It’s that time of year again, when movie stars put on gowns that cost more than houses, hosts make slightly off-color jokes at the expense of celebrities, and viewers are left in dramatic suspense as we wait for our film editor or cinematographer to be honored with a statue in the shape of a little gold man. It’s time for the Oscars!

This past year was a great showcase of innovative film stories and styles. The nine Best Picture nominees include sweeping biopics, magical-realist musicals, and even a “slice of life” type film. This year, I appreciated that the Oscar nominated movies didn’t rely so heavily on special effects, but rather on content and developing an interesting story for the viewer. With that being said, here are my predictions for the awards show:

BEST PICTURE: “Boyhood”

If anything, Boyhood deserves to win an Academy Award for the scope and innovation of the concept alone. Shot intermittently over a twelve-year period, “Boyhood” chronicles the growth of Mason (Ellar Coltrane). “Boyhood” lacks the gripping drama, special effects, and usually tragic endings characteristic of many Oscar Best Picture winners, yet its complete lack of a climax and innocent simplicity are really what makes the movie shine for what it is: a look at a normal American family and a normal American boy. The cast– especially the Oscar-nominated Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette– shines, as does director Richard Linklater’s execution. For a movie so broad and unfocused in scope, “Boyhood” still manages to tell a very intimate and well-constructed story.

BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore in “Still Alice” 

Julianne Moore has been cleaning up the awards season this year with her gripping portrayal of a middle-aged woman with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. “Still Alice” chronicles the dissolution of Dr. Alice Howland, a linguistics professor living with her husband and three kids in New York. Moore immerses herself in the character of Alice, literally disappearing into the Alzheimer’s diagnosis by the end of the film. By all critical predictions, Moore should and will win the Oscar. Still, I hope that my favorite performance of the year—Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking, ex-wife of Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything”—can potentially pull an upset and give the British Jones recognition for her glowing presence in the film.

BEST ACTOR: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

Method acting at its finest, Redmayne’s performance as the world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is extremely well-executed. The movie centers on the deterioration of Hawking’s physical abilities from Lou Gehrig’s disease as well as the trials of his relationship with ex-wife Jane Hawking. Redmayne mastered the speech, body positioning, and facial expressions of Hawking, to the point that his face even began to change shape during filming. Beyond Redmayne’s perfection of the physical aspects of his character, however, was his commitment to portraying an accurate version of Stephen Hawking by tapping into the emotion that really is at the core of “The Theory of Everything.” Although he is arguably the most inexperienced actor in the Best Actor pool, Redmayne has impressed critics and award show voters alike, which puts him in a strong position to win the Academy Award.

HONORABLE MENTION: “The Imitation Game” 

Although it opened to widespread acclaim for its multi-faceted story and convincing performances, “The Imitation Game” has not been well-recognized during the awards season. Everything about this movie indicates that it should be an awards favorite, including a witty performance by everyone’s favorite British actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, and the engaging yet ultimately tragic story of Alan Turing, the British cryptologist responsible for cracking the Nazi Enigma code during World War II. “The Imitation Game” certainly told the most interesting story of the year, even if it is not recognized as such.