Best Picture Nominees: What You Need to Know

Feb. 17, 2015— -- This year's best picture Oscars race includes a slew of biopics, several genre-defying art-house darlings and a bona fide blockbuster.

Whether you're still figuring out which way to mark your Oscar ballot or you won't have time to see all the best picture nominees before the Feb. 22 telecast on ABC, we've got what you need to know.

Here is our guide on the Academy Award's Best Picture Nominees:

'American Sniper'

A Clint Eastwood biopic about the U.S. military's deadliest sniper, Chris Kyle, "American Sniper" has come on strong since being shut out of the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards. Not only did it earn six Oscar nominations, including one for star Bradley Cooper, it has broken box-office records since its wide release in January, making it the first official blockbuster of the year. But the film has not been without controversy, including critics who say it simplifies and glorifies the Iraq War. Eastwood's two-word response: "They're right."

'Birdman'

The film that seems to have the momentum going into the final week of awards' season is Alejandro Inarritu's comedy-drama, "Birdman," starring best actor nominee Michael Keaton. The dizzying art versus commerce farce already tied for the most Oscar nominations with nine, but it seemed to pull ahead of the competition on Jan. 24, when the Producers Guild Awards gave it the top prize for best movie. The last seven PGA winners have gone on to claim Best Picture at the Oscars.

'Boyhood'

But you can't count out Richard Linklater's 12-year opus, "Boyhood," which has a respectable six nominations, including best director and the two supporting actor categories. The film, which was shot using the same cast and crew for one week at a time over 12 years, has been neck-and-neck with "Birdman" throughout the awards' race. A couple weeks after "Birdman" pulled off the PGA win, "Boyhood" took home BAFTA awards for best film and best director. Of course, the day before Inarritu won best director at the Directors Guild Awards. Looks like "Birdman" and "Boyhood" will be battling it out till the end.

'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Tied with "Birdman" for nine nominations is Wes Anderson's genre-defying confection "The Grand Budapest Hotel." Inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig, it stars Ralph Fiennes as a concierge who teams up with one of his bellhops Zero, played by Tony Revolori, to prove his innocence after he is framed for murder. Ornately shot with exquisite visuals in color and black and white as well as animated, the film is sure to take home some of the night's technical awards.

'The Imitation Game'

Early in the awards' season, "The Imitation Game" seemed the film to beat. Though the British biopic about famed mathematician and war hero Alan Turing, starring Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, received a total of eight nominations, it seems to have fallen by the wayside. But that hasn't stopped producer and shrewd Oscar campaigner Harvey Weinstein from trying to enhance his contender by suggesting a vote for the film honors Turing and other people prosecuted for their homosexuality. Turing, who was famous for breaking Germany's war code, was later prosecuted for being gay and is believed to have committed suicide.

'Selma'

The first Martin Luther King Jr. biopic to hit the big screen, "Selma," with its critically acclaimed reviews, seemed poised to make history for director Ava DuVernay as the first black female director to be nominated for best director. Instead, the film received just one other nomination, for best song. Without even a nom for star David Oyelowo, there were no people of color among the 20 acting nominees, resulting in a social media backlash that dubbed this year's Oscars one of the whitest ever.

'The Theory of Everything'

In the battle of the British geniuses, "The Theory of Everything," about famed physicist Stephen Hawking seems to have pulled ahead of "The Imitation Game." Eddie Redmayne, who has taken home the SAG, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards, seems destined to win the Oscar for his role as Hawking, though Michael Keaton could pull an upset for "Birdman." The film, which follows the love affair between Hawking and his ex-wife Jane, also won BAFTA's Outstanding British Film award. It received five Oscar noms, including one for star Felicity Jones for best actress.

'Whiplash'

The whip-smart tiny indie film "Whiplash," about an ambitious young drummer (Miles Teller) and his complicated relationship with his revered but feared instructor, played by J.K. Simmons, also received five nominations. Simmons, who has racked up numerous awards this season, seems poised to win for best supporting actor. Like DuVernay, the film's director, 29-year-old Damien Chazelle, was snubbed in the best director category, though he got a nom for best adapted screenplay.