Predicting The 87th Annual Academy Awards

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

“Foxcatcher” Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
“Guardians of the Galaxy” Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White

Here we come to the first category that appears to be a lock for The Grand Budapest Hotel, especially after its BAFTA win the other day, as well as a pair of big wins from the Make-Up and Hair Stylists Guild. We shouldn’t entirely discount Guardians of the Galaxy what with it having won the Critics Choice (and the fact that Star Trek won here a few years ago), but BAFTA has a far better record in this category and obviously The Grand Budapest Hotel is a far more popular film with the Academy.

Best Production Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“The Imitation Game” Production Design: Maria Djurkovic; Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
“Interstellar” Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“Into the Woods” Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“Mr. Turner” Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts

Here we have another category that appears to be a slam-dunk for Wes Anderson’s quirky comedy. With wins from BAFTA, the Critics Choice, and the Art Directors Guild (for Period Films), this pick is pretty much a no-brainer.

Best Costume Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Milena Canonero
“Inherent Vice” Mark Bridges
“Into the Woods” Colleen Atwood
“Maleficent” Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive
“Mr. Turner” Jacqueline Durran

Yes, yet another category that The Grand Budapest Hotel will more than likely win, especially with big wins from BAFTA, the Critics Choice, and the Costume Designers Guild (for Period Films).

Best Cinematography

“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Emmanuel Lubezki
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Robert Yeoman
“Ida” Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski
“Mr. Turner” Dick Pope
“Unbroken” Roger Deakins

For Best Cinematography, we have one of the most solid locks of the evening for Emmanuel Lubezki’s brilliant work on Birdman. Having won the award just about everywhere, including BAFTA, the Critics Choice, and the American Society of Cinematographers, it looks as though Lubezki will be picking up his second Oscar in a row after having won last year for his stunning work on Gravity.