2015 Oscar Nominations Review

Best Picture
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”

This list looks about right, no real surprises here. "Boyhood" (my #2) is looking like the choice to win, while "Birdman" (my #1) and "Grand Budapest Hotel" have a chance as well. "American Sniper" is a little bit of a surprise to see here, but it seemed to get a lot of love from the Academy. I’m glad to see "Whiplash" made the list. It didn’t get nominated at the Golden Globes, so I’m pleased it made the list because it deserves to. Two notable absences are "Nightcrawler" and "Gone Girl". I thought those two might have had a chance (especially "Nightcrawler"), but I’m not shocked they didn’t make it. 

Actor in a Leading Role
Steve Carrell, “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

This is definitely going to be the hardest race to predict this year. Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne both won at the Golden Globes, and look like to be the favorites. Bradley Cooper and "American Sniper" once again getting a some-what surprising nomination, and this is Bradley Cooper’s third consecutive Oscar nomination (‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and ‘American Hustle’). Steve Carrell, who had a lot of momentum a few months ago, now seems to be dropping in the ranks and Benedict Cumberbatch may also have an outside chance of taking it home. There were two legitimate snubs this year, and one of them was in this category. The fact that Jake Gyllenhaal did not get nominated for ‘Nightcrawler’ is a travesty. His performance was my favorite of the year, and deserved at least a nomination. Also, no nomination for David Oyelowo in ‘Selma’ is a surprise as well. Two deserving actors did not even make the list, that’s how tight this category is.

Actress in a Leading Role
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

This is another solid category with great performances all around. However, Julianne Moore seems to be one step above everyone else and is likely to take home the Oscar. The surprise here is no Jennifer Anniston, for her performance in "Cake". Many people believed she would make the cut, but it seems Marion Cotillard slid in to take the last spot.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

If I were to bet on any category, it would be this one. This is almost a lock for J.K. Simmons and his phenomenal performance in ‘Whiplash’. He dominated every scene he was in, and deserves to take home the award. Although, I could see Edward Norton taking home the Oscar in an upset.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

Patricia Arquette won the Golden Globe, and is looking like she will take home the Academy Award as well. Meryl Streep seems to get a nomination no matter what she does and Laura Dern is a curious pick as well. I thought Jessica Chastain could have slipped into this category for "A Most Violent Year", but the Academy didn’t seem to agree.

Directing
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

Two amazing directorial achievements happened this year with "Boyhood" and "Birdman", and I can see either one of those directors taking home the award. I personally would have no problem with either of those two winning, but Wes Anderson is a crowd favorite that could possibly steal it.

Animated Feature Film
“Big Hero 6”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”

You know how I mentioned earlier that there were two legitimate snubs this year? Well, the second one falls into this category.  It boggles my mind that "The Lego Movie" did not get nominated. Many critics (including me) had "The Lego Movie" winning the Oscar this year. I truly believe not only was "The Lego Movie" the best animated movie of the year, but it was one of the best movies of the year period. With that said, "How to Train your Dragon 2” will end up coming away with the award this year, and it is a very good movie in its own right.

Film Editing
Joel Cox and Gary Roach, “American Sniper”
Sandra Adair, “Boyhood”
Barney Pilling, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
William Goldenberg, “The Imitation Game”
Tom Cross, “Whiplash”

I believe "Boyhood" will get the win in this category, simply because of the way it seamlessly flowed from one year to the next. The jumps in time never took me out of the movie, and was very well done. I’m a bit surprised not to see "Birdman" here, because it is amazing how they were able to make the entire movie look like one continuous shot.

Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Robert D. Yeoman, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lynzewski, “Ida”
Dick Pope, “Mr. Turner”
Roger Deakins, “Unbroken”

Speaking of "Birdman", this is where I think its innovative style will be rewarded. Cinematography was just as important as the editing, so I think Emmanuel Lubezki will take home the Oscar.

Visual Effects
“Captain America: Winter Soldier,” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
“Guardians of the Galaxy,” Stephanie Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
“Interstellar,” Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer

Now to the section that the big blockbuster movies thrive in. I really enjoyed all of these movies, and their special effects were great. However, I think "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" should and will win this category. The motion capture technology they used looked amazing, and the digital artists made each Ape seem very real. I was able to fully see each Ape’s emotions, and that is a huge testament to the special effects team on this movie. "Interstellar" has an outside chance due to that fact that the best part of that film was the visuals.

Keep a look a out for my full Oscar predictions, coming soon!