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2015 Oscar Nominations

The 2015 Oscar Nominations have been released. What do you want to see win?

The 85th Academy Awards® will air live on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, 2013.The nominations for the 2015 Oscars were announced this morning. Despite the fact that I’m edging ever closer to giving up on awards shows — they demonstrate more that your film has money behind it than that it’s actually the BEST anything, I still love to watch and see who they choose. (I know, I’m part of the problem.)

You can find the complete list of nominations here, but here are the most exciting categories:

1. Best Picture

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

Boyhood won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, so it’s unlikely to win the Oscar. I was surprised to see American Sniper on the ballot — I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s gotten largely mediocre reviews overall. This is a strong category overall. I still haven’t seen half of them, but I have a month to make that happen! Right now, my vote would go to Birdman.

My Choice: Birdman

Prediction: Selma (Boyhood is facing backlash from the Golden Globes win, and Selma director Ava DuVernay was snubbed for Best Director. With no film in this list clearly deserving the win, we may have another Argo situation).


 

2. Best Actor

  1. Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)
  2. Bradley Cooper (American Sniper)
  3. Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
  4. Michael Keaton (Birdman)
  5. Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Keaton won the Golden Globe for Birdman, and it’s such a meta-commentary on the actor’s journey, I can imagine him taking it again. Plus, that way Hollywood can vote for a superhero movie without having to vote for an actual superhero movie. Then again, every performance in this category is very strong. Anyone who wins is a good choice. It really is a crime that Selma‘s David Oleyowo didn’t get a nomination.

My Choice: Steve Carell but five minutes from now it might be Michael Keaton.

Prediction: Michael Keaton


 

3. Best Actress

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

Rosamund Pike got the nod for her Amazing Amy Dunn. And Reese Witherspoon was by far the best part of Wild. Surprising here is that Jennifer Anniston didn’t get a nod for Cake, which has garnered a ton of buzz. Maybe her snub is proof the Oscars aren’t as broken as everyone thinks?

My Choice: Rosamund Pike but if you ask me later, it might be Reese Witherspoon.

Prediction: Felicity Jones may be the only win Theory of Everything takes home all night.


 

4. Best Director

  1. Alejandro G. Inarritu (Birdman)
  2. Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
  3. Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher)
  4. Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
  5. Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)

Linklater is going to take this for Boyhood, and it’s hard to argue – he shot the film over 12 years. But if you’ve seen Birdman, you know you can’t ignore Alejandro G. Inarritu’s work. That film felt like one long take. It wasn’t, but there was some jaw-dropping directing in that film over and over and over. Plus, if the #OscarsSoWhite campaign does draw some attention, Inarritu is the only non-white director nominated.

My Choice: Alejandro G. Innarritu

Prediction: Richard Linklater


 

5. Best Animated Film

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

This category is Exhibit B why Awards shows are the worst. (Exhibit A is the #OscarsSoWhite stuff). We knew this after Brave won a couple of years ago despite being terrible. But this year, THE LEGO MOVIE isn’t even NOMINATED. Not even nominated. Then consider that How to Train Your Dragon 2, which received mediocre reviews, won the Golden Globe. The Lego Movie was released in January, which led many to predict (rightly, we now see) that such an early release would hurt its Oscar chances.

By the way, The Boxtrolls was one of my favorite films of the year, so I really hope it wins. But Laika’s films (like Coraline and Paranorman) are too weird for a lot of the voters. So I’m not holding my breath.

The Lego Movie should’ve been a Best Picture nomination. And it didn’t even get on the Animated Film ballot. Ridiculous.

My Choice: The Boxtrolls

Prediction: Big Hero 6 


 

6. Best Actor in a Supporting Role

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

Everyone in this category was awesome. But Edward Norton in Birdman is all you need to know.

My Choice: Edward Norton

Prediction: Edward Norton


 

7. Best Actress in a Supporting Role

  1. Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
  2. Laura Dern (Wild)
  3. Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)
  4. Emma Stone (Birdman)
  5. Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)

Another great category. Anyone who wins here is good with me – even Keira Knightley. She was great in The Imitation Game. But seriously – anyone who takes this home is great.

My Choice: Emma Stone

Prediction: Meryl Streep has gotten passed over a couple of times recently. And come on… it’s Meryl.


 

8. Best Original Screenplay

  1. Birdman
  2. Boyhood
  3. Foxcatcher
  4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  5. Nightcrawler

Boyhood barely had a script. Birdman is meta and funny and crazy and awesome. Nightcrawler skewered 24-hour, “if it bleeds, it leads” newscasting. And Foxcatcher told a true story so well that all the actual people involved loved it (until the main character realized after critics reviewed the film that his story had crazy homo-erotic undertones). Having not seen Grand Budapest Hotel yet, my vote goes far-and-away to Birdman, though Foxcatcher could take it too.

My Choice: Birdman

Prediction: Birdman 


 

9. Best Adapted Screenplay

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

I’ve only seen The Imitation Game, but my vote goes to Inherent Vice because P. T. Anderson tried to adapt a Thomas Pynchon novel for screen. He should win on courage alone.

My Choice: Inherent Vice

Prediction: The Theory of Everything

YOUR TURN: What do you want to see win?

By JR. Forasteros

JR. lives in Dallas, TX with his wife Amanda. In addition to exploring the wonders that are the Lone Star state, JR. is the teaching pastor at Catalyst Community Church, a writer and blogger. His book, Empathy for the Devil, is available from InterVarsity Press. He's haunted by the Batman, who is in turn haunted by the myth of redemptive violence.