Well, the time is almost upon us. Ballots were finally turned in yesterday and we have one of the more interesting Oscar races that we’ve had in a while. This makes for some wonderful television but as far as predictions go, it’s like point and pick. I’ve never felt so unsure about my choices for Oscar predictions and am fully prepared to do terribly. But that’s the fun of doing these, isn’t it? Here are my final predictions.

Best Picture

  1. Boyhood
  2. Birdman
  3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  4. The Imitation Game
  5. American Sniper
  6. The Theory of Everything
  7. Selma
  8. Whiplash

This is the only category where I’m going against every thing that I should probably listen to. Birdman winning the PGA, SAG, and DGA awards have basically set the sail for its Oscar ship but there’s just something about Boyhood and its journey to the stage that I have a feeling will win over the Oscar voters.

Best Director

  1. Richard Linklater, Boyhood
  2. Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Birdman
  3. Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
  4. Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
  5. Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

Best Actor

  1. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
  2. Michael Keaton, Birdman
  3. Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
  4. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
  5. Steve Carell, Foxcatcher

Best Actress

  1. Julianne Moore, Still Alice
  2. Reese Witherspoon, Wild
  3. Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
  4. Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
  5. Rosemund Pike, Gone Girl

Best Supporting Actress

  1. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
  2. Emma Stone, Birdman
  3. Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
  4. Kiera Knightley, The Imitation Game
  5. Laura Dern, Wild

Best Supporting Actor

  1. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
  2. Edward Norton, Birdman
  3. Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
  4. Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
  5. Robert Duvall, The Judge

Best Original Screenplay

  1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  2. Birdman
  3. Boyhood
  4. Foxcatcher
  5. Nightcrawler

Best Adapted Screenplay

  1. The Imitation Game
  2. The Theory of Everything
  3. American Sniper
  4. Whiplash
  5. Inherent Vice

Best Animated Feature

  1. How to Train Your Dragon 2
  2. Big Hero 6
  3. The Boxtrolls
  4. The Tale of Princess Kaguya
  5. Song of the Sea

Film Editing

  1. Boyhood
  2. American Sniper
  3. Whiplash
  4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  5. The Imitation Game

Production Design

  1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  2. Into the Woods
  3. Unbroken
  4. Interstellar
  5. The Imitation Game

Cinematography

  1. Birdman
  2. Unbroken
  3. Mr. Turner
  4. Ida
  5. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Costume Design

  1. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  2. Into the Woods
  3. Mr. Turner
  4. Maleficent
  5. Inherent Vice

Makeup and Hairstyling

  1. Guardians of the Galaxy
  2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  3. Foxcatcher

Visual Effects

  1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  2. Interstellar
  3. Guardians of the Galaxy
  4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
  5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Sound Editing

  1. American Sniper
  2. Birdman
  3. Interstellar
  4. Unbroken
  5. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

Sound Mixing

  1. American Sniper
  2. Whiplash
  3. Birdman
  4. Interstellar
  5. Unbroken

Original Score

  1. The Theory of Everything
  2. The Imitation Game
  3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  4. Interstellar
  5. Mr. Turner

Original Song

  1. “Glory” – Selma
  2. “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” – Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
  3. “Lost Stars” – Begin Again
  4. “Grateful” – Beyond the Lights
  5. “Everything is Awesome” – The LEGO Movie

Documentary Feature

  1. Citizenfour
  2. Virunga
  3. Finding Vivian Maier
  4. The Salt of the Earth
  5. Last Days in Vietnam

Foreign Language Film

  1. Ida
  2. Wild Tales
  3. Leviathan
  4. Tangerines
  5. Timbuktu

Documentary Short

  1. Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
  2. Joanna
  3. Our Curse
  4. The Reaper (La Parka)
  5. White Earth

Animated Short

  1. Feast
  2. The Dam Keeper
  3. The Bigger Picture
  4. Me and My Moulton
  5. A Single Life

Live Action Short

  1. Parvaneh
  2. The Phone Call
  3. Aya
  4. Boogaloo and Graham
  5. Butter Lamp