Best Visual Effects
Oscar Nominations:
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Interstellar
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
Snubs: The design work on Godzilla was so brilliant that it at least deserved some form of credit. But alas, as we'll later find out, Godzilla came out with the short straw. The same goes with Edge of Tomorrow
Surprises: X-Men was quite a shock, considering that this sequel did very little new and innovative. Meanwhile Captain America in its sole category managed to impress the Academy more than me - a first!
Who Should Win? Dawn of the Planet of the Apes/Guardians of the Galaxy/Interstellar
Who Will Win? Dawn of the Planet of the Apes/Interstellar
Best Original Song
Oscar Nominations:
- Everything is Awesome! - The LEGO Movie
- Glory - Selma
- Grateful - Beyond the Lights
- Glenn Campbell - I'll Be Me
- Lost Stars - Begin Again
Snubs: By comparison to my list, it is surprising that no song from Muppets Most Wanted made it onto the list, with critics applauding the songs earlier on in the year and being the highlight of the entire film. Perhaps because of the 2012 win for Man or Muppet meant that a second win would be unrecommended - or that none of the Academy actually saw it. Also, Frank didn't get a single nomination here, despite its large array of tunes. Odd.
Surprises: Both Beyond the Lights and I'll Be Me are virtually unknown to the general public, with small box office grosses to their names. Beyond the Lights does make sense with the whole film focussed on Gugu Mbatha-Raw's singer, but documentary I'll Be Me is an oddity. Is it an original song?
Who Should Win? Everything is Awesome, because it's excellent
Who Will Win? Lost Stars - Seems more plausible
Best Editing
Oscar Nominations:
Snubs: There was some great editing throughout the year, sadly overlooked to fill the 5 spots available. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Interstellar are the biggest snubs, as both were done so brilliantly that they deserved at least a honourable mention.
Surprises: American Sniper came out of nowhere today, with this being the first of many nominations. I haven't seen it yet, nor Whiplash (they're released in the UK tomorrow, so good timing), so they may turn out to be great. Well, apparently they are.
Who Should Win? Boyhood
Who Will Win? Boyhood
Best Sound Editing
Oscar Nominations:
- American Sniper
- Birdman
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Interstellar
- Unbroken
Snubs: Although unlikely, The LEGO Movie should also have made an impact here due to how creative it was.
Surprises: I didn't find much interesting sound-wise for The Hobbit, as it sounded incredibly repetitive after mere minutes of battling. So an odd choice, but maybe they wanted to give the final Tolkien film a mention.
Who Should Win? Interstellar
Who Will Win? Birdman
Best Sound Editing
Oscar Nominations:
- American Sniper
- Birdman
- Interstellar
- Unbroken
- Whiplash
Snubs: In a category very similar to the previous, there are few differences aside from a swap with The Hobbit for Whiplash. As such, it suffers the same snubs.
Surprises: Being practically identical to the previous kinda helps here
Who Should Win? Interstellar
Who Will Win? Whiplash
Best Animated Feature
Oscar Nominations:
- Big Hero 6
- The Boxtrolls
- How to Train Your Dragon 2
- Song of the Sea
- The Tale of Princess Kaguya
Snubs: You all know what I'm going to say here - The LEGO Movie was an easy win here. It was a frontrunner all year, got a Golden Globe nom (and controversially lost) and now has been overlooked completely here. Why?! If it was for the human segment, then surely 2006's Happy Feet - which ended up winning - would disqualified? It makes very little sense, and was probably just avoided by voters like the category usually does.
Surprises: Aside from the foreign additions this year, there isn't that much surprising here aside from the clear snub.
Who Should Win? The LEGO Movie
Who Will Win? How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Supporting Actor
Oscar Nominations
- Robert Duvall - The Judge
- Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
- Edward Norton - Birdman
- Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher
- JK Simmons - Whiplash
Snubs: This is a mainly strong selection of choices, but perhaps they ought to have left some room for Toby Kebbell or Michael Fassbender for their roles in Dawn and Frank? Both were very strong, and could have replaced Duvall and Ruffalo.
