In the lead up to the 46th Annual Academy Awards (aka the Oscars), I thought I’d share some thoughts on the movies I’ve seen and enjoyed. Over the past year, I’ve managed to watch most of the oscar nominated movies from the best picture category, all the way to the animated short films. Here are my picks for the oscar nominees and potential winners based on the categories I have seen (and removing some of the categories which I haven’t seen, or the ones that may get too repetitive).
Best Picture
The Nominees: La La Land, Lion, Hidden Figures, Manchester By the Sea, Hell or High Water, Fences, Moonlight, Hacksaw Ridge, and Arrival.
This one is a tough category! I’ve seen all the nominated films except for Hell or High Water, which from what I hear, doesn’t compare to many of the other nominees in this category. The diversity of material in this category is brilliant in comparison to other years, and the diversity of actors and actresses is also great to see.
My Pick(s) :I think La La Land and Manchester by the Sea are the front runners, followed by Moonlight. La La Land has been a favourite of audiences and critics for the past few months and because of it’s subject matter, may have more appeal than Manchester by the Sea–which admittedly, was a bit of a heavy movie because of the content and storyline. I do think Moonlight could take the category, but again, the topics and the storyline may not have the same appeal to critics as La La Land.
My Prediction: La La Land will take this one. I don’t disagree with the Academy if the vote goes in this movie’s favour, but I genuinely think this category was phenomenal this year and it’s going to be a difficult decision.
Special Mention: Arrival is one of those movies that slow to start, but makes really interesting points about how humans interact and observe things that aren’t human. I enjoyed Arrival more from a literary criticism point of view, and everybody will not have the same perspective.
Best Actor
The Nominees: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) , Denzel Washington (Fences) , Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge) , Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic) , and Ryan Gosling ( La La Land) .
My Pick(s): I think this one should really go to Casey Affleck, regardless of the controversial news stories about the actor. He did a phenomenal job portraying a wide range of emotions, and did well to show them in his face. In the event that his talent is overlooked in favour of less controversy, I think the Best Actor will go to Denzel Washington. Denzel did a great job in Fences, and through his dialogue, managed to keep the story exciting and believable.
My Prediction: Denzel which is a solid movie and is so cleverly written. Denzel has a great role in this film and is placed among a very cohesive cast.
Special Mention: Andrew Garfield has come a long way since playing Spider-Man. I think he’s shown a lot of growth and maturity in Hacksaw Ridge, and his portrayal of a solider on the field is breathtaking.
Best Actress
The Nominees: Ruth Negga (Loving), Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins), Isabelle Huppert (Elle), Natalie Portman (Jackie) , and Emma Stone (La La Land).
My Pick(s):Admittedly, this is the category I’ve seen the least of, not by choice, but because access to some of these movies was difficult. I think Emma Stone is Oscar worthy for this one because of her ability to make the musical believable as more than just a bunch of sing-songs in La La Land. She brings a believable story and a special quirky life to the character. But from what I’ve heard, Ruth Negga in Loving, and Isabelle Huppert in Elle, are also top contenders for this award.
My Prediction: La La Land’s Emma Stone will likely win this award. She’s been getting a lot of Oscar buzz lately!
Best Director
The Nominees: Kenneth Lonergan(Manchester by the Sea), Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) , and Damian Chazelle (La La Land) .
My Pick(s): Again, despite controversial news stories go around about his personal character, Mel Gibson did an outstanding job directing Hacksaw Ridge. I was so moved by the way the movie was told the story and showed the details of that night at the Maeda Escarpment (aka Hacksaw Ridge) . I think it was a touching tribute to the real solider, Desmond T. Doss, and tells a gripping story about war, friendship and determination. A close second would be La La Land–many musicals can go disasteruously wrong if not directed well. La La Land was tastefully directed, with the right camera angles and the right lines!
My Prediction: La La Land and Damian Chazelle–which will deflect any controversy with the Academy.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Viola Davis (Fences), Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), and Nicole Kidman (Lion).
My pick: Naomie Harris hands down! She was completely immersed in her character in Moonlight, so much so, that I felt all the emotions towards her character. She was absolutely magnificent in acting like a drug-addict, and her delivery in the lines definitely tugged at my heartstrings. The audience in my theatre seemed to feel the same way.
My Prediction: Michelle Williams. I think the Manchester By the Sea actress may get this one, despite Naomie’s performance. The arguement here, is that Michelle Williams has minimal screen time, but has one of the most important scenes in the movie and delivers her lines flawlessly.
Special Mention: Viola Davis was a compelling mother character in Fences. She definitely played off Denzel’s character and the chemistry with her peers was phenomenal. Best Supporting Actor
The Nominees: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) Devl Patel (Lion), andMichael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
My pick(s): Lucas Hedges played a wonderfully believable teenager with all the right emotions at the right times. It’s hard to believe that Lucas is only 20 years old, as his acting abilities are far beyond his years and he delivers a great performance. With that said, Mahershala Ali did a great job as a father-figure in Moonlight, despite how short his performance is (only appearing in the first third of the movie). I hope to see Mahersala in more movies because I believe he has range.
My Prediction: Mahershala Ali will likely take this category. The academy is probably still fixing blunder of media from nominations last year with the lack of racial diversity. This category and Mahershala’s performance would be a great opportunity to give an incredible performance a strong-point of recognition.
Best Animated Feature Film
The Nominees: Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini, The Red Turtle, and Zootopia.
My pick(s): As someone who loves animated movie, this is hard to pick from. I think Zootopia, Kubo and Moana are the obvious front-runners in this category. Out of the three, I think Kubo has the best animation concepts and storyline, Moana has the best overall appeal and musical score, and Zootopia has the best script and cast.
