OSCAR PREDICTIONS OR (HOW I FAILED MISERABLY AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES)

Well, take my predictions with a grain of salt, because I will be the first to admit that I had a hard time with Sunday's Golden Globes. Though it was called a night full of upsets, it was still depressing to read my scorecard of 10 out of 25 right, and I got four wrong alone in the movie category! Grand Budapest Hotel beating Birdman?!? How to Train Your Dragon 2 defeating The Lego Movie?!? It was a weird, weird night, but all that matters to me is that Boyhood came out on top, winning three awards for Patricia Arquette, director Richard Linklater and best picture!!!

This leads me to believe exactly what I thought back in July...Boyhood will sweep the Oscars! Though I'm predicting Birdman will lead in nominations due to its innovative nature, probably at least 10. Theory and Imitation will do well technically since they're period pieces, then expect to see Boyhood with a respectable six or seven. Below I have my full listing of the nine major nominees, and little notes for the ones that might be a little left field, though I've tried to play it safe with my now-terrible Globe track record.

BEST PICTURE: (If history serves right, I'm calling nine nominees. The 10th slot could easily go to Nightcrawler or American Sniper. At this point I can't see St. Vincent, Wild or Into the Woods getting in there.)
  • Selma
  • Birdman
  • Boyhood
  • Whiplash
  • Gone Girl
  • Foxcatcher
  • The Imitation Game
  • The Theory of Everything
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
BEST ACTOR: (Like last year this is airtight. I could put Steve Carrell, Bradley Cooper, Ralph Fiennes or Bill Murray in there. But you know who I want the most? Ellar Coltrane. Please give this to him.)
  • Michael Keaton- Birdman
  • Eddie Redmayne- The Theory of Everything
  • Benedict Cumberbatch- The Imitation Game
  • David Oyelowo- Selma
  • Jake Gyllenhaal- Nightcrawler
BEST ACTRESS:
  • Rosamund Pike- Gone Girl
  • Reese Witherspoon- Wild
  • Felicity Jones- The Theory of Everything
  • Julianne Moore- Still Alice
  • Marion Cotillard- Two Days, One Night (This is the wild card. For some reason I just can't see the Academy giving it to Aniston. Cotillard has history here, and though only the Critic's Choice Awards has recognized among the big groups, I can see her pulling what Javier Bardem did several years back with his nod for Biutiful.)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: (I can't believe it but I'm including Duvall in here. Like Cotillard he has a track record with Oscar, and even though his movie has a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, expect his name here. The only other possibility could be Josh Brolin from Inherent Vice.)
  • J.K. Simmons- Whiplash
  • Edward Norton- Birdman
  • Ethan Hawke- Boyhood
  • Mark Ruffalo- Foxcatcher
  • Robert Duvall- The Judge
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
  • Patricia Arquette- Boyhood
  • Emma Stone- Birdman
  • Keira Knightley- The Imitation Game
  • Meryl Streep- Into the Woods
  • Jessica Chastain- A Most Violent Year
BEST DIRECTOR:
  • Richard Linklater- Boyhood
  • Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu- Birdman
  • Wes Anderson- The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • David Fincher- Gone Girl
  • Ava DuVernay- Selma
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
  • Boyhood
  • Birdman
  • Selma
  • Nightcrawler
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
  • Whiplash (There was a minor controversy with Whiplash competing for this category instead of original, and it's kind of complicated so I'll link that HERE. But J.K. Simmons has so many great lines in here I can't imagine its exclusion.)
  • Gone Girl
  • The Imitation Game
  • Wild
  • Inherent Vice (Even though no one understands this movie I still think the Academy will reward Paul Thomas Anderson)
ANIMATED MOVIE:
  • The Lego Movie (WHY DIDN'T YOU WIN?!?)
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2
  • The Tale of Princess Kaguya (The Oscars also have a history: of nominating left field foreign titles. Remember Chico & Rita? Ernest & Celestine? The Secret of Kells? Me neither and that's my point. This anime has gotten raves, and unless they go the three-nominee route it could have a presence on here.)
  • Big Hero 6
  • The Book of Life

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