By Dave Karger

Some people look forward to football season. Others count down the days until the next presidential campaign season. For me, it’s all about the awards season. Between now and the end of February, I will be ranking all the top contenders in the six major film awards categories, taking stock of who’s rising and falling each week. Some of these movies and performances haven’t been seen yet, so in some cases I’m basing my predictions on buzz and pure hunches. Use these lists as a guide to which movies you need to see in advance of the Golden Globes^® on January 11 and the Academy Awards^® on February 22. In the meantime, look for many of these actors and filmmakers on my Fandango Frontrunners original video series!

Updated Jan. 13, 2015.

BEST PICTURE
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Nightcrawler
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
 

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay, Selma
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
 

BEST ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton, Birdman
David Oyelowo, Selma
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
 

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods