Okay, so I checked last year’s early predictions. I got 3/5 in three categories (Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Film Editing.) I also got 4/9 in Best Picture. I think overall, I did better than my first year. But let’s see how good I do this year!

BEST PICTURE

Big Eyes
Foxcatcher
Fury
Gone Girl
Inherent Vice
Interstellar
Into The Woods
Trash
Unbroken

One year in advance, it seems like ‘Gone Girl’ is our best picture frontrunner. A lot of people feel that David Fincher should have won for The Social Network, and since he’s adapting a well known book, he seems to be the early frontrunner.

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
David Ayer, Fury
Tim Burton, Big Eyes
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

Ditto what I said above.

BEST ACTOR

Chadwick Boseman, Get On Up
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Brad Pitt, Fury

There’s no clear frontrunner here. I guess I’ll vote for Steve Carell

BEST ACTRESS

Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Jennifer Garner, Men, Women, and Children
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Michelle Williams, Suite francaise
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

I can’t be the only one thinking that the Margaret Keane biopic will finally give Amy Adams a well-deserved Oscar.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, A Most Wanted Man
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Christolph Waltz, Big Eyes

After Hoffman’s tragic passing, will the Academy want give him a posthumous Oscar? Only time will tell.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anette Bening, The Search
Viola Davis, Get On Up
Anna Kendrick, Into The Woods
Rooney Mara, Trash
Meryl Streep, Into The Woods

Come on, everybody agrees that Viola Davis should have win for The Help. This should be a nice little makeup award. Unless Meryl beats her again.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Big Eyes
Birdman
Foxcatcher
Fury
Interstellar

Will this year be another case of Original Screenplay being stronger than Adapted. In all seriousness, Foxcatcher seems to be the baity type of film that wins. Also, The Lego Movie getting nominated here would be the coolest thing ever, but I’m pretty sure that it’s not going to happen.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Exodus
Gone Girl
Inherent Vice
Trash
Unbroken

If it wins Best Picture, I’d say it collects Adapted Screenplay up, too.

BEST FILM EDITING

Boyhood
Fury
Gone Girl
Interstellar
Unbroken

Same story here. Fincher’s films are known for their editing, anyway.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Big Eyes
Gone Girl
Interstellar
Knight Of Cups
Unbroken

For the past few years, Cinematography has gone to the Visual Effects winner. I see no reason that this year should be any different, unless Roger Deakins gets enough votes for Unbroken.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Big Eyes
Exodus
Fury
Into The Woods
Interstellar

Fun fact: No Tim Burton film nominated for Production Design has ever lost.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Big Eyes
Exodus
Into The Woods
Malificent
Suite française

Costume Design, on the other hand, is a little more flexible.

BEST MAKEUP

Fury
Into The Woods
Malificent

Into The Woods should display enough makeup to win here, unless the makeup branch does something stupid like last year.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Godzilla
The Hobbit: There And Back Again
Interstellar
Transformers: Age Of Extinction

With so many summer blockbusters this year, it seems insanely difficult to narrow them down to five measly nominees. Picking the winner, on the other hand, isn’t so difficult.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Big Eyes
Gone Girl
Interstellar
Inherent Vice
Unbroken

None of us have heard a note of music yet, so it’s hard to tell what the Academy will go for.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“???”, Annie
“Everything Is Awesome”, The Lego Movie
“???”, Into The Woods
“???”, Paddington
“???”, Muppets Most Wanted

Again, it’s kind of tricky to figure out what’s going to win. I guess I’ll go with Annie, as it supposedly will include some original songs from JayZ. Also, “Everything Is Awesome” could be this year’s “Happy”.

BEST SOUND EDITING

Fury
The Hobbit: There And Back Again
Interstellar
Noah
Transformers: Age Of Extinction

Interstellar will probably be a big contender in both sound categories.

BEST SOUND MIXING

Gone Girl
Fury
Interstellar
Into The Woods
Transformers: Age Of Extinction

Rarely is there ever a split in these categories.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
Home
How To Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie

I will be campaigning hard all year for this to come true.

THE LEGO MOVIE

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IN ALL CATEGORIES

INCLUDING BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

AND BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR.