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Fun Facts On The 10 Most Successful Oscar Winning Films

Early Oscar Predictions for the Best Picture Category

JamesArthurArmstrong JamesArthurArmstrong Award season isn't too far away and maybe its time we began to think about what films may be contenders at the Academy Awards in February.

Anderson's early runner

Early this year we where treated to Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel. It was a critical success and found its way atop many people's best films of 2014 (including ours) after the six month mark. The only thing that may hold Grand Budapest Hotel back may be its early release date. In years gone by, the Academy seldomly nominate movies that have been released so many months in advance. In our opinion, it shouldn't be held back for this reason alone. Academy Awards rules clearly state that a movie will be eligible for nomination if it is released between January and December of the given year and has a premiere in Los Angeles— both of which Grand Budapest Hotel can tick off. Lets hope such a minor technicality like that doesn't hold back this throughly eccentric and utterly engaging tale.

Wes Anderson and Ralph Fiennes behind the scenes in The Gran
Wes Anderson and Ralph Fiennes behind the scenes in The Grand Budapest Hotel

Richard Linklater's epic Boyhood was released mid-way through the year and to huge applause. It truly is one of the most impressive feats of filmmaking for quite some time. It seems a pretty safe bet that this movie will get its Best Picture nomination and deservedly so. It would also be Linklater's first Oscar nod of his career, signalling the rise of the independent veteran.

Birdman, which made a splash at the Venice Film Festival has been leading the way gathering the most nominations at other award ceremonies such as The Golden Globes. Interstellar by Christopher Nolan has seemingly fallen out of favour. After its strong release, mixed reaction from critics and audiences has left Nolan's epic space adventure being left in the cold with it looking like it'll only achieve nominations in technical categories.

The festival darlings

Other movies that have had positive feedback from festivals include The Imitation Game and Foxcatcher. After its London Film Festival premiere, Benedict Cumberbatch is now being tipped to be a contender for Best Actor for his role as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. The same can be said for Steve Carrell, who impressed critics at Cannes for his accomplished portrayal of John du Pont in Bennett Miller's dark, Foxcatcher.

Do you have any idea who I am? Steve Carell and Channing Tatum have a chat in Foxcatcher

David Fincher's Gone Girl was released to favourable reviews with a strong box office performance, although it doesn't quite feel as enduring as previous Fincher movies. Clint Eastwood's American Sniper is set for its worldwide release in the coming weeks. Its trailer gives an unnerving feel of grit. Eastwood has a good record for making Oscar worthy movies, and American Sniper feels like it may be another, but heavy competition may lead to it just missing out.

Angelina Jolie's Unbroken was released on Christmas Day to favourable reviews. It does seem to be the type of movie the Academy are drawn to, and it certainly wouldn't surprise us if it did nab a nomination. Having Angelina Jolie as the movies director, won't harm its cause either.

Selma looks at the civil rights marches that changed America. The topic of racism has been a fairly successful theme these past years. Theory of Everything looks at the life of Stephen Hawking, which lived up to be an interesting drama, although maybe it has too much of a romantic narrative at its core which may dampen opinions. Whiplash— the darling of the Sundance Film Festival— will hopefully find its feet with the general public after achieving almost flawless critical praise. As for outsiders, Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice could be a shock inclusion. Although word on the street, this mostly likely won't be an Oscar contender anymore. It has nothing to do with it not being entertaining, but mostly because the Academy won't have a clue what hit them. I'm sure P.T. Anderson will shed a tear when he (most likely) doesn't receive his Oscar nomination... I think not. Although, you can never predict what the Academy may do from one year to the next.

Like all prediction lists, there are a few of our nominees that could quite easily not find themselves with a nomination. Of course, a lot of things can change, and most of the time they do. We believe Selma, Theory of Everything, and Whiplash could be real dark horses. All three we expect to gain nominations with Whiplash possibly being the stronger of that three to challenge Birdman and Boyhood for the honour.

Joaquin Phoenix and Benicio Del Toro have a drink in Inheren
Joaquin Phoenix and Benicio Del Toro have a drink in Inherent Vice

If We Had to Name the Nominees Right Now;

Birdman

Boyhood

• Selma

The Theory of Everything

• Foxcatcher

• Unbroken

• The Imitation Game

Gone Girl

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Whiplash

Potential Party Spoilers;

• American Sniper

Interstellar

• Mr. Turner

Inherent Vice

With a few movies mentioned still to be released, one thing is for sure, these next few weeks will certainly begin to shape the 87th Academy Awards Best Picture race.

Posted in The Oscars,

JamesArthurArmstrong JamesArthurArmstrong

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