Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced a slew of upsets for the 2015 Academy Award nomination ceremony that saw The Grand Budapest Hotel and Birdman lead the way with nine nominations apiece.

While Dr. Martin Luther King biopic Selma made it into the Best Picture category, David Oyelowo, in the lead role, was snubbed, as was director Ava DuVernay in a poor showing for both gender and racial diversity this year.

Jennifer Aniston’s impressive turn as a chronic pain sufferer in Daniel Barnz’s Cake failed to score her a Best Actress nod, somewhat awkward seeing as the film premiered in LA the night before the announcement.

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Golden Globe winner Amy Adams also missed out, with Marion Cotillard’s inclusion a welcome surprise in a category that’s surely already secured by Julianne Moore’s early onset Alzheimer’s leading role in Still Alice. Also welcome was Laura Dern’s appearance in the Best Supporting Actress category for her stoic turn in Wild, nudging out Jessica Chastain.

Bennett Miller’s devastatingly powerful wrestling biopic Foxcatcher missed out on a Best Picture nomination, but he’s thankfully included in the director category, with Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo both recognised in the Best Actor and Supporting Actor groups.

Perhaps the biggest bloke snub was Jake Gyllenhaal’s ridiculous exclusion from Best Actor for his ghoulishly exhilarating turn as a grim accident footage reaper in Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler, which also failed to score a Best Picture or Director nod.

Apparently not that awesome, The Lego Movie’s snubbing in Best Animation was a shock for such a critical and popular success and we’re stunned Force Majeure was left out of Best Foreign Film.

Gillian Flynn was also snubbed, with her debut screenplay of her own wildly successful novel Gone Girl failing to score recognition in the best Adapted Screenplay category.

Here are The New Daily’s top 10 tips for this year’s winners:

BEST PICTURE

Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper received an Oscar nod, as did it’s star Bradley Cooper, but it will have to beat Boyhood, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel – the later two receiving nine nominations each. Photo: Supplied

In any other year, we’d say this was a two-horse race between Linklater’s majestic ode to family Boyhood and Iñárritu’s love letter to theatre and film Birdman, but you can’t rule out Budapest’s nine-nomination haul. Nevertheless, we’re going with Boyhood.

Nominees:

American Sniper, Clint Eastwood
The Imitation Game, Morten Tyldum
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Selma, Ava DuVernay
Boyhood, Richard Linklater
The Theory of Everything, James Marsh
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle

BEST DIRECTOR

Boyhood’s creator Richard Linklater, with one of the film’s stars Ethan Hawke, is the director of the moment and looks a certainty to win the Best Director Oscar. Photo: Getty

Again, Budapest is the wildcard, but ultimately Linklater’s 12-year filming technique on Boyhood will just win out over Birdman.

Nominees:

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

BEST ACTOR

Michael Keaton’s exquisite performance in Birdman makes him a shoo-in for the Best Actor Oscar. Photo: Supplied

There’s no doubt about this one. Half an hour into Birdman, Keaton’s career-reviving turn as a washed up movie star desperate to make it on Broadway convinced us he’s got it in the bag.

Nominees:

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS

Despite several earlier awards for her performance in Two Days, One Night, Marion Cottilard was the surprise Best Actress nomination, bumping out Jennifer Aniston and Amy Adams. Photo: Supplied

Julianne Moore is one of our finest and has been criminally overlooked in this category, but we’re sure that will change this year. It’s just a shame Still Alice is a bit telemovie, with her Maps to the Stars role much more deserving. Any other year, Witherspoon would win for Wild.

Nominees

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

J.K Simmons is the number one pick in the Best Supporting Actor category for his intense performance in Whiplash. Photo: Supplied

Ruffalo’s turn as a gentle giant of a man in Foxcatcher is deserving, but J.K. Simmons’ outstanding turn as a maniacal jazz genius in Whiplash has secured this one.

Nominees:

Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette won a Golden Globe for her supporting role in Boyhood and is expected to take home an Oscar in February too. Photo: Supplied

After her Golden Globes score for her turn as the put-upon mum in Boyhood, Arquette will be taking home the golden statuette too.

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild CLOSE
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Foxcatcher, starring Channing Tatum and Steve Carell, is nominated for Best Original Screenplay, but it is expected to go to The Grand Budapest Hotel. Photo: Supplied

Despite its nine nomination haul, we’re not sure Budapest is going home with many Oscars this year, but the best chance is in the Original Screenplay category.

Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, Foxcatcher
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Imitation Game should muscle out The Theory of Everything for Best Adapted Screenplay. Photo: Supplied

Tough luck Gone Girl. This is a two-horse race between the Brits, with The Imitation Game just slipping past The Theory of Everything, despite its factual wobbles. The controversy over American Sniper’s veracity is sure to lock it out.

Nominees:

Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Russian fishing drama Leviathan is expected to dominate the Best Foreign Film category. Photo: Supplied.

Taut, snowbound family drama Force Majeure’s snubbing is a shocker in this category, but if truth be told, all the buzz has this one going to Leviathan anyway.

Nominees: 

Leviathan, Andrey Zvyagintsev
Ida, Pawel Pawlikowski
Tangerines, Zaza Urushadze
Timbuktu, Abderrahmane Sissako
Wild Tales, Damián Szifron

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Citizenfour, the documentary about US whistleblower Edward Snowden, should win Best Documentary. Photo: Supplied

We’re stunned that Life Itself, the heart-aching tribute to much-loved US film critic Roger Ebert, didn’t score a nod in this one, so we’re plumping for Edward Snowden doco Citizenfour, though Finding Vivian Maier is also incredible.

Nominees:

Citizenfour, Laura Poitras
Finding Vivian Maier, John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Last Days in Vietnam, Rory Kennedy SHE
The Salt of the Earth, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders
Virunga, Orlando von Einsiedel