Best Cinematography: Love the Ida inclusion…it’s beautifully shot. That being said, Birdman wins. The single take shot device is just too much to not recognize.

The Nominees: Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman), Robert D. Yeoman (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Ryszard Lenczweski, Lukasz Zal (Ida), Dick Pope (Mr. Turner), Roger Deakins (Unbroken)

Will Win: Emmanuel Lubezki

Could Win: Ryszard Lenczweski, Lukasz Zal

Should’ve Been Nominated: Bradford Young (Selma), Robert Elswit (Nightcrawler)

Best Costume Design: Into the Woods doesn’t work that well storywise, but I have to hand it to the costumes and wardrobes department. They’re very well done. Colleen Atwood is an Academy favorite with 3 wins and 11 nominations.

The Nominees: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Inherent Vice, Into the Woods, Maleficent, Mr. Turner

Will Win: Into the Woods

Could Win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Should’ve Been Nominated: Anushia Nieradzik (Belle), Alexandra Byrne (Guardians of the Galaxy)

Best Film Editing: Compiling and editing together twelve years worth of footage? Yep, Boyhood wins.

The Nominees: American Sniper, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Whiplash

Will Win: Boyhood

Could Win: Whiplash

Should’ve Been Nominated: Interstellar

Best Foreign Language Film: I’ve only seen two of these, so I’m not sure where to go. I believe the striking Ida will win.

The Nominees: Ida, Leviathan, Tangerines, Timbuktu, Wild Tales

Will Win: Ida

Could Win: Leviathan

Should’ve Been Nominated: Force Majeure, Two Days One Night, We Are the Best!

Best Documentary Feature: Again, another front runner was not even nominated. Steve James’ Life Itself is a fantastically moving tribute to Roger Ebert, and it’s the most widely seen doc of the year. Not nominating it makes this a category audiences will use for bathroom breaks.

The Nominees: CITIZENFOUR, Finding Vivian Maier, Last Days in Vietnam, The Salt of the Earth, Virunga

Will Win: CITIZENFOUR

Could Win: Finding Vivian Maier

Should’ve Been Nominated: Life Itself

Best Animated Feature: I didn’t fall head over heels for The LEGO Movie like everyone else, but visually it was still the best animated film of the year. There’s no reason for it to not be nominated.

The Nominees: Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song of the Sea, The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Will Win: How to Train Your Dragon 2

Could Win: Big Hero 6

Should’ve Been Nominated: The LEGO Movie

Best Adapted Screenplay: Whiplash should have been in the original category, but the Academy’s dumb regulations land it here, which might give it the better chance of winning. Still, I think they take the safe pick and go with The Imitation Game.

The Nominees: Jason Hall (American Sniper), Graham Moore (The Imitation Game), Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice), Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything), Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), 

Will Win: Graham Moore

Could Win: Damien Chazelle

Should’ve Been Nominated: Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (The Fault in Our Stars)

Best Original Screenplay: This category isn’t as strong as it might seem, and the actual best script probably is Nightcrawler. Birdman has been picking up a lot of steam recently, so it should win here.

The Nominees: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman (Foxcatcher), Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)

Will Win: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo

Could Win: Richard Linklater

Should’ve Been Nominated: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), Gillian Robespierre (Obvious Child), Paul Webb (Selma), A Most Violent Year (J.C. Chandor)

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