Oscar Predictions: Best Sound

This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 15th. As a result, most of the corresponding guilds won’t have announced their picks by then, so I’m making predictions in advance without being able to take those into consideration. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in most of the major categories, saving some of the biggest categories for last.

Last year’s nominees: Captain Phillips, Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Inside Llewyn Davis, Lone Survivor

This year’s locks: Into the Woods, Interstellar

Very likely: Fury, Birdman

Possible: Unbroken, The Imitation Game, Whiplash, Gone Girl, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Unlikely: Guardians of the Galaxy

The rundown: This category tends to offer a mix of Best Picture contenders that meet with other music or action and the full-on technical contenders that wouldn’t ever make an appear in the top races. Into the Woods is a sure thing here, and I have to imagine that, even if it doesn’t make the cut in the top races, Interstellar will be recognized. The same is true of Fury, and Birdman seems like a good bet. Unbroken is the likely fifth nominee, but Whiplash or Gone Girl could take its spot. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies might benefit from the second film in the series being included last year, or maybe Guardians of the Galaxy could show up here.

One possible crazy scenario: Maleficent makes an appearance.

Forecasted winner: This feels like the definitive place to honor Into the Woods.