Surprises: Duvall is the big surprise, coming out of a film with little praise and recognition with all the big headlines. He's now the oldest actor to be nominated in this category, so kudos to him.
Who Should Win? JK Simmons - Whiplash
Who Will Win? JK Simmons - Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress
Oscar Nominations:
- Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
- Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game
- Emma Stone - Birdman
- Meryl Streep - Into the Woods
- Laura Dern - Wild
Snubs: I had trouble coming up with my own personal nominations, so I can't think of anyone who missed out here.
Surprises: Another nomination for Meryl Streep?! I know she was good in the film but enough for an award? As for Laura Dern, there has been some praise for her role (the film comes out in the UK tomorrow) but I didn't think there would be this much appeal to her.
Who Should Win? Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
Who Will Win? Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
Best Make Up and Hairstyling
Oscar Nominations:
- Foxcatcher
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Guardians of the Galaxy
Snubs: Oddly enough, I feel like Maleficent should have garnered a nod here - but with the limited spots the pass may be reasonable.
Surprises: Grand Budapest Hotel actually got a nomination here. I voted for it in my Best of 2014 but never imagined it would actually turn up in the final show.
Who Should Win? Guardians of the Galaxy
Who Will Win? Guardians of the Galaxy/Foxcatcher/The Grand Budapest Hotel (it's a tough call)
Best Costume Design
Oscar Nominations:
- Into the Woods
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Maleficent
- Inherent Vice
- Mr Turner
Snubs: It seems that period pieces aren't always given an instant vote, as Belle failed to gain any nominations, especially for this area where it should have strived. Perhaps Edge of Tomorrow and Guardians of the Galaxy should have also gained a nomination here.
Surprises: Inherent Vice and Mr Turner both turn up here after being avoided in other areas of the awards. 70s clothing may be agiven following American Hustle last year, but a huge surprise for Mr Turner.
Who Should Win? The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who Will Win? Into the Woods
Best Production Design
Oscar Nominations:
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- The Imitation Game
- Interstellar
- Into the Woods
- Mr Turner
Snubs: Both Maleficent and personal winner The LEGO Movie fail to materialise here as they get switched for Woods and Turner. Great choices, but better suited to these two.
Surprises: Turner here...again. It'll become a pattern.
Who Should Win? The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who Will Win? Into the Woods/The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cinematography
Oscar Nominations:
- Unbroken
- Mr Turner
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Ida
- Birdman
Snubs: This is where a number for the big budget films deserve a nomination but fail to do so, as nearly every film I nominated fail to gain a nomination. A grand mistake.
Surprises: Aside from the "Dick Poop" affair for Mr Turner - itself a surprise again - it's impressive that Ida managed to gain a nomination here. English-speaking films don't have all the fun!
Who Should Win? Birdman
Who Will Win? Birdman
Best Adapted Screenplay
Oscar Nominations:
- The Imitation Game
- The Theory of Everything
- Whiplash
- American Sniper
- Inherent Vice
Snubs: So much for all that praise for Gone Girl, a stellar telling of the original book that failed a nomination here. Also surprising that The Fault in Our Stars didn't get a nod here, but maybe it's understandable (it wasn't that good)
Surprises: American Sniper and Inherent Vice turn up here - I haven't seen either but it gives me high expectations
Who Should Win? The Theory of Everything
Who Will Win? The Theory of Everything/Whiplash
Best Original Screenplay
Oscar Nominations:
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Birdman
- Boyhood
- Nightcrawler
- Foxcatcher
Snubs: I feel like Interstellar was worthy of some praise here. Yes the love storyline is a little forced, but there was still a lot of ingenuity involved, so avoiding it is disappointing.
