87th Academy Awards: Predictions

I haven't been covering awards season as extensively as before - the last one was in 2011 - but I figured it would be appropriate, but foolishly try to predict the results of the upcoming Academy Awards.

Though there are a couple of safe bets this year, there are still a few wildcard and tricky categories. I've put on my prognosticating cap and compiled a list for major categories of who and what I think should and will win.

Let's get it on!

With The LEGO Movie out of contention - and yet, here I am stubbornly including it in the list. Haha - I would love to see Big Hero 6 win this category. But with no other way to gauge this one and an upset pulled by How To Train Your Dragon 2 over The LEGO Movie and Big Hero 6 in last month's Golden Globes, I'd say it's Toothless and Hiccup's competition to lose. I'll be happy to be wrong though.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Big Hero 6
WHO WILL WIN: How To Train Your Dragon 2

At this point, nothing can stop Patricia Arquette from winning Best Supporting Actress. Nothing. Emma Stone and Laura Dern were great, but they should already take their nomination as their awards this year.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Patricia Arquette

WHO WILL WIN: Patricia Arquette

Having won every major precursor award and this being his first Oscar nomination, JK Simmons is already a lock for this category. The only people standing in his way are the Hulks, Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo, but I don't think they can pull an upset.

WHO SHOULD WIN: JK Simmons

WHO WILL WIN: JK Simmons

I have adored Rosamund Pike's intoxicating work on Gone Girl that I even ranked her as DAM NATION's best movie performance of 2014, but there's no way she can beat Julianne Moore's powerful, yet more "accessible" performance. Add to that the fact that Moore has been nominated four times before without even winning, the accolades are long overdue for her. Felicity Jones will have her time - not this year though.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Julianne Moore

WHO WILL WIN: Julianne Moore

Finally, some competition! In one corner you have Eddie Redmayne, the heart of The Theory of Everything, and an underdog as a relatively new actor in the mix. In the other corner you have Michael Keaton, an established actor who's making a huge comeback with Birdman. And then there's Jake Gyllenhaal who's outstanding as Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler and not even nominated. While Keaton seemed like the early favorite with a Golden Globe win and most of the film critic awards, the tide turned toward Redmayne when he won the Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA beating Keaton. This one's close.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Michael Keaton
WHO WILL WIN: Eddie Redmayne

It's a two-way battle between Alejandro Iñárritu and Richard Linklater. I needed a third one, so I included Wes Anderson in the mix, but that's already a long shot. But really, it's a toss up between the directors of Boyhood and Birdman. Linklater won at the BAFTA and the Golden Globes, while Iñárritu won his craft’s own award, from the Directors Guild. This one is tricky.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Alejandro Iñárritu
WHO WILL WIN: Alejandro Iñárritu

Usually, whoever wins Best Director gets the Best Picture, but just like the past two years, the winner of the Best Director will probably not get the Best Picture prize. If the Academy gives Iñárritu the award for his directorial job for Birdman, Boyhood will win Best Picture and vice versa. I maybe wrong, but since both films were exemplary, they at least have to have one, right? I just threw The Imitation Game as a third, but far option.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Boyhood
WHO WILL WIN: Boyhood