BEST PICTURE
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Interstellar
Into the Woods
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken
The skinny: As always, we start with ten, even though there have been only nine nominees since the Academy rules changed. Boyhood seems like the frontrunner, but that’s because it’s the only one other than Grand Budapest that’s even been released.
BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
P.T. Anderson, Inherent Vice
Christopher Nolan, Interstellar
Angelina Jolie, Unbroken
The skinny: Again, Linklater’s the frontrunner, but doesn’t it seem like P.T. Anderson’s time?
BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
The skinny: We’d have four first-timers plus Joaquin, and that would be awesome. A win for Keaton would be especially sweet, considering he should have been nominated more than 25 years ago for Clean & Sober and Beetlejuice. Let’s go ahead and start pulling for Ellar Coltrane now.
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Jessica Chastain, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
The skinny: Meryl Streep is always a forgone conclusion, along with Amy Adams. Rosamund Pike and Jessica Chastain may cancel each other out since there will be room for only one missing woman.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
Albert Brooks, A Most Violent Year
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Channing Tatum, Foxcatcher
The skinny: Albert Brooks is just a dream at this point, because how do you not get nominated for Drive? And Tatum, fantastic though he is, will need a lot of support from Sony Pictures Classics to make it in.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Shohreh Aghdashloo, Rosewater
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
The skinny: As always in this category, especially this early: Your guess is as good as mine.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Gone Girl
Inherent Vice
Men, Women & Children
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken
The skinny: You heard it here first: Inherent Vice vs. Unbroken.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Interstellar
The skinny: Boyhood consolation price?
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The LEGO Movie
The skinny: The LEGO Movie is the frontrunner until it’s not.
Random Sure Things
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Visual Effects: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Best Sound Mixing: Into the Woods
Best Sound Editing: Godzilla
Best Original Song: Begin Again