Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
My Prediction: Birdman
Winner: Birdman
I'm so happy that Birdman took the top prize! This film was practically flawless, and so much more deserving that the extremely overrated Boyhood. I only wish my favorite film of the year, The Grand Budapest Hotel, had taken home the trophy, but alas, it was never seriously in this race (for some reason I can't fathom), so I'm very pleased that the award went to the next best film!
Best Director
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
Winner: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
My Prediction: Richard Linklater
Here I bet on a Best Picture/Best Director split, and I thought that this category was a more fitting place to honor Boyhood, since so much of its appeal was due to the innovative vision of the director, and not really for the film as a whole, plot-wise. I'm so happy to have been proved wrong, as I hoped that this award would go to the director who truly deserved it. Iñárritu's voice shines just as brightly in his film as does Linklater's in Boyhood, but on top of that, Iñárritu was able to create a film that extended beyond just his vision. Practically everything else in the film was spot-on, and that's a huge credit to this filmmaker.
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Winner: Julianne Moore
My Prediction: Julianne Moore
As expected, the long-overdue actress won her first Oscar on her fifth attempt. Beyond that, though, her performance was truly the best out of the five nominees. So this one was a no-brainer.
Best Actor
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Winner: Eddie Redmayne
My Prediction: Eddie Redmayne
I was delighted to see Redmayne win, because he gave an astounding and completely transformative performance as the ailing physics great Stephen Hawking. His performance was truly one for the ages. I did feel bad for Michael Keaton, though, because he was also incredible and it would have been a nice way to honor the veteran actor. In any other year...
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Winner: Patricia Arquette
Winner: Patricia Arquette
This wasn't a surprise, though I don't think she was deserving. Out of a rather weak group of nominees, I thought that Keira Knightley delivered the best performance. But oh, well. This was the only Oscar Boyhood won (one Oscar too many, quite honestly), so at least I'm happy about that.
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Winner: J.K. SImmons
My Prediction: J.K. Simmons
One of the most satisfying wins of the night, because Simmons delivered one of the absolute best performances I've seen in many years in Whiplash. No one was more deserving of this award, not even the insanely good, in-any-other-year performance of Edward Norton.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Winner: Graham Moore
My Prediction: Damien Chazelle
I was hoping that the Academy would overlook the curious placement of the Whiplash script in the Adapted category and honor it anyway, because it was sharp and witty and so incredibly intense. Add that Chazelle is barely thirty and his accomplishment was really amazing. Of course I can't say for sure that this bogus rule cost Whiplash the Oscar, but the Academy decided to go with the also-excellent, but more vanilla and less provocative script of The Imitation Game. It is a fantastic film, though, so I'm glad that it did win at least one Oscar.
Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, Foxcatcher
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, Foxcatcher
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo
My Prediction: Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
I was so hoping that Anderson and Guinness's flawless script for The Grand Budapest Hotel would win here and give the film at least one top-tier award. So I was legitimately disappointed when they lost to Iñárritu and Co., even though I also absolutely loved Birdman's script.
Best Foreign Language Film
Leviathan
Ida
Tangerines
Timbuktu
Wild Tales
Leviathan
Ida
Tangerines
Timbuktu
Wild Tales
Winner: Ida
My Prediction: Ida
Best Documentary Feature
CITIZENFOUR
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt in the Earth
Virunga
CITIZENFOUR
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt in the Earth
Virunga
Winner: CITIZENFOUR
My Prediction: CITIZENFOUR
Best Animated Feature
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
“Song of the Sea”
"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya"
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
“Song of the Sea”
"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya"
Winner: Big Hero 6
My Prediction: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Film Editing
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash
Winner: Whiplash
My Prediction: Boyhood
Again, I was SO happy that my Boyhood prediction was wrong and that the Oscar went to the truly most deserving nominee. I thought that the Academy would honor Sandra Adair's work of piecing together twelve years' worth of footage (which really is an amazing feat), but the mastery that went into editing those drum sequences in Whiplash was nothing short of mind-blowing. The intensity that Tom Cross created was incredible, not to mention the meticulous simulation of those drums being played in real time.
Best Original Song
"Everything is Awesome" from The LEGO Movie (written by Shawn Patterson)
"Glory" from Selma (written by Common and John Legend)
"Grateful" from Beyond the Lights (written by Diane Warren)
"I’m Not Gonna Miss You" from Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (written by Glen Campbell)
"Lost Stars" from Begin Again (written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)
"Everything is Awesome" from The LEGO Movie (written by Shawn Patterson)
"Glory" from Selma (written by Common and John Legend)
"Grateful" from Beyond the Lights (written by Diane Warren)
"I’m Not Gonna Miss You" from Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (written by Glen Campbell)
"Lost Stars" from Begin Again (written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)
Winner: "Glory"
My Prediction: "Glory"
Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Johann Johannsson, The Theory of Everything
Gary Yershon, Mr. Turner
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar
Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Johann Johannsson, The Theory of Everything
Gary Yershon, Mr. Turner
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar
Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Prediction: The Theory of Everything
This was one of the biggest surprises of the night! I thought that my favorite score by far, that of The Grand Budapest Hotel, didn't stand a chance on account of possible vote-splitting between Alexandre Desplat's two nominated films. I am such a fan of his and I'm so thrilled that he won! The soundtrack of Budapest complements the film in every way, fitting seamlessly into the narrative. This score elevated its film unlike any of the other nominees, doing such a great job of evoking the spunkiness of every sequence that the viewer felt the soundtrack to be absolutely essential to the entire story. Amazing win!
Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins, Unbroken
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Dick Pope, Mr. Turner
Robert Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, Ida
Roger Deakins, Unbroken
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Dick Pope, Mr. Turner
Robert Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, Ida
Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki
My Prediction: Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner
Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Prediction: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Prediction: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner
Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel
My Prediction: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Sound Editing
American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken
American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken
Winner: American Sniper
My Prediction: American Sniper
Best Sound Mixing
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash
Winner: Whiplash
My Prediction: American Sniper
My Prediction: American Sniper
Again, great win for Whiplash! Great editing, sound and film-wise, was absolutely essential to this film -- see my commentary in the Editing category for more.
Best Visual Effects
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Winner: Interstellar
My Prediction: Interstellar
Best Short Film, Live Action
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call
Winner: The Phone Call
My Prediction: Parnaveh
Best Short Film, Animated
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life
Winner: Feast
My Prediction: The Dam Keeper
Best Documentary, Short Subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper
White Earth
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper
White Earth
WInner: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
My Prediction: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
