Jonathan Richards and Laurel Gladden predict the winners
BEST PICTURE — This is a year in which egg could wind up on a lot of prognosticating faces. Expertise is shaky and certainty in short supply. But when the dust has cleared, the field of eight narrows down to a few favorites. Despite its boffo box office and late surge, American Sniper probably falls away from the top group, suffering from uneasiness about its subject matter. Harvey Weinstein’s muscle behind The Imitation Game means that attention must be paid. But the choice most likely comes down to the killer Bs, Boyhood and Birdman . Both are terrific movies, but too many people didn’t like or just didn’t get birdman . Boy ood on at the BAFTAs, and its bold con pt a d beautiful ecution should prevail. CHOICE: Boyhood PREDICTION: Boyhood
DIRECTING — Could e get another Picture/Dir ctor split this year? Why not? It’s a wa fo Oscar t s read the wealth, and it’s been al the rage in the recent past. Much ink has been spi ed lamenting Selma director Ava DuVernay’s absence from this el . A o seri s snub, to my mind, is Mr. urner ’s Mik Leigh. Bennett Miller ( Foxcatcher ) and Morten Tyldum ( The Imitation
Game ) are probably first to the exit. Wes Anderson has a lot of well-earned support for The Grand Budapest Hotel . But Richard Linklater ( Boyhood ) and Alejandro González Iñárritu ( Birdman ) will be the last men standing, and if Boyhood wins Best Picture, look for Iñárritu to hold up the directing statuette. Of course, it could go the other way. CHOICE: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman PREDICTION: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman