The 87th Oscar awards will take place Sunday, Feb. 22. Nominations have been released, and so begins the guessing game of who will win. As the NWN Reviews editor and movie buff, I have taken the time to study all of the movies in order to predict which movie will most likely win out of the main categories of nominees.

The Categories: All movies are put in order of what I believe are most likely to win. That doesn’t mean it is the one that I want to win, it’s the one that I am realistically predicting will win.

Best Picture:

American Sniper – Predicted Winner

Boyhood

Selma

Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

The Imitation Game

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

I think American Sniper will win because it not only shows you what a sniper does but the process of being a sniper and the moral conflict that goes with it. Boyhood is a close second due to its realism. It connects with many peoples experiences about growing up and the unique time frame of the project, 12 years to be exact, makes it all the more relatable. Selma is third but it deserves first. I am putting it as third because I know, based off the fact that none of the cast members or director were nominated in the other categories, that Selma will not win. And yes, it is based on the content of the movie, which is race. All of the movies nominated for Best Picture have male leads. Not to say that the Oscars are misogynistic, but where are the ladies?

Actor In A Leading Role:

Bradley Cooper – American Sniper – Predicted Winner

Michael Keaton – Birdman

Steve Carell – Foxcatcher

Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game

If American Sniper can win best picture you can be almost positive that Cooper will win actor in a leading role. Also have to question why David Oyelowo wasn’t nominated for his role as Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma, because in my view he did a much better job as an actor than Bradley Cooper. I guess white was the trend this year.

Actress In A Leading Role:

Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl – Predicted Winner

Julianne Moore – Still Alice

Reese Witherspoon – Wild

Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night

Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything

Actor In A Supporting Role:

J.K. Simmons – Whiplash – Predicted Winner

Robert Duvall – The Judge

Ethan Hawke – Boyhood

Edward Norton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher

Actress In A Supporting Role:

Meryl Streep – Into The Woods – Predicted Winner

Emma Stone – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood

Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game

Laura Dern – Wild

Animated Feature Film:

Big Hero 6 – Predicted Winner

How to Train Your Dragon 2

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The Boxtrolls

Song of the Sea

Based on the history of voting and how last year we learned that hardly anyone that voted in the academy even watched the animated movies, I’m going to say Big Hero 6 will probably win because of its recent popularity.

Do you agree with all the predictions? Feel free to comment your opinions below.