My Prediction: I think Zootopia will be given this award. It was a whole different side of Disney Animations Studios, which I hope to see more of in the future.
Special Mention: The Red Turtle is an interesting film. It lacks the dialogue and panache of most animated movies, but it delivers a well-rounded story and drives the audience to reflect on their own lives.
Best Animated Short
The Nominees: Blind Vaysha, Borrowed Time, Pear Cider and Cigarettes , Pearl , and Piper
My pick(s): Blind Vaysha was perhaps the most eye-opening short, despite its title. The Canadian and French based story was moving, the animation was folksy, and it leaves the viewer with the message to look fully at the world, not just on the past or just the future. I also really enjoyed Piper, which was the short film that played before Finding Dory. The storyline behind Piper–which did not have any dialogue–was effective, and the narrative worked wonderfully with the animation.
My Prediction: Piper had some of the cleanest animation in this year’s category, accompanied by a magnificent yet simple storyline.
Special Mention: Borrowed Time is an animated short that delivers a lifetime of a story in just a few short minutes. It was simple to feel the character’s emotions and to understand the story that was portrayed even in that short amount of time.
Best Cinematography
The Nominees: Arrival, La La Land, Lion, Moonlight, and Silence.
My pick: This category is hard to pick from as I think my view of the “best” cinematography, may greatly differ from others. My choice is La La Land, based on its variety of camera shots, playfulness with lighting, and capturing of the Hollywood scene.
My Prediction: La La Land will likely be the Academy’s choice, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Arrival won either.
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Nominees: Arrival, Fences, Hidden Figures, Lion, and Moonlight.
My pick(s): I think Arrival and Moonlight are the two most likely to win this award, but both for different reasons. I think Arrival did a great job of portraying science and languages within the confines of a single room. The concepts were well explained and it was carefully adapted. Moonlight is also a well-written adaptation from it’s original format (a play). But the kicker here, is that the play’s basis comes from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s, who is play’s original writer is also the co-writer on the film. So I would really think that someone who created a play and co-wrote a film loosely based on their life, would be successful at it. The added element of change from the original format, is the content being told in three chapters, instead of simultaneously. All in all, well done.
My Prediction: Moonlight will take this one. And rightfully so!
Special Mention: Hidden Figures could have succeeded a lot more in its writing. But from some researching, I discovered that a lot of the best written scenes in the movie, are not true to the book, and brings the audience to a different conclusion in favour of NASA, instead of in favour of the women who should have been given a more favourable script.
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Nominees: Hell or High Water,La La Land, The Lobster, Manchester by the Sea, and 20th Century Women.
My pick(s): I think Manchester by the Sea or La La Land will walk away with this one. Manchester by the Sea has some of the most believable dialogue between characters that I’ve seen in years, and deals with a very difficult subject. But La La Land of course is another level of writing, which successfully ties in a script with a musical.
My prediction: La La Land will likely also snag this award.
Best Music (Original Song)
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from La La Land, Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, “Can’t Stop The Feeling” from Trolls Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster, “City Of Stars” from La La Land Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, “The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley StoryMusic and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting, “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
My pick(s): This one is a tough call between “How Far I’ll Go”, from Moana, and “City of Stars”, from La La Land as both suit their respective films and help to carry on the storylines in a unique and captivating way. But I will say this–I think it’s amazing how Disney has managed to get some amazing writers, like Lin-Manuel Miranda (swooooons for days), and make catchy tunes that get stuck in your head for days. Not that anyone needs to be reminded of “Let it Go” from Frozen!
My prediction: I really can’t predict this one. Sorry!
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The Nominees: A Man Called Ove, Suicide Squad, and Star Trek.
My pick: Definitely Suicide Squad. While the movie itself was a big disappointment to DC Fans and the DC Franchise, I think the Makeup and Hairstyling Department deserves the recognition for this film. They adapted a more recent Harley Quinn look and made it a very iconic, fashion statement this past year. They special effects makeup also played well with the costumes.
My prediction: I do think Suicide Squad will pick this one up. At least the movie did well in some aspects!
Best Film Editing
The Nominees: Arrival , Hacksaw Ridge , Hell or High Water , La La Land , and Moonlight.
My pick(s): I think Arrival and Hacksaw Ridge are both top contenders for this category. I think both film editing teams did a lot of work to get the quality of these films to where they’re at. Both have a lot of effects and sounds to take into consideration when it comes to editing the final film, and choosing the right sequences of shots to portray the stories must have been quite difficult!
My prediction: Hacksaw Ridge will likely win this, because the amount of shots that must have been taken into consideration to give the film the right war scenes, likely took hours to choose!
Best Visual Effects
The Nominees: Deepwater Horizon , Doctor Strange , The Jungle Book , Kubo and the Two Strings, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
My pick: Kubo and the Two Strings–This hand drawn mix with CGI movie is breathtaking! I couldn’t believe it was a mix between hand-drawn images mixed with CGI, and the result is a visual masterpiece. While I think the others in this category are also fantastic, it is wonderful to see this type of art grace a movie screen once again.
So there you have it! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my Oscar Picks and Predictions for the 2017 season. Host Jimmy Kimmel will be entertaining celebs and fans alike this Sunday February 26th. That means, you’ll want to get yourself some snacks, and perhaps place some bets on who you think will win at this year’s Oscars (not that I’m endorsing gambling…but a few dollars for a wager could be fun). Comment down below with your favourite Oscar films and who you think will win! I’m genuinely curious what everyone else thinks of this year’s choices.
