The Oscars.

There is no bigger awards show in film, and perhaps in any form of media. The Oscars are the king, and they bow to no one. However, they are also usually staggeringly easy to predict. The Golden Globes usually surpass the Oscars for “What? That won?” value.

That being said, I, an inexperienced high-schooler, am about to try to predict the winners of the Big 5. The Big 5 are the winners for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay. For space purposes, I will only predict original screenplay.

Best Original Screenplay:

The nominees in this category are Boyhood, Birdman, Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Nightcrawler. I would have to give the award to Birdman. I say this mainly because of Michael Keaton’s character. This is his movie. The complexity of his character (Riggan Thompson) is one of Keaton’s greatest roles due in no small part to the writing of the role, and that is why I pick Birdman to win.

Best Director:

The nominees are Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman, Richard Linklater for Boyhood, Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher,  Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Morten Tydlum for The Imitation Game. Here I have to opt in with the favorite to win: Linklater. He created an emotional masterpiece and gave what could have been an interesting stunt life beyond its concept.

Best Actress:

The nominees for Best Actress are: Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night, Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything, Julianne Moore for Still Alice, Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl, and Reese Witherspoon for Wild. I give this Oscar to Rosamund Pike, as her character undergoes a massive shift mid-film and that takes acting props to pull off.

Best Actor:

This category’s nominees are: Steve Carell for Foxcatcher, Bradley Cooper for American Sniper, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game, Michael Keaton for Birdman, and Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything. This category is, in a twist for the Oscars, staggeringly difficult to predict. The front-runners are Redmayne and Keaton, and they are all but even in the race so far. That being said, I give it to Keaton because of his electric comeback to the screen after 20 years of obscurity. Every frame he’s in crackles with excitement, and that is why he will win.

Best Picture:

And the nominees for Best Picture are: American Sniper, Boyhood, Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash. This one is supposedly a tad difficult to predict, but Boyhood is going to win. The hype has been about it, it’s an incredible emotional roller coaster, and it’s just an incredible film.

So, in closing, take all of this with a grain of salt. I’m an inexperienced high-schooler, and most of these picks will probably be wrong, but regardless of what actually happens the Oscars are still film history. And everyone on this list deserves to be commended just for being there, regardless of the win.