Oscars 2015 Predictions: Latin Times Picks Winners And Possible Snubs At The 87th Academy Awards

The biggest night in Hollywood is upon us and we’re predicting who will take the prized Oscar home. In addition, we foresee potential snubs and, of course, whom our cinephile hearts wish could win, but won’t. Even though our predictions are based on a mix of opinion, previous awards and movie reviews, the Academy has come up with big surprises in past years, so we'll have to see how exciting (or disappointing) the 87th Academy Awards will end up being.

With Iñárritu’s “Birdman” and Linklater’s “Boyhood” as frontrunners for the biggest honors of the night, we asked ourselves if we think this will be the second consecutive year a Mexican director will win the Oscar, or if it’s going to be one of those year’s where the Best Picture and Best Director awards go to different movies. Maybe all the previous prizes Iñárritu and Linklater have gotten this award season mean nothing? Or maybe an underdog will take the biggest honors? Here’s what Ernesto Sanchez (Editor-In-Chief) and Natalie Roterman (Entertainment Writer) think will happen:

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Duvall, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo, J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Ernesto Sanchez – Will win: J.K. Simmons Should Win: J.K. Simmons He wishes but won't win: Mark Ruffalo

J.K. Simmons is a true actor. He has played diverse roles that prove he's not a one-trick-pony. His performance in "Whiplash" soared. He roars, he jumps off the screen, you love him, you hate him, you feel bad for him, you understand him. No one deserves the Oscar better than him.

Natalie Roterman – Will win: J.K. Simmons Should Win: J.K. Simmons She wishes but won't win: Edward Norton.

I can’t wish anyone other than Simmons to win because I’ve seen very few performances in my life, as powerful and Oscar worthy as this one. But, if there were to be a tie, I think Edward Norton's performance was crucial to the dark humor in "Birdman" and should get recgnition.

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Laura Dern, Keira Knightley, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep.

ES – Will win: Patricia Arquette Should Win: Patricia Arquette She wishes but won't win: Emma Stone

Staying in character for 12 weeks can be a challenge. Imagine doing so for 12 years and in the process losing your glamour, gain weight, show your aging, and get emotionally naked for an audience that used to think Arquette was a sex bomb. The girl can act. And she deserves the Oscar.

NR – Will win: Patricia Arquette Should Win: Patricia Arquette She wishes but won't win: Keira Knightley

My feminist persona wishes they’d award Knightley for the character she plays in “The Imitation Game”; a strong, determined woman who’s not intimidated to work with men, and defends what seems right to the very last consequence.

Best Actor: Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne

ES – Will win: Eddie Redmayne Should Win: Eddie Redmayne He wishes but won't win: Michael Keaton

Sorry Mr. Keaton but your self portrayal of a has been actor won't suffice against Redmayne's personification of Stephen Hawking. Academy voters love real characters and actors that play dissabilities on the screen.

NR – Will win: Eddie Redmayne Should Win: Eddie Redmayne He wishes but won't win: Benedict Cumberbatch.

I find it baffling that despite Keaton's splendid performance, some still fail to see he is playing himself! Redmayne and Cumberbatch both played real life people/heroes, which they said held the huge challenge of honoring the person they were portraying. There's no doubt both actors excelled at doing so.

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard, Felicity Jones, Julianne Moore, Rosamund Pike, Reese Witherspoon.

ES – Will win: Julianne Moore Should Win: Julianne Moore She wishes but won't win: Rosamund Pike

While Rosamund Pike tried to go all Sharon Stonish and Glenn Closeish for her awful character in "Gone Girl," the Oscar belongs to Julianne Moore more nuanced and subtle performance. The screenplay for "Still Alice" might belong to the Hallmark Channel but Moore stands out as a woman who doesn't understand why she got Alzheimer being so young.

NR – Will win: Julianne Moore. Should Win: Julianne Moore. She wishes but won't win: Reese Witherspoon.

The delicacy with which Moore approaches Alzheimer’s is perfection. Portraying a gut-wrenching drama with such subtlety takes immense talent, and she’s got it. Witherspoon's performance, was also deeply moving and her involvement in the creation of the movie made her protrayal all the more passionate and convincing.

Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”, Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”, Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”, Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

ES – Will win: Richard Linklater Should Win: Richard Linklater He wishes but won't win: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Alejandro González Iñárritu is creative but too pretentious, he's all about ego and wow factor. Richard Linklater is the underdog and has been for years. Silently making very important movies that are all about the performances. Some people forget that the art of making movies is making the characters real and relatable. I can't think of anyone better than Linklater to get the Oscar for that achievement.

NR – Will win: Alejandro González Iñárritu. Should Win: Alejandro González Iñárritu. He wishes but won't win: Wes Anderson.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” is nothing short of a masterpiece in my opinion. The script has an entertaining storyline with on-point humor; the cast is perfectly handpicked (including most of Anderson’s muses); and the artistic direction and cinematography take “candy for the eye” to the highest, most sublime levels possible.

Best Picture: “American Sniper”, “Birdman”, “Boyhood”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “The Imitation Game”, “Selma”, “The Theory of Everything”, “Whiplash”.

ES – Will win: "Boyhood" Should Win: "Whiplash" The studio wishes but won't win: "Birdman"

"Boyhood" is a historic merit for any filmmaker and studio. 12 years of shooting keeping the same level of performances, same cinematography, same fresh screenplay and edit everything into something that not only makes sense, but profoundly moves the audience, deserves the Oscar. I don't care about all the inventiveness of "Birdman".

NR – Will win: “Birdman” Should Win: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” The studio wishes but won't win: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

For the reasons previously mentioned, I so wish Wes Anderson’s “Budapest Hotel” would win, but unfortunately won’t. Also, if there were to be a tie in my wishful-thinking mind, I’d pick “Whiplash” too.