My Predictions for the 87th Academy Awards Nominations

by

Julien Faddoul

The nominations for the 87^th Academy Awards are tomorrow morning. Despite their nonsensicality, I always have fun predicting them every year. Here are my final predictions.

A couple of notes:

• I have made the necessary amount of predictions correlating to the limit of each category – 10 for PICTURE, 3 for MAKEUP and 5 for everything else – after which I list my alternates which I have limited myself to only 5, except in the DOCUMENTARY and ORIGINAL SONG categories. 

• Those marked in BLUE are what I consider to be locks for a nomination.

PICTURE

Those unfamiliar with recent tradition, the top category is a net that can go to up to 10 nominees. This practice has been in place since 2011, though funnily enough every year since then has always had 9 nominees. I am taking the opportunity to predict 10 though anything goes with a category that has an irresolute number. 

From American Sniper on, I get insecure. Those that are above it are pretty safe. Having now seen Unbroken, its sudden fall from grace makes sense. Though this category has had a pretty bumpy ride all year. Let’s hope something a little more interesting than Boyhood winning everything transpires.

1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. Selma
4. The Imitation Game
5. The Theory of Everything
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel
7. Whiplash
8. American Sniper
9. Foxcatcher
10. Nightcrawler

• Gone Girl
• Into the Woods
• Unbroken
• Mr Turner
• Wild

DIRECTOR

The DGA chose Linklater, Inarritu, Anderson, Tyldum and Eastwood. Are they sexist or did they not get to their Selma screeners in time? Let’s see what happens.

1. Boyhood – Richard Linklater
2. Birdman – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson
4. Selma – Ava DuVernay
5. The Imitation Game – Morten Tyldum

• American Sniper – Clint Eastwood
• Whiplash – Damien Chazelle
• Gone Girl – David Fincher
• Foxcatcher – Bennett Miller
• The Theory of Everything – James Marsh

ACTRESS

It has been these 5 for a while now. Adams’ win at the Golden Globes scares me and if anyone is going to fall out, I am betting on Witherspoon. Hopefully, Cotillard takes it instead.

1. Still Alice – Julianne Moore
2. Gone Girl – Rosamund Pike
3. The Theory of Everything – Felicity Jones
4. Cake – Jennifer Anniston
5. Wild – Reese Witherspoon

• Big Eyes – Amy Adams
• Two Days, One Night – Marion Cotillard
• Into the Woods – Emily Blunt
• The Homesman – Hilary Swank
• Belle – Gugu Mbatha-Raw

ACTOR

Always the most bloodthirsty category with several men here who have been lauded by various groups. Don’t be surprised if any 5 of these 10 men show up, though you can bet on Redmayne and Keaton.

1. The Theory of Everything – Eddie Redmayne
2. Birdman – Michael Keaton
3. Nightcrawler – Jake Gyllenhaal
4. The Imitation Game – Benedict Cumberbatch
5. Selma – David Oyelowo

• Foxcatcher – Steve Carell
• American Sniper – Bradley Cooper
• The Grand Budapest Hotel – Ralph Fiennes
• Mr Turner – Timothy Spall
• A Most Violent Year – Oscar Isaac

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

We always count on this category to offer up some sort of surprise, so watch out for Russo, Dern and Ejogo. At this point though, its Arquette’s to lose.

1. Boyhood – Patricia Arquette
2. The Imitation Game – Keira Knightley
3. Into the Woods – Meryl Streep
4. Birdman – Emma Stone
5. A Most Violent Year – Jessica Chastain

• Nightcrawler – Rene Russo
• Wild – Laura Dern
• Selma – Carmen Ejogo
• Snowpiercer – Tilda Swinton
• Pride – Imelda Staunton

SUPPORTING ACTOR

2014’s most boring category. I can’t even muster the energy to type Duvall’s name here. Maybe something out-of-the-blue might happen? But I am airing on the side of pessimism.

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

• Big Eyes – Christoph Waltz
• Inherent Vice – Josh Brolin
• Into the Woods – Chris Pine
• Selma – Tom Wilkinson
• Unbroken – Miyavi (Takamasa Ishihara)

ANIMATED FILM

I was nervous about the possibility of How to Train Your Dragon 2 getting snubbed, but after its Golden Globe win I think we’re safe. This has always been 7 films fighting for 5 spots and I am really only choosing to take out The Book of Life and Song of the Sea on instinct.

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

• The Book of Life
• Song of the Sea
• Cheatin
• Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart
• Rocks in My Pockets

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

This category never goes according to plan. Your guess is as good as mine.

1. Ida (Poland)
2. Wild Tales (Argentina)
3. Leviathan (Russia)
4. Timbuktu (Mauritania)
5. Force Majeure (Sweden)

• Tangerines (Estonia)
• Accused (Netherlands)
• The Liberator (Venezuela)
• Corn Island (Georgia)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

People seem to think of Selma as less of writing achievement for some reason, so I’ll throw Foxcatcher a bone.

1. Boyhood – Richard Linklater
2. Birdman – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacogone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson
4. Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy
5. Foxcatcher – Bennett Miller, Dan Futterman

• Selma – Paul Webb
• Mr Turner – Mike Leigh
• A Most Violent Year – J.C. Chandor
• Ida – Pawel Pawlikowski, Rebecca Lenkiewicz
• Pride – Stephen Beresford

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

So, apparently Whiplash is adapted. Huh? Well, anyway, I guess that means Wild falls out right?

