Oscars Predictions: Who We Think Will Win

J.K. Simmons has been dominating this category all award season long, and for good reason. His role in Whiplash is loud, furious, and nuanced, and an excellent showcase for a man who has been doing great character work for years.

Though it would be nice to see this category get shaken up, it's hard to imagine someone other than Arquette winning for Boyhood. The actress has already gone home with the SAG, Golden Globe, and Critics' Choice statues, so she's coming into the home stretch. It's not that she doesn't deserve it — her awards were 12 years in the making, after all.

Though best actor is looking like it'll come down to Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne, we're placing our bets on Redmayne for the win. His work as Stephen Hawking is touching and physically challenging, and brings a beloved public figure to life. It's exactly the thing Oscars dreams are made of.

Another actor who has been sweeping the season is Moore; so far, no challengers have even seemed to emerge. While this isn't Moore's first nomination, it would be her first Oscar, which, whatever you think of her performance as an Alzheimer's sufferer in Still Alice, she absolutely deserves for a career of master performances.

Richard Linklater's baby won't just get him the Oscar; we think it will be the one out of the eight nominees to get the best picture honor this year. It's innovative and like no other films we've seen before, with a firmly relatable story that grounds its concept. This is Boyhood's year.