Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
Maleficent
Noah
The Theory of Everything
The only semi-surprising snub is Into the Woods (sight-unseen, I'm not in a position to judge whether this is a travesty of justice or justice being served), but most of the surviving contenders are hardly unexpected. Although I guess not many people would've seen Spider-Man 2 coming.
At any rate, my prediction right now is that if Guardians of the Galaxy gets nominated, it wins. It's prosthetic alien designs are far and away the most upfront and in-your-face of the seven finalists. Add to the fact that it's a widely seen box office uber-success, and this seems like the natural place for Academy members to reward it (a la Star Trek).
That said, I can tell you I'm rooting for The Theory of Everything all the way. Much like last year's winner Dallas Buyers Club, it makes an asset of its invisibility, gracefully aging its characters across decades without ever drawing attention away from the performers. (Speaking of Dallas Buyers Club, I was hoping Robin Mathews would be back in the hunt this year for Wild, but you can't win 'em all.)
