With days to go until the Academy hands out its much-coveted statuettes at the 2015 Oscars, eight stellar films — American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash - are nominated for the coveted Best Picture trophy.
Still making your picks for the office pool? Us Weekly deputy editor and film critic Mara Reinstein and comedian Seth Herzog are breaking down the top contenders in each category.
Us Weekly film critic Mara Reinstein predicts Patricia Arquette and Boyhood will win big at Sunday's Academy Awards. Matt Lankes/©IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
When it comes to the Best Supporting Actor category, The Tonight Show's Herzog is confident that Whiplash's J.K. Simmons will take it home. "If you had to bet on something, bet on [Simmons], " Herzog predicts.
Both Reinstein and Herzog agree that Boyhood and one of its stars, Best Supporting Actress contender Patricia Arquette, will emerge victorious on Oscar night. "There's not a dud in the Best Picture bunch, but it's going to be Boyhood for the win, " Reinstein says. "[Arquette]'s role was so meaty, and she's definitely the emotional anchor of the movie."
To find out Us Weekly's picks for Best Actor and Best Actress — and learn why Herzog just can't get over The Lego Movie
