The 87th Oscar nominees will be announced Thursday, January 15, and it’s time to predict which films will have a chance to be recognized with nominations.
A quick note: The following predictions are purely based on what films I think The Academy will nominate, not who they should nominate. While there are some films on this list that will likely receive nominations that I think deserve to be recognized, this is not a personal ballot and does not reflect my tastes and opinions on the films included.
Best Costume Design
2. Milena Canoner, The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Sammy Sheldon Differ, The Imitation Game
4. Jacqueline Durran, Mr. Turner
5. Ruth E. Carter, Selma
Fantasy films and period pieces traditionally do well in this category, and Colleen Atwood is an Oscar darling. Maleficent is another strong candidate for a nomination.
Dream nominee: It will never be considered for a nomination, but you’d be hard pressed to find better costume design this year than Denise Coombes’ fabulous work on God Help the Girl. The film is stylish, and its tone and themes wouldn’t work without the wonderful costumes.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
2. Foxcatcher
3. The Theory of Everything
The only category that traditionally gets three nominees instead of five, Best Makeup and Hairstyling can often feature films that don’t get much love elsewhere. So will likely be the case with Guardians of the Galaxy, a film that with Foxcatcher should be considered a frontrunner. The third slot is pretty much up for grabs with The Theory of Everything looking like it could follow in the footsteps of Dallas Buyers Club last year.
Dream nominee: I have to admit that I haven’t had the chance to see WolfCop yet, but this image proves that it deserves a nominee. (No, this didn’t make the Oscar shortlist.)
Best Production Design
2. Dennis Gassner & Anna Pinnock, Into the Woods
3. Suzie Davies & Charlotte Watts, Mr. Turner
4. Nathan Crowley, Garry Fettis & Paul Healy, Interstellar
5. Maria Djurkovic, The Imitation Game
Best Production Design can always be a tricky category to predict as there are several types of films that The Academy often nominates here. With its truly unique sets The Grand Budapest Hotel seems as safe of a bet as any, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it win the Oscar. Fantasy films like Alice in Wonderland have won before, so Into the Woods is also safe. Period pieces also typically fill up several of the nominations, and Mr. Turner and The Imitation Game are strong possibilities, though Unbroken, The Theory of Everything and Selma are strong possibilities too. Following the nominations of Life of Pi and Gravity, Interstellar is a strong candidate for a nomination.
Dream nominee: The best sets of the year without question belong to Snowpiercer. It’s a shame that The Weinstein Company isn’t campaigning for it (even a little bit), but it’s not a surprise given how it wasn’t given the wide release it deserved.
Best Sound Mixing
2. Into the Woods
3. Transformers: Age of Extinction
4. Get on Up
5. Birdman
The winner of the Best Sound Mixing Oscar has been a Best Picture nominee for the last six years, and that’s the biggest reason why American Sniper being a frontrunner in this category is great for its campaign to rack up a Best Picture nomination too. Musicals also do well in this category, and Into the Woods is pretty much a lock with Get on Up being a likely nomination too. All of the Transformers films have been nominated here, and it’s likely that Transformers: Age of Extinction will too. The fifth spot is hard to call. It could be The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Desolation of Smaug was nominated here last year), Fury, or Whiplash, but I’m guessing it will be Birdman after The Academy deemed the score ineligible.
Dream nominee: Nightcrawler was one of the most suspenseful films of the year, and its incredibly varied sound mix was a big factor in its success.
Best Sound Editing
2. Godzilla
3. Fury
4. Interstellar
5. Unbroken
Like Best Sound Mixing, American Sniper has a good shot to land a nomination for and win the Best Sound Editing Oscar. War films always do well here, and it’s a strong possibility it will be joined by Fury and Unbroken as nominees. Blockbusters also do well here, and Godzilla is a standout. Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies are other possibilities, though Interstellar should receive the nomination. Christopher Nolan’s films have won the Oscar multiple times, and even though the sound of the film has been contested, it’s more than possible the film will still get a nomination.
Dream nominee: I personally wasn’t as creeped out by The Babadook as most of its audience was, but it’s not hard to recognize that it had amazingly edited sound.
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.