
- David Oyelowo – Selma
- Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Wild Cards: Steve Carell (Foxcatcher); Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game); Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner)
Many doubt Ralph Fiennes will become a part of this prestigious group of individuals, but I have faith that the Academy will see his work at a higher level than Cumberbatch and Spall. Steve Carell is getting a lot of attention, but I his performance isn’t as compelling or as interesting as Gyllenhaal. It’s hard to get past that makeup.
BEST DIRECTOR
- Richard Linklater – Boyhood
- Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Ava DuVernay – Selma
- Alejandro González Iñárritu – Birdman
- Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Wild Cards: Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game); James Marsh (The Theory of Everything); David Fincher (Gone Girl)
Ava DuVernay may have been snubbed by the DGA in favor of Clint Eastwood for American Sniper, but I think DuVernay has a stronger chance with the Academy. Tyldum’s Imitation Game is grand by balancing its multiple timelines, however Whiplash just comes across as more of a heavy hitter for the Academy to adore.
BEST PICTURE
- Boyhood
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Birdman
- Selma
- The Theory of Everything
- The Imitation Game
- Gone Girl
- Whiplash
- Foxcatcher
- Unbroken
Wild Cards: American Sniper; Nightcrawler; Wild
This is the only category where I ranked my nominees. Due to the possibility of up to 10 films, with a minimum of five, this list is in order of which I believe will be awarded a nomination based on how their chances rank.
You can watch the Oscar nominees being revealed live at http://www.oscars.org/live at 5:30 a.m. PST this Thursday, January 15.
The 87th Annual Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, February 22, 2015. They will be hosted by none other than Neil Patrick Harris at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.
You can follow me on the Twitters @TyRawrrnosaurus
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