Final 2014 Oscar Predictions

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Final 2014 Oscar Predictions

Greetings, Oscar geeks! It's been a thrilling and unpredictable year with lots of films and performances worth celebrating (see our top ten lists for the year here and here, and find out who among the nominees we'd vote for if we had a ballot). There are a handful of categories that seem locked up (congrats in advance Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, and Patricia Arquette!), but the vast majority of these races are true nail-biters. Including Best Picture!

Hunker down, pour yourself a beverage (we'll be starting with the Lemon Thyme Gin Sparkler), and follow along with our sure-to-be-inaccurate predictions below! For more detailed analysis have a listen to our final predictions podcast or click on each category header to be taken to that page.

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CineDrunk: Final 2014 Oscar Predictions

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Oscar weekend is here! Listen in as we drunkenly babble on about our predictions and personal favorites in all 24 Oscar categories. With little consensus and lots of unpredictability, it's going to be an exciting year!

 
budapestdrink
 

2014 Oscar Nominations Reactions

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2014 Oscar Nominations Reactions

They've arrived! Nominations morning is to Oscar nerds what Christmas morning is to an optimistic young child. Both enthusiastically hop out of bed in a world where all things are theoretically possible and everything is awesome (or not if you're The Lego Movie, apparently). Though, as always, the Academy is like the distant relative who never looked at your Christmas wish list and ends up giving you things you don't actually want and forgetting to get you some of the things you wanted most.

In the end, a Wes Anderson movie that was released last March and a daring artistic vision from Alejandro G. Iñárritu lead the pack with nine nominations for The Grand Budapest Hotel and Birdman, respectively - and our frontrunner is still probably an intimate film by Richard Linklater that began production over a decade ago. The Academy may have made some poor choices, but those facts are still kind of incredible when you stand back from the noise and ponder that that is what this year's race has boiled down to. Though The Imitation Game might still render all that uniqueness moot and barrel right down the middle towards a consensus victory. We'll know soon enough.

The CineDrunk crew hashed out our initial thoughts in a brief podcast below, recorded right after the nominations were announced. If you'd like to see what my final predictions looked like click here. Check out the full list of 2014 Oscar nominees and commentary after the jump!

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Final 2014 Oscar Nomination Predictions

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Final 2014 Oscar Nomination Predictions

The time has come for final predictions! The 87th Annual Academy Awards nominations will be announced this morning in two batches beginning at 8:30am ET (you can view both announcements live at the Oscars website or the second announcement on most major news programs at 8:38am ET). For the first time, the nominees will be announced live in all 24 categories.

2014 started slow, but proved to be a formidable year in film. The Oscars don't always reflect that quality in their choices, but here's hoping their nominations come close! There are lots of tight races with lengthy lists of viable contenders and films whose names won't get called this morning. As usual there are some sure-things (Boyhood, Birdman, and The Imitation Game are likely to do well) and some not-so-sure-things (I'm most interested in seeing how films right on the bubble will fare: Foxcatcher, Nightcrawler, Gone Girl). If you've got a favorite, it's best for sanity's sake to assume they won't get in, so you can be pleasantly surprised when they do.

The titles of each category link to that field's specific page with further commentary. Follow along down the rabbit hole after the jump!

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2015 Golden Globe Awards Predictions

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2015 Golden Globe Awards Predictions

Fill your ice cube trays and get out your cheese boards; the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards are here! Airing Sunday on NBC at 8pm ET and handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the Globes mix movie stars, TV actors, and a healthy dose of drunkenness in what usually amounts to the year's most enjoyable night of live television. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (hooray!) return as hosts for the third (and likely final) time, and George Clooney will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award from Julianna Margulies (ER reunion!) and Don Cheadle.

For the more studious ones in our readership (you're show-offs, but we love you), there's still time to listen to our latest podcast, featuring a detailed analysis of the film categories. Then shake up a cocktail and enjoy the main event, and follow along with us all evening on Twitter @CineMunch. Matt's final predictions in all fields are after the jump.

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CineDrunk Episode 9: Prestige Season Begins

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Courtesy Penderyn Distillery

With prestige movie season in full swing, we thought it time to debrief on what Fall Season Part 1 had to offer. Join us as we get into the Welsh spirit with a drink called the Red Dragon (recipe below) and discuss the following films:

  • The Skeleton Twins
  • Pride
  • Whiplash
  • Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
  • Fury
  • Nightcrawler


What are your fall favorites thus far? Do you agree with our analysis? Let us know in the comments, and check out our newly updated Oscar Predictions!

Red Dragon
(adapted from a recipe by Penderyn Distillery)
makes two cocktails

3 oz gin
3 oz Cointreau
2 oz blood orange juice
2 oz lemon juice
1 shot grenadine

Shake all ingredients with ice. Pour over ice. Feel yourself flush with Welsh pride.
 

CineDrunk Episode 5: Emmy Awards Special 2014

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In this special edition of the podcast, we dive into the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards with our predictions and personal faves in the major categories. Yes, our love of pop culture and awards shows spills over into all realms of the biz. Let's call this one "TeleDrunk."

Our beverage of choice this round was a refreshing Watermelon Ginger Gin and Tonic that we recommend sipping while watching any television program (unless you watch any "Real Housewives..." series, in which case you likely need something stronger).
 

Cuddly little watermelon swimming in gin.

Watermelon Ginger Gin and Tonic
(makes 4 servings)

1 cup gin (cheapo is fine)
10-12 dime-size slices ginger root
2 dozen small watermelon cubes
2 cups tonic

Pour the gin into a martini shaker or other sturdy container. Add ginger slices and muddle. Add watermelon and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Pour over ice in four glasses and top with tonic.


The EMMYs will be broadcast Monday, August 25th on NBC. Tune in (and pour a drink or three) to see how (in)accurate we'll be!  Follow along with us during the ceremony @CineMunch as we live-tweet. 

Also listen and subscribe via iTunes.

Note: This was recorded before the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony took place on Saturday, August 16th, where both Allison Janney (Master of Sex) and Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) (both mentioned in the podcast) deservedly won for their guest performances this past year.