Here we go again.

The time when we could not help but pretending. We pretend we have watched all the nominated films. We pretend we know the taste of around 6,000 members of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), commonly known as Oscar voters, but for most of us, they’re known as, good God, “Oscar juries”. But hey, don’t we like to play God? And what better way for it than to guess who get the gold statue of naked man without penis holding a sword?

And this is also the time when every year we lament how lacklustre the current competition is.
“The films are mediocre compared to last year’s!”
“No ground breaking films!”
“Seriously, are these they can come up with?”

Every year, we hear those things. Every year, we go to the same routine of movies in a year: quiet season, early summer season, blockbuster summer season, early awards season, awards season. There is a great division between each one of them, particularly blockbuster summer vs awards season, that the films offered in each season are sure not to overlap one another. That is why we welcome the nominations of The Grand Budapest Hotel, released in March last year, with excitement. It gives hope that attention to awards can be stretched to any time of the year.

And speaking of attention, the point of this post is to share with you the somewhat safe prediction of who will take home Oscars this year:

– Best Picture: Birdman
– Best Director: Richard Linklater – Boyhood

– Lead Actor: Michael Keaton – Birdman
– Lead Actress: Julianne Moore – Still Alice
– Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
– Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood

Boogalo and Graham

– Adapted Screenplay: Whiplash – Written by Damien Chazelle
– Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel – Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness

– Editing: Boyhood – Sandra Adair
– Cinematography: Birdman – Emmanuel Lubezki
– Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel – Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
– Costume: The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero
– Makeup: The Grand Budapest Hotel – Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier

The Phone Call

– Visual Effects: Interstellar – Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
– Sound Mixing: Whiplash – Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
– Sound Editing: American Sniper – Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman

– Animated Feature: How to Train Your Dragon 2
– Documentary Feature: Citizenfour
– Foreign Language Film: Ida (Poland)

– Original Score: The Theory of Everything – Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
– Original Song: “Glory” from Selma (but isn’t it awesooommeee if the other song with the word “Awesome” wins?!)

And for shameless plug, do watch Oscar nominated Short Films in the upcoming The 3rd XXI Short Film Festival on March 18-22, 2015 in Epicentrum, Jakarta, because you watch Oscar nominated Short Films on big screen for free!
(How’s that for being breathless? And do follow @21shortfilm on Twitter for more detailed information about the 3rd XXI Short Film Festival! Yeap. The plug continues.)

– Short Documentary: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
– Short Animation: Feast
– Short Live Action: Parvaneh

Parvaneh

Alright, less than 24 hours to Oscar now!