Final 87th Oscar Predictions

Will Boyhood win Best Picture? I'm not so sure.

The Oscars are Sunday, so here's my attempt at predicting the winners. Boyhood vs. Birdman has been the battle for weeks, and I've finally decided on one film. I've gone out on a limb for Birdman on the strength of its guild wins, but I won't be surprised if it only wins a couple of Oscars. The Grand Budapest Hotel looks like it will dominate the below-the-line categories, though I'm expecting the Academy will spread the love overall. Good luck to everyone else predicting the winners in this insane year!

Best Picture:

Will win: Birdman
Could win: Boyhood
Should win: Birdman

Best Director:

Will win: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Could win: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Should win: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman

Best Actor:

Will win: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Could win: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Should win: Michael Keaton, Birdman

Best Actress:

Will win: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Could win: Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Should win: Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night

Best Supporting Actor:

Will win: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Could win: Edward Norton, Birdman
Should win: Edward Norton, Birdman

Best Supporting Actress:

Will win: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Could win: Emma Stone, Birdman
Should win: Emma Stone, Birdman

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Will win: The Imitation Game
Could win: Whiplash
Should win: Inherent Vice

Best Original Screenplay:

Will win: Birdman
Could win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Should win: Birdman

Best Production Design:

Will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Could win: Into the Woods
Should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Cinematography:

Will win: Birdman
Could win: Mr. Turner
Should win: Birdman

Best Costume Design:

Will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Could win: Into the Woods
Should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Film Editing:

Will win: Whiplash
Could win: Boyhood
Should win: Whiplash

Best Original Score:

Will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Could win: The Theory of Everything
Should win: Interstellar

Best Original Song:

Will win: "Glory" from Selma
Could win: "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" from Glen Campbell...I'll Be Me
Should win: "Lost Stars" from Begin Again

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Could win: Guardians of the Galaxy
Should win: Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Sound Mixing:

Will win: Birdman
Could win: Whiplash
Should win: Interstellar

Best Sound Editing:

Will win: American Sniper
Could win: Birdman
Should win: Interstellar

Best Visual Effects:

Will win: Interstellar
Could win: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Should win: Interstellar

Best Animated Feature Film:

Will win: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Could win: Big Hero 6
Should win: The Boxtrolls*

*I haven't seen Song of the Sea or The Tale of Princess Kaguya.*

Best Documentary Feature Film:

Will win: Citizenfour
Could win: Last Days in Vietnam
Should win: Virunga*

*I haven't seen Finding Vivian Maier, Last Days in Vietnam, or The Salt of the Earth.*

Best Foreign Language Film:

Will win: Ida
Could win: Timbuktu
Should win: Ida*

*I haven't seen Leviathan, Tangerines, Timbuktu, or Wild Tales.*

Best Live-Action Short Film:

Will win: The Phone Call
Could win: Aya

Best Animated Short Film:

Will win: Feast
Could win: The Bigger Picture

Best Documentary Short Film:

Will win: Joanna
Could win: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Predicted Tally:

Birdman - 5
The Grand Budapest Hotel - 4
Whiplash - 2
American Sniper - 1
Boyhood - 1
Citizenfour - 1
Feast - 1
How to Train Your Dragon 2 - 1
Ida - 1
The Imitation Game - 1
Interstellar - 1
Joanna - 1
The Phone Call - 1
Selma - 1
Still Alice - 1
The Theory of Everything - 1

The Oscars will be presented live on ABC this Sunday, Feb. 22.