1. The Imitation Game – Graham Moore (Based on the Nonfiction Book by Andrew Hodges)
2. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn (Based on her Novel)
3. The Theory of Everything – Anthony McCarten (Based on the Novel by Jane Wilde)
4. American Sniper – Jason Dean Hall (Based on the Nonfiction Book by Chris Kyle)
5. Whiplash – Damien Chazelle (Based on the fact that he apparently made a short film that has a scene in similar to the film. These rules have always been bogus)

• Wild – Nick Hornby (Based on the Memoir by Cheryl Strayed)
• Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson (Based on the Novel by Thomas Pynchon)
• Still Alice – Wash Westmoreland, Richard Glatzer (Based on the Novel by Lisa Genova)
• Unbroken – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson (Based on the Nonfiction Book by Lauren Hillenbrand)
• Into the Woods – James Lapine (Based on the Musical by James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Birdman – Emmanuel Lubezki
2. Mr Turner – Dick Pope
3. Unbroken – Roger Deakins
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Robert D. Yeoman
5. Interstellar – Hoyt Van Hoytema

• Nightcrawler – Robert Elswit
• Ida – Ryszard Lenczewski, Lukasz Zal
• The Imitation Game – Oscar Faura
• The Theory of Everything – Benoit Delhomme
• Selma – Bradford Young

PRODUCTION DESIGN

1. Into the Woods – Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock
2. The Imitation Game – Marja Durjovic, Tatiana Macdonald
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
4. Big Eyes – Rick Heinrichs, Shane Vieau
5. Mr Turner – Suzie Davies, Charlotte Watts

• Interstellar – Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis, Paul Healy
• Birdman – Kevin Thompson, George DeTitta Jr
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent
• Maleficent – Dylan Cole, Gary Freeman, Lee Sandales
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – James Chinlund, Moss Serino

COSTUME

1. Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero
3. Maleficent – Anna B. Sheppard
4. The Imitation Game – Sammy Sheldon Differ
5. Mr Turner – Jacqueline Duran

• The Theory of Everything – Steven Noble
• Selma – Ruth Carter
• Inherent Vice – Mark Bridges
• Belle – Anushia Nieradzik
• Big Eyes – Colleen Atwood

FILM EDITING

1. Boyhood – Sandra Adair
2. The Imitation Game – William Goldenberg
3. Birdman – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
4. Whiplash – Tom Cross
5. Gone Girl – Kirk Baxter

• Nightcrawler – John Gilroy
• The Grand Budapest Hotel – Barney Pilling
• American Sniper – Joel Cox, Gary Roach
• The Theory of Everything – Jinx Godfrey
• Selma – Spencer Averick

MAKEUP

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Maleficent
3. The Theory of Everything

• Foxcatcher
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Noah
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2

SOUND

1. Birdman
2. Unbroken
3. The Imitation Game
4. American Sniper
5. Into the Woods

•  Guardians of the Galaxy
• Interstellar
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
• Transformers: Age of Extinction
• The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

SOUND EDITING

1.  Interstellar
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. American Sniper
4. Unbroken
5. Transformers: Age of Extinction

• Fury
• Godzilla
• Birdman
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
• How to train Your Dragon 2

VISUAL EFFECTS

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies
4. Interstellar
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past

• Maleficent
• Transformers: Age of Extinction
• Godzilla
• Captain America: Winter Soldier
• Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

ORIGINAL SCORE

1. The Theory of Everything – Johann Johannsson
2. The Imitation Game – Alexandre Desplat
3. Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
4. Gone Girl – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
5. The Judge – Thomas Newman

• The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat
• The Homesman – Marco Beltrami
• Unbroken – Alexandre Desplat
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 – John Powell
• Nightcrawler – James Newton Howard

ORIGINAL SONG

1. The Lego Movie – “Everything is Awesome”
2. Selma – “Glory”
3. Begin Again – “Lost Stars”
4. Boyhood – “Ryan’s Song”
5. The Book of Life – “I Love You Too Much”

• Glenn Campbell: I'll Be Me – “Not Going to Miss You”
• Big Eyes – “Big Eyes”
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – “Yellow Flicker Beat”
• Annie – Opportunity
• Rio 2 – “What is Love”
• Big Hero 6 – “Immortals”
• The Book of Life – “The Apology Song”
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 – “Where No One Goes”
• Unbroken – “Miracles”
• Beyond the Lights – “Grateful”
• The Boxtrolls – “The Boxtrolls Song”
• The Boxtrolls – “Quattro Sabatino”
• Boyhood – “Split the Difference”
• The Fault in Our Stars – “Let Me In”
• The Fault in Our Stars – “Not About Angels”
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – “The Last Goodbye”
• The Hundred-Foot Journey – “Afreen”
• Land Ho! – “Land Ho!”
• A Most Violent Year – America for Me“
• Noah – “Mercy Is”
• Paddington – “Shine”
• Muppets Most Wanted – ANY OF THOSE AWFUL BRETT MCKENZIE NUMBERS

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

1. The Overnighters
2. CITIZENFOUR
3. Finding Vivian Maier
4. Last Days in Vietnam
5. Life Itself

• Virunga
• Tales of the Grim Sleeper
• The Salt of the Earth
• The Internet’s Own Boy
• The Case Against 8
• Citizen Koch
• Jodorowsky’s Dune
• Keep on Keepin’ on
• Art and Craft
• The Kill Team

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

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

• Symphony No. 42
• The Numberlys
• A Single Life
• Footprints
• Coda