The 87th Oscars are this Sunday, February 22, and it’s time to predict which films will go home with Oscar gold.
A quick note: I’ve broken up the different Oscar categories into who I think will win, who I think could win, and who I want to win. The will win and could win predictions are purely based on what films I think The Academy will recognize, not who they should recognize. While there are some predicted winners on the list that would be my personal selections, my selection there does not reflect my tastes and opinions on the films included.
Best Costume Design
Could win: Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods
Should win: Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Period pieces and fantasy films typically do well in this category, and all five nominees this year definitely fit the bill. Any of the nominees could conceivably win, but The Grand Budapest Hotel or Into the Woods seem the most likely. Milena Canonero’s work The Grand Budapest seems the safest choice.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Could win: Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, Guardians of the Galaxy or Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, Foxcatcher
Should win: Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, Guardians of the Galaxy
Few categories are this close. Any of three nominees could win, but I’m guessing The Grand Budapest Hotel will take home the award. It’ll likely pick up several other awards, and that could be enough to push The Academy to award it this one too.
Best Production Design
Could win: Dennis Gassner (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration), Into the Woods
Should win: Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration), The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel is overwhelming favorite in this category, and that’s the way it should be.
Best Sound Mixing
Could win: John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin, American Sniper
Should win: Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley, Whiplash
War movies and music based movies always do well in the sound mixing category, and the winner is almost always a Best Picture nominee. That rules out Unbroken and Interstellar, and Birdman seems a less likely candidate than Whiplash or American Sniper. Which one will walk away with the award?
Truth be told it could be either, but I have a feeling The Academy will go with Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley’s work on Whiplash due to the fact that drumming is such a lead character and even voters who don’t know how to properly judge sound (and there are certainly many that fall into that category) will think about that, at least on a subconscious level.
Best Sound Editing
Could win: Richard King, Interstellar
Should win: Martin Hernández and Aaron Glascock, Birdman
This sound category too is a category where a Best Picture nominee is typically a precursor to victory. It’s unlikely that The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies or Unbroken would go against the odds, but it is possible that Interstellar could. However, it will most likely be Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman taking home this award for American Sniper.
Best Visual Effects
Could win: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Should win: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Three superhero movies – Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and X-Men: Days of Future Past – were nominated for Best Visual Effects, but it’s unlikely that any of them will take home this award. Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher look to be the likely winners for Interstellar, but it could and should be Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Often the category goes to a Best Picture nominee, but there aren’t any this year. Interstellar was probably the closest to receiving a nomination, at that might give it a leg up.
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