zwolanerd

I haven’t done so well this year as far as seeing the Oscar nominees goes. I had good intentions for some of these, but it’s way more fun to watch big budget spectacles on the big screen and see the thought-provoking dramas at home. That isn’t to say I won’t go see dramas on the big screen, I’m just more likely to go see BIG movies. Sorry, movies, that’s just how I roll. As it turns out, I’ve only seen two of the movies in the list below: American Sniper and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

But regardless of how many of these I’ve seen, I have (somewhat informed) opinions on what I think will win. Often that’s different that what I hope will win, but I’m used to that.

So ahead of the Oscar broadcast this Sunday, I thought I’d share my picks for the major categories (and by “picks” I mean “hopes”) by bolding them:

Best Picture

“American Sniper”
“Birdman” – I’m really driven to wanting this movie to do well, and it has everything to do with Michael Keaton being Batman for two movies.
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”

Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carell – “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper – “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton – “Birdman” or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Again, I really want him to win.
Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything”

Actress in a Leading Role

Marion Cotillard – “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones – “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore – “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon – “Wild”

Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Duvall – “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke – “Boyhood”
Edward Norton – “Birdman” or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Mark Ruffalo – “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash” – Listen, he shoulda got an Oscar for playing J. Jonah Jameson, so this is long overdue.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette – “Boyhood”
Laura Dern – “Wild”
Keira Knightley – “The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone – “Birdman” or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – She’s just awesome in general, and the more Birdman wins, the better, right?
Meryl Streep – “Into the Woods”

Adapted Screenplay

“American Sniper” Written by Jason Hall
“The Imitation Game” Written by Graham Moore
“Inherent Vice” Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Theory of Everything” Screenplay by Anthony McCarten
“Whiplash” Written by Damien Chazelle

Original Screenplay

“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
“Boyhood” Written by Richard Linklater
“Foxcatcher” Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
“Nightcrawler” Written by Dan Gilroy

Director

“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” – Alejandro G. Iñárritu
“Boyhood” – Richard Linklater
“Foxcatcher” – Bennett Miller
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Wes Anderson – It’s high time Wes Anderson gets an Oscar, folks, and this movie was beautifully done.
“The Imitation Game” – Morten Tyldum

Tags: Oscars

Written by: Mark