SPECIAL: Oscar Nominations

I have used this blog exclusively for writing one piece a day, every single day for the past few months. Writing is what I do.

But my formation and my love reside in the world of cinema. I studied to be a screenwriter and that’s what I am, first and foremost.

So today I embrace a yearly tradition I have of predicting the nominees for the Academy Awards, as I’ve done for many years. Hope you like movies too and let’s see how I do tomorrow morning.

Nominations will be announced tomorrow at 5:30 AM (LA time). Let me know what you think of my predictions. Which movies did you like most in 2014?

Oscar Nominations Predictions

(Categories in alphabetical order)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
David Oyelowo (Selma)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Runner-up: Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Josh Brolin (Inherent Vice)
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
Edward Norton (Birdman)
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Runner-up: Christoph Waltz (Big Eyes)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Jennifer Aniston (Cake)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Runner-up: Marion Cotillard: Deux jours, une nuit (Two Days, One Night)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)
Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)

Runner-up: René Russo (Nightcrawler)

Best Animated Feature Film

Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How To Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie
The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Runner-up: Cheatin’

Best Animated Short Film

The Bigger Picture
Coda
Feast
Me and My Moulton
The Numberlys

Runner-up: The Damkeeper

Best Cinematography

Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Interstellar
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken

Runner-up: Mr. Turner

Best Costume Design

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner
Selma

Runner-up: The Theory of Everything

Best Director

Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
David Fincher (Gone Girl)
Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)
Ava DuVernay (Selma)

Runner-up: Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Documentary (Feature)

Citizenfour
Last Days in Vietnam
Life Itself
The Overnighters
Virunga

Runner-up: Jodorowsky’s Dune

Best Documentary (Short)

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
The Lion’s Mouth
The Reaper
White Earth

Runner-up: Klatwa

Best Film Editing

Birdman
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game

Runner-up: Whiplash

Best Foreign Language Film

Wild Tales (Argentina)
Timbuktu (Mauritania)
Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Force Majeure (Sweden)

Runner-up: Tangerines (Estonia)

Best Make Up & Hairstyling

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Theory of Everything

Runner-up: Foxcatcher

Best Original Score

Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
The Theory of Everything

Runner-up: The Homesman

Best Original Song

“Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie
“Glory” from Selma
“Lost Stars” from Begin Again
“Mercy is” from Noah
“Yellow Flicker Beat” from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Runner-up: “Split the difference” from Boyhood

Best Picture

Birdman
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Nightcrawler
Selma
The Theory of Everything

Runner-up: Whiplash

Best Production Design

Big Eyes
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner

Runner-up: Maleficent

Best Screenplay (Adapted)

Gone Girl
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Wild

Runner-up: Whiplash

Best Screenplay (Original)

A Most Violent Year
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

Runner-up: Selma

Best Short Film

Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
The Phone Call
SLR

Runner-up: Baghdad Messi

Best Sound Editing

American Sniper
Fury
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar

Runner-up: Birdman

Best Sound Mixing

American Sniper
Birdman
Get On Up
Into the Woods
Transformers: Age of Extinction

Runner-up: Interstellar

Best Visual Effects

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar

Runner-up: X-Men: Days of Future Past

TOTAL

Birdman / The Imitation Game = 9

The Grand Budapest Hotel = 8

The Theory of Everything = 7

Boyhood / Gone Girl = 6

Selma = 5

Interstellar / Into the Woods = 4

Guardians of the Galaxy = 3 / Nightcrawler = 3

American Sniper / A Most Violent Year / Godzilla / Inherent Vice / The Lego Movie /

 Mr. Turner / Wild = 2

All other films mentioned would get one nomination each.