And the winner is…! (insert catchy “did you wake up early” intro here)

Well, for now I’m giving everything to Birdman until I’m able to watch films like Foxcatcher and The Imitation Game. While I’m not especially high on Boyhood and expect Whiplash to get some attention, it seems like Alejandro González Iñárritu’s collaboration with Michael Keaton is THAT Hollywood film of the season; a relatively young and innovative director highlighting the theatre (pronounced “thee-ay-tah”) and an 80s movie star.

I’ll give my predictions once again on January 9th (the Friday before the awards), which will probably be more focused on The Theory of Everything with a small dose of Foxcatcher. For now, EVERYBODY should watch the Polish film Ida. Below are my early predictions.

Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Boyhood”
“Foxcatcher”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”

WINNER: “Boyhood” (by default)

Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
“Birdman”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Into the Woods”
“Pride”
“St. Vincent”

WINNER: “Birdman”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Imitation Game”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Nightcrawler”
David Oyelowo, “Selma
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

WINNER: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Jennifer Aniston, “Cake”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

WINNER: Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Amy Adams, “Big Eyes”
Emily Blunt, “Into the Woods”
Hellen Mirren, “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
Julianne Moore, “Map to the Stars”
Quvenzhane Wallis – “Annie”

WINNER: Julianne Moore

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Ralph Fiennes, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Bill Murray, “St. Vincent”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Inherent Vice”
Christoph Waltz, “Big Eyes”

WINNER: Michael Keaton, “Birdman”

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Jessica Chastain, “A Most Violent Year”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

WINNER: Jessica Chastain, “A Most Violent Year”

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

WINNER: J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Best Director – Motion Picture
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Avu Duvernay, “Selma”
David Fincher, “Gone Girl”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood

WINNER: Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“Gone Girl”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”

WINNER: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Best Animated Feature Film
“Big Hero 6”
“The Book Of Life”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How To Train Your Dragon 2”
“The LEGO Movie”

WINNER: “The LEGO Movie”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Force Majure” – Sweden
“Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem” – Israel
“Ida” – Poland
“Leviathan” – Russian
“Tangerines” – Estonia Georgia

WINNER: “Ida” – Poland

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Big Eyes” – “Big Eyes” – Music and Lyrics by: Lana Del Rey
“Glory” – “Selma” – Music and Lyrics by: John Legend, Common
“Mercy Is” – “Noah” – Music and Lyrics by: Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye
“Opportunity” – “Annie” – Music and Lyrics by: Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, Will Gluck
“Yellow Flicker Beat” – “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1” Music and Lyrics by: Lorde

WINNER: “Glory” – “Selma” – Music and Lyrics by: John Legend, Common

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
“Birdman”
“Gone Girl”
“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
“The Theory of Everything”

WINNER: “Interstellar”

Q.V. Hough is on Twitter