Yidio's 2015 Oscar Winner Predictions: Who Will Win?

It's almost Oscar time!

This Sunday, Neil Patrick Harris will take the stage at what used to be the Kodak Theater to host The Academy Awards, and by the end of the long, long show we'll know which were the best movies, actors, directors and other creatives in Hollywood of the year.

That is to say, we'll know whom the Academy chose.

So, who will likely win on Sunday? We'll tell you in our list of official Yidio predictions below. As a bonus, we'll also tell you who should win, because inevitably the Oscars get everything wrong.

BEST PICTURE

Who will win: "Boyhood"
Who should win: "Birdman"

This race is perhaps the closest in the entire field. "Boyhood" has the edge only because of previous wins, but "Birdman" has been building momentum while "Boyhood" has been losing it. The most damning evidence against "Boyhood" is the DGA win for Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who directed "Birdman." Very often, the winner of the DGA predicts the Best Picture winner...but not always.

One could even argue for "American Sniper" as the winner here, as the movie made big money at the box office and gained a lot of buzz and momentum. However, the Oscars are not often swayed by box office popularity, and the voters are even less likely to vote for movies that are new, unique and boundary-pushing. That's why we think "Birdman" and "American Sniper" will fall to "Boyhood."

BEST DIRECTOR

Who will win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Who should win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

We know, we know. "Boyhood" as Best Picture and but no Richard Linklater for Best Director? Yes, this is crazy. However, Iñárritu won at the DGAs and the awards have only differed three times in the last 12 years. We also think that the Academy is more likely to award a director for technical ability and originality than a film...so while Iñárritu should win here, it's still possible that the sentimentality and 12-year scope of "Boyhood" still gives it Best Picture.

Think of it as a hedge bet...you're likely to get one of these two right, and one guaranteed point is better than the possibility of zero.

BEST ACTOR

Who will win: Eddie Redmayne
Who should win: Eddie Redmayne

Though Michael Keaton was a favorite early on, it's been Redmayne who has taken home awards at every show when the two actors have been in the same category. Deservedly so: Keaton was great, but Redmayne's portrayal of Stephen Hawking as he succumbed to the symptoms of ALS was spot-on and looked to be very physically demanding to boot.

BEST ACTRESS

Who will win: Julianne Moore
Who should win: Julianne Moore

Moore may be rubber-stamped a bit here for all of her other nominations, but if there was one year where she deserved to win, it's this one. Her portrayal of a linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's is stunning.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Who will win: J.K. Simmons
Who should win: J.K. Simmons

J.K. Simmons was amazing in "Whiplash." J.K. Simmons has won just about every award out there for supporting actors for this role. J.K. Simmons also played J. Jonah Jameson in the "Spider-Man" movies and was one of the best things about "Juno." J.K. Simmons is awesome.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Who will win: Patricia Arquette
Who should win: Emma Stone

Patricia Arquette has this thing locked down about as tightly as Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne, so don't expect any surprises here. But Emma Stone's performance in "Birdman" had layers and levels, and it played against her usual type. She was mesmerizing, and not just because of those big blue eyes.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Who will win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Who should win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Upon first viewing, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" seems like just another Wes Anderson movie. But if you watch it again, you'll see that the charm here isn't superficial, even though most of the scenery has a two-dimensional quality to it. There's wit here that rivals any other Anderson movie and characters that have Wes Anderson quirks, but in the best way possible. "Nightcrawler" was a fascinating piece, but the charm of "Grand Budapest" is just too much to pass on.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Who will win: "The Imitation Game"
Who should win: "Whiplash"

"The Imitation Game" has been the favorite thus far, and won at the WGA awards, so expect a win for it here. However, we hesitate to give credit to period biopics, especially when something as gripping as "Whiplash" is in the race.

