The 2017 Oscar Nominees and Who Should Win

 

It's Oscar time again and I usually don't give a sh#t about awards season but surprise, surprise -- the contenders aren't as white as usual. I've highlighted the nominees that I think should win their respective categories in red. I didn't make any picks in the four categories in which I haven't seen any of the nominated movies (Best Foreign Language Film, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Animated Short Film and Best Live-Action Short Film). Duh. Anyway, check 'em out. It all goes down February 26. 





Best Picture

Arrival

Fences

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water


Hidden Figures

La La Land

Lion

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Hell or High Water (check out the review here) is an underdog in the Oscar race (like Lion - read the review here) and probably won't win but it's the best film of the nine nominees. The other eight aren't even close to this good.





Best Documentary Feature





 

 
13th

Fire at Sea

I Am Not Your Negro

Life, Animated

O.J.: Made in America


The documentary category was tough this year. 13th (read the review here) is just as powerful as Made in America but O.J.'s story beats it by a nose because it's easy to watch it over and over again -- despite the fact that it's 7 hours long.

Best Director

Denis Villeneuve - Arrival

Mel Gibson - Hacksaw Ridge

Damien Chazelle - La La Land

Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea (read the review here)

Barry Jenkins - Moonlight

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

 

Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea

Andrew Garlfield - Hacksaw Ridge

Ryan Gosling - La La Land

Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic

Denzel Washington