The Highlights of the 87th Academy Awards Ceremony

The moment has come and gone. The 87th Annual Academy Awards happened at the Dolby Theater and handed out 24 awards throughout the night, including Best Picture winner Birdman. What were some of the highlights of the evening? The following is a list of the various moments that stand out above the rest and prove just why Neil Patrick Harris, and the show in general, was in top form and knew how to make the overlong program move fast enough to keep attentive while also lacking in self-involvement. It may have not been the best ceremony ever, but at least it was a lot better than most years.

A Rundown of This Year's Oscar Winners

It is sad to say, but this year's Academy Awards are officially behind us. Before we get started on predicting next year's big happenings, it's time to start on recapping the show in its entirety, including the highs and lows of the event. But before we get to the great stuff, how about we take some time briefly to recognize the winners. How well did you do? When all is said and done, I did very well considering all of my think pieces and various theories that pondered why Birdman was going to walk away the winner. The following is a rundown of my votes in each category paired side-by-side with the actual winner. Please feel free to share your results in the comments.

My Final Predictions for This Year's Academy Awards

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment is upon us. The Oscars is only a day away and it is time to place the final bets. While I have kept busy prognosticating and keeping track of who is likely to win, the races are a little more complicated than initially meets the eye. The Best Picture race couldn't be more complicated as it battles between Boyhood and Birdman. Still, it is great to see two very personal passion projects duking it out for top honor. While I will leave you to determine your own voting from the nominations, the following is a list of who I will be voting for in my final Oscar predictions for the year. Feel free to share yours in the comment section.

A Look at 2015's BAFTA Nominations

Scene from The Grand Budapest Hotel

With majority of the awards nominations currently out, it is time to prepare for the big leagues. With next week's announcement of the Academy Award nominations, it is time to recognize the British counterpart known as the BAFTAS. For many years, it has been the strongest representation of what the Oscars may look like, including various overlapping winners. With that in mind, there's a lot of pleasant surprises and a couple disparaging results mixed in. Even then, the race has continued to remain unpredictable in the best ways possible, leaving some hope for one of the most exciting Oscar years in quite some time.

A Look at the 9 Finalists for the Best Foreign Film Oscar

Scene from Force Majeure

A few months ago, the Academy released the finalist for the Best Foreign Film Oscars. The list featured a lot of the familiar favorites from fans of international cinema. As the race closes in on the big day, things are starting to look a lot clearer. For starters, the category has dwindled down even further to nine selections. While many will celebrate the surprises that are in store, there's also a sense of confusion of what was omitted. The following is a look at the films that made the cut as well as a few thoughts about how things can go from here.

A Look at the 2015 Spirit Award Nominations

Scene from Birdman

Coming off of the heels of the Gotham Awards a few weeks ago, the Independent Spirit Awards has officially released its nominations. Serving as the premiere award for independent cinema, the award has come to be just as much about recognizing smaller films as it is indicating potential Oscar nominees with last year's winners practically matching the Academy Awards. Still, it is another impressive year with a lot of great films in tow. What were some of the surprises and what are the chances that each film will have of winning? Read more after the jump.

A Look at the 83 Eligible Candidates for 2015's Best Foreign Film Oscar

Scene from Ida

The Academy recently announced their candidates for next year's Best Foreign Film category this week. Among the highlights is the fact that this year's selection has surpassed last year's record breaking 76 entries with this year's 83, including films from four first time countries (Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania, and Panama). It is always exciting to have the definitive lock on what each country has, even if you are not entirely familiar with their work. It gives audiences a peek into how the process works and possibly to even pick out their own personal favorites from the list. The following is all 83 eligible films as well as a few thoughts regarding the race.