Surprises: I didn't think Foxcatcher would be eligible here seeing as it was based on a true story (must have been a loose retelling), and it's great to see Nightcrawler turn up after being shut out in a a number of categories.
Who Should Win? The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who Will Win? Birdman
Best Original Score
Oscar Nominations:
- The Theory of Everything
- The Imitation Game
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Interstellar
- Mr Turner
Snubs: It has been a great year for scores, so it was always difficult to include all of the greats. If a choice had to be made, Guardians and LEGO should have earned a nomination here.
Surprises: Mr Turner again! Alas in just the behind the scenes awards, and will unlikely win any sadly, but it's great to see some praise for this often-overlooked film. Also, after being shut out in many award ceremonies, Grand Budapest finally turns up for possibly its most deserving award.
Who Should Win? The Grand Budapest Hotel
Who Will Win? The Theory of Everything
Best Director
Oscar Nominations:
- Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Morten Tyldum - The Imitation Game
- Bennett Miller - Foxcatcher
- Alejandro González Inñárritu - Birdman
- Richard Linklater - Boyhood
Snubs: Once again, Christopher Nolan fails to impress the Academy (don't worry Nolan, you won one of my awards!) and the mainstream is avoided for the sake of artsy stuff. Nothing wrong with it, but some odd choices. Plus, poor Selma has been passed upon to the dismay of everyone.
Surprises: Both Tyldum and Miller are interesting choices; Tyldum's direction was great but not award-worthy, whereas Miller's was too amateurish for my own tastes.
Who Should Win? Wes Anderson/Alejandro González Inñárritu
Who Will Win? Alejandro González Inñárritu/Richard Linklater
Best Actress
Oscar Nominations:
- Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything
- Julianne Moore - Still Alice
- Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
- Reese Witherspoon - Wild
- Marion Cotillard - Two Nights, One Day
Snubs: Poor Gugu Mbatha-Raw! Her strong performance in Belle failed to gather attention, as sadly she and her film get pushed to one side.
Surprises: Marion Cotillard was a huge shock, as it wasn't at all expected at all (most assumed Jennifer Aniston would win fore Cake), whilst it's wonderful that Pike and Jones both made a mark here.
Who Should Win? Felicity Jones/Rosamund Pike
Who Will Win? Julianne Moore
Best Actor
Oscar Nominations:
- Steve Carell - Foxcatcher
- Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game
- Bradley Cooper - American Sniper
- Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything
- Michael Keaton - Birdman
Snubs: Oh boy, what a list we have here! Andy Serkis, Ralph Fiennes, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Oyelowo, Timothy Spall - all deserving of a spot here and with nothing to show for it!
Surprises: Bradley Cooper is the biggest shock, earning his third nomination in a row following Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle (note to Cooper: keep playing Americans, they seem to love it), whilst Carell is a welcome surprise for his career turn.
Who Should Win? Eddie Redmayne/Michael Keaton
Who Will Win? Eddie Redmayne/Michael Keaton
Best Picture
Oscar Nominations:
- Boyhood
- The Imitation Game
- Selma
- The Theory of Everything
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Birdman
- American Sniper
- Whiplash
Snubs: For a category that's open for 10 films, it's odd that only 8 were chosen. Many were expecting Wild and Foxcatcher to turn up and possibly Into the Woods, but unfortunately not they failed to do so.
Surprises: American Sniper again here, as the rest are entirely understandable choices.
Who Should Win? Boyhood/The Imitation Game/The Theory of Everything/The Grand Budapest Hotel/Birdman/Whiplash(?)
Who Will Win? Boyhood/Birdman
And there we have it! A slightly controversial selection this year - poor LEGO Movie! - but some stellar choices have been made. Add the fact I have seen 5 of the 8 Best Picture nominees so far (American Sniper and Whiplash are out tomorrow whereas Selma has to wait until February for a viewing) does mean that I have a good idea of what may win in the final ceremony. But here's to good luck to all the nominees (and a little gift for The LEGO Movie, you poor thing)
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