Predictions for the 87th Oscar nominations!

Well, tomorrow is the big 87th Academy Awards nominations announcement!  For the the first time, all 24 categories will be announced live at 5:30 a.m. PT.  This year, there are still several categories where there seems to be a lot of wiggle room and have the potential for a surprise or two.  A few seem to have a 5th slot that could swing different ways.  Here are my predictions with some brief thoughts or alternates, excluding the shorts.  

Best Picture
01. American Sniper
02. Birdman
03. Boyhood
04. Gone Girl
05. The Grand Budapest Hotel
06. The Imitation Game
07. Selma
08. The Theory of Everything
09. Whiplash

If there are 10 nominees add: Nightcrawler
-I'm going with 9 like we have seen the past few years with the new voting system.  I don't imagine a big enough percentage of #1 votes needed for Nightcrawler to get in, but I would love to be wrong.  There is also a possibility it takes the place of Gone Girl.

Best Directing
01. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
02. Richard Linklater, Boyhood
03. Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
04. Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
05. Ava DuVernay, Selma

-I'm thinking that Ava DuVernay takes Clint Eastwood's DGA spot.  This is going to be a tight one though, and Damien Chazelle poses a real threat as well.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
01. Michael Keaton, Birdman
02. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
03. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
04. David Oyelowo, Selma
05. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

-Steve Carell could easily take the place of Oyelowo or Gyllenhaal after his SAG and Globe love.  Will the Academy consider him supporting like BAFTA did?

Best Actress in a Leading Role
01. Jennifer Aniston, Cake
02. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
03. Julianne Moore, Still Alice
04. Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
05. Reese Witherspoon, Wild

-Aniston is in the vulnerable position.  If her name isn't called tomorrow, I think Amy Adams will be taking her place for Big Eyes.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
01. Edward Norton, Birdman
02. Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
03. Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
04. Robert Duvall, The Judge
05. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

-This is the likely five.  If Josh Brolin (Inherent Vice) or Tom Wilkinson (Selma) show up here, it would probably be at the expense of veteran Duvall.  Carell could also show up here in supporting in agreement with BAFTA's placement.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
01. Emma Stone, Birdman
02. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
03. Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
04. Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
05. Rene Russo, Nightcrawler

-Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year) looks to pounce on the 5th slot.  I'm predicting Rene Russo love in the Academy though and her first nomination.

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
01. Birdman
02. Boyhood
03. Foxcatcher
04. The Grand Budapest Hotel
05. Nightcrawler

-Mr. Turner and Selma could take that Foxcatcher or Nigthcrawler's spot.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
01. Gone Girl
02. The Imitation Game
03. The Theory of Everything
05. Whiplash
05. Wild

-American Sniper could end up here in place of Whiplash or Wild.

Best Animated Feature
01. Big Hero 6
02. How to Train Your Dragon 2
03. The LEGO Movie
04. Song of the Sea
05. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

-Leaving out The Boxtrolls could be an extremely poor decision, but the Academy appreciates foreign animation and previously nominated Tomm Moore's The Secret of Kells.

Best Foreign Language Film
01. Ida
02. Force Majeure
03. Leviathan
04. Timbuktu
05. Wild Tales

-Tangerines from Estonia is another possibility here.  You never know with the Foreign Language branch.

Best Documentary Feature
01. The Case Against 8
02. CITIZENFOUR
03. Last Days in Vietnam
04. Life Itself
05. The Overnighters

-I think Virgunga or Finding Vivan Maier are definite possibilities if this isn't the five.

Best Music (Original Score)
01. Gone Girl
02. The Grand Budapest Hotel
03. The Imitation Game
04. Interstellar
05. The Theory of Everything

-Could Desplat get a THIRD score in with a nomination for Unbroken or could Thomas Newman get in for The Judge?  Both very possible.

Best Music (Original Song)
01. "Lost Stars", Begin Again
02. "I'm Not Gonna Miss You", Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me
03. "Yellow Flicker Beat", The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I
04. "Everything Is Awesome", The LEGO Movie
05. "Glory", Selma

-It's always hard to guess what the music branch is going to do here. "Ryan's Song" from Boyhood or "Big Eyes" from Big Eyes could be here.

Best Film Editing
01. Birdman
02. Boyhood
03. The Imitation Game
04. Nightcrawler
05. Whiplash

-Alternates: American Sniper or The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Cinematography
01. Birdman
02. The Grand Budapest Hotel
03. Mr. Turner
04. Nightcrawler
05. Unbroken 

-The branch may also take to the work in Ida or Interstellar

Best Production Design 
01. Big Eyes
02. The Grand Budapest Hotel
03. The Imitation Game
04. Into the Woods
05. Mr. Turner 

-Alternate: Interstellar

Best Costume Design
01. The Grand Budapest Hotel
02. The Imitation Game
03. Into the Woods
04. Maleficent
05. Mr. Turner

-Alternates: Inherent Vice or Selma

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
01. Guardians of the Galaxy
02. The Grand Budapest Hotel
03. The Theory of Everything

-Alternate: Foxcatcher for making Steve Carell's face haunt my dreams.

