Oscars 2015 Predictions, Best Editing: 'Boyhood' Could Win But 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' is Strong
The Editing category is one of the most contested awards at the Academy Awards and it has become a norm that the Best Picture winner must be nominated in this category. This year, all five nominees will compete for Best Pictures and it is presumed that one of these five will also take home Best Picture.
The winner of this year's award will join Mark Sanger, Alfonso Cuaron ("Gravity"), William Goldenberg ("Argo"), Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Social Network").
Sandra Adair - "Boyhood" - This is the first nomination for Adair at the Academy Awards. The editor is known for her work on Richard Linklater films "Before Midnight," "Bernie" and "Me and Orson Welles." For her work on "Boyhood," Adair had the tough job of editing footage over the course of 12 years and making a cohesive story out of a film that did not have a defined script from the beginning. This year she has already owned a number of awards, including the American Cinema Editors Award, which is a big indication of how the Oscars could pull towards. "Boyhood" is currently the front-runner for the Oscar and if Adair wins the award, the film will be in a good spot to win the Best Picture award.
Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach - "American Sniper" - Cox received his third nomination at the Academy Awards. He was previously nominated for "Million Dollar Baby" and won for "Unforgiven." Meanwhile, Roach, who has edited "Invictus," "Prisoners" and "Gran Torino," is receiving his first nomination. "American Sniper has proved to be a popular choice among the Academy even though it went completely absent during precursor awards. The film surprised with the number of Oscar nominations it obtained and if the Academy decide to award the film a category, then Cox and Roach could take the Oscar in this category.
Tom Cross - "Whiplash" - Cross received his first Oscar nomination for his work on Damian Chazelle's film. The editor is known for his work on short films and edited the critically acclaimed film "Any Day Now." Cross has received praise for his fast cutting in the film and for putting together the intricate musical setting pieces. He has received nominations at the BAFTAs, American Cinema Editors, and the Broadcast Critics Choice. However, he has yet to win a single editing award. "Whiplash" may have been loved by the Academy but it never crossed over to mainstream and it never really took off at the box office. As a result, it is unexpected the film will win this category.
William Goldenberg - "The Imitation Game" - Goldenberg received his fifth nomination at the Academy Awards. He previously won for the Best Picture winner "Argo" and was also nominated for "Zero Dark Thirty," "Seabiscuit" and "The Insider." Goldenberg's biggest challenge for the film was bringing together the three stories the film is divided into and making sure the film flowed. Goldenberg's work has ended up being nominated at the BAFTAs and the American Editors but has yet to win. Originally hailed as the front-runner for the Oscar, "The Imitation Game" has lost a lot of steam and, as a result, Goldenberg will likely lose this category.
Barney Pilling - "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - This is the first nomination for Pilling. The editor is best known for his work on "An Education," "Quartet," "A Long Way Down" and "One Day." Throughout the year "The Grand Budapest Hotel" scored rave reviews and was a huge box office and on demand success. When it became an awards player, pundits were surprised since it had been a release in March. The film's awards strength has become more evident especially after Pilling won the American Cinema Editors award and it was also nominated for the BAFTA in this category. The film is also nominated for the most Academy Awards. If Pilling pulls a win, it will give the film even more strength to win Best Picture.
Predictions: This is one of the toughest categories to predict but it will most likely be Sandra Adair for her work on "Boyhood."