With less than two days to go before the 87th annual Academy Awards, it's time to slip on my Nostradamus hat (OK, I don't have one... let's pretend) and pony up my predictions for this year's (technically last year's) best movies. My track record is pretty good (49-6 over the last half-decade, including 10-1 last year.) Turns out, Her did win Best Original Screenplay: Go figure. Without further adieu, let the guessing begin...
Best Picture: Boyhood. Birdman or Boyhood. Boyhood or Birdman. Take your pick, but Boyhood seems like a safer choice. Either way, it's bound to be close.
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything. Could/should be Michael Keaton; but leave it to the Academy to choose someone portraying a physical handicap.
Best Actress; Julianne Moore, Still Alice. Evidently, the fifth time's the charm. Close to a slam dunk.
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash. Another slam dunk. Truth be told, he'd win Best Actor (if eligible.)
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood. Loved her in True Romance, but that was two decades ago. I prefer Emma Stone; but what do I know?
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood. Here we go again: Turns out I'm hitching my wagon to a movie I didn't even enjoy. I'd prefer to see Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel) or Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman) win: Fingers crossed for an upset.
Best Animated Feature: How to Train Your Dragon 2. Me no care.
Best Cinematography: Birdman. Even Boyhood can't win this one. Early congrats to Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, who won for Gravity last year.
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida. This one's a true toss-up; but I'm going with the black & white Polish drama over Leviathan or Wild Tales by a nose.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Whiplash. British faves The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything could win; but our #3 movie of the year deserves it more.
Best Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel. Birdman has just as good a chance, and this is the one category I got wrong last year. Should be interesting.