Best Sound Mixing
01. American Sniper
02. Birdman
03. The Imitation Game
04. Into the Woods
05. Unbroken

-Alternates: Interstellar, Transformers: Age of Extinction

Best Sound Editing
01. American Sniper
02. Birdman
03. Guardians of the Galaxy
04. Interstellar
05. Unbroken

-Alternate: Fury

Best Visual Effects
01. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
02. Godzilla
03. Guardians of the Galaxy
04. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
05. Interstellar

-X-Men: Days of Future Past or Maleficent could replace one of these

Diving back in to the blog in the eye of the storm!

It's back to the blog!  I enjoyed my little start in the past, and although life and my own silly mind got in the way, I'm happy to be back writing.  What a better time to dive in than right in the middle of the chaos this week, right?  Many call this week one of the busiest in Hollywood, with the Oscar nominations dropping early Thursday morning in addition to the Critics' Choice Movie Awards that evening.

2014 seemed to get some flack for not being a "great" film year in some circles, but I have to disagree.  The first half of the year didn't have a ton that truly popped for me personally, but once "Boyhood" hit, my brain woke up and I was ready to take on the rest of the year.  I'm catching up on a few more films before I make a final top ten favorite films list this week, but in a year with films like "Gone Girl" and "Selma" out there, I can't complain.  No matter what your taste is, I truly believe that if you dig down and look hard, you will find films to be seen that may contain something you connect with.  Go small, go forgotten, ask a friend what they liked.  There is stuff there.  I will post some final Oscar predictions tomorrow.  Who are you rooting for this year?

I will also be getting back and chugging along on Twitter.  You can follow me there @joshuamclement

Under six weeks to push the Oscar baby out

Last week's Academy Award nominations definitely brought some shockers, which is always inevitable.  Most of the chatter has been all about Ben Affleck being left off the list for 'Argo' and Kathryn Bigelow for 'Zero Dark Thirty'.  Let's not forget they are still Academy Award-nominated producers for their films though.  Some say bad press for 'Zero Dark Thirty' may have hurt Bigelow's chances, as the director has come under fire for crafting a pro-torture film which she has been left to defend again and again, most recently in the Los Angeles Times.  Despite the snubs, it really was wonderful to see Michael Haneke and Benh Zeitlin recgonized for their work, allowing foreign and indie films a place at Oscar's table, a place that so many often complain should be there.  Throughout the year, I often hear friends talking about the great indie or foreign films that are being passed over for the mainstream critical hits.  As far as the Best Director nominations go, we do all have to remember that it is less than 400 people who decide those nominations.  It's a very small branch of the Academy that often likes to do their own thing, with results often very different from the DGA, Globes, BFCA, and other groups. 

Awards Daily's Sasha Stone posted a great piece yesterday stating the case for 'Lincoln'.  As someone who grew up cherishing Spielberg's films, I could very much to relate to her words.  For me, 'Lincoln' is the best film of the year and will be looked at in history classes to come and cherished by many, especially for its exceptional writing by Tony Kushner and standout performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, among others.  As Sasha Stone said in the above article, "Lincoln is a subtle, quiet, subdued, meditative masterpiece."

Are there other films I enjoyed this year?  Very much so.  'Looper' was a incredible idea that seemed lifted out of an entirely original sci-fi universe.  'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' broke my heart and put it back together.  'Silver Linings Playbook' was full of great characters, and Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence gave their best performances with big careers still to come.  'Argo' was tensely paced and had me on the edge of my seat thoughtout, even if I already knew the ending.  'Life of Pi' was a visual wonder and prompted many discussions with friends and family after the viewing and having read the novel.  'Beasts of the Southern Wild' was a visual wonder and little Quvenzhané Wallis had me captivated throughout the beautifully sad film.

I still have a few films left to get to before the Oscars are handed out February 24th, including 'Amour', 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'The Master', 'The Sessions' and 'Django Unchained', but I can't wait to dig into them over the next month and keep the eye-opening 2012 film season going on into the beginning of 2013. 

85th Academy Award nominations

I'm back.  Here's the complete list of today's nominations.  More commentary on the season to come on Wednesday.

http://oscar.go.com/nominees

Academy sets Oscar dates

Looks like things are getting earlier.  No objections here!

 Academy moves Oscar nominations even earlier to January 10

via In Contention