BEST FOREIGN FILM

Who will win: "Leviathan"
Who should win: "Leviathan"

"Leviathan" has already won at the Golden Globes, and considering how its story (about corruption in Russian government and society) remains very relevant, the movie is likely to ride on its continued buzz to another trophy. However, watch out for "Ida," which could sneak up for a win.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Who will win: "How to Train Your Dragon 2"
Who should win: "The LEGO Movie"

Yes, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" will win. And yes, "The LEGO Movie" wasn't even nominated. And no, we're still not over it.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Who will win: "Citizenfour"
Who should win: "Citizenfour"

Like him or not, Edward Snowden's story is a gripping one, and this documentary does a good job of capturing the tension that was present when the leaks and Snowden's flight to Russia first happened.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Who will win: "Glory" (Selma)
Who should win: "Everything Is Awesome" (The LEGO Movie)

"Glory" won at the Golden Globes and is the likely winner here by a fair margin. The Academy will occasionally nominated fun, comedic songs (like "Blame Canada" from the South Park movie, for example) but rarely gives them the trophy. But oh, how we would love to have "Everything Is Awesome" be an Oscar-winning song.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Who will win: Alexandre Desplat for "The Imitation Game"
Who should win: Alexandre Desplat for "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

This category is practically a three-way toss-up. Johann Johannson's music was used heavily in "The Theory of Everything," and movies that use a lot of music tend to be the ones who win this category. However, Desplat is nominated twice, so it's hard to imagine him losing. The music in "Grand Budapest" is more whimsical and fun, but Desplat might get the award for "Imitation Game" instead, which is a little more metaphorical.

BEST FILM EDITING

Who will win: "Boyhood"
Who should win: "Boyhood"

"Whiplash" is a very, very strong contender here, but it's unlikely that the Academy could look at footage taken over 12 years put together in a way that's perfectly coherent and not give it an award. "Boyhood" minus its 12-year gimmick isn't that great a film, but the gimmick is there, and it's likely to give it the edge here and in Best Picture the most.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Who will win: Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"
Who should win: Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"

This one's a lock, and for obvious reasons. Bet on it.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Who will win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Who should win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"Maleficent" and "Into the Woods" are the other strong contenders here, but "Grand Budapest" was so visually stunning in every way that it's hard to imagine it not winning every visual award in terms of practical, on-set effects and design. Still, if there was one for it to lose, it might be this one.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Who will win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Who should win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

The entire movie looks like a diorama over two different time periods. It's gorgeous. It's a lock.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Who will win: 'The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Who should win: "Guardians of the Galaxy"

"Grand Budapest" has some nice feats here, especially as far as Tilda Swinton's character goes. The Academy likes to give this award to the films that use makeup more subtly, which is the only reason why "Guardians" will likely not win. Because let's face it: Drax and Nebula looked awesome.

BEST SOUND EDITING

Who will win: "American Sniper"
Who should win: "Birdman"

War movies tend to do well here, as "The Hurt Locker" in particular taught us. Expect "American Sniper" to walk away with the award, even though "Birdman" did some really fun stuff.

BEST SOUND MIXING

Who will win: "Interstellar"
Who should win: Literally anyone else

"Interstellar" already has a sound award for this category, which is strange considering that important bits of dialogue were lost thanks to the movie's mix. Any other movie would be a better choice. Honestly, this one could go to anyone, because who ever really knows with the sound categories?

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Who will win: "Interstellar"
Who should win: "Interstellar"

If there was one thing "Interstellar" did well, it was visual effects. Christopher Nolan and his team even managed to make a four-dimensional space (five-dimensional if you count "love) work in a three-dimensional way to represent time as a sort of physical entity. That's impressive. However, a big honorable mention goes to "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," which had motion-capture so good that the movie was still interesting to watch even though it was almost human-free.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Who will win: "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1"
Who should win: "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1"

HBO brought us this documentary about workers at a help line for veterans returning from war. Not only is it heartbreaking, it's also relevant and—perhaps most importantly for its Oscar hopes—it's very easily watchable on HBO Go. That alone might give it the edge.

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

Who will win: "Boogaloo and Graham"
Who should win: "Parvaneh"

"Boogaloo and Graham" follows two young boys and their pet chickens. It's just about the only uplifting movie in the category, and with all the downer documentary shorts as well, voters might give the trophy to the one that actually made them feel happy for a minute.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Who will win: "Feast"
Who should win: "Feast"

It's the Disney short that aired in front of "Big Hero 6," which should be all you need to know to give it your pick. Also, it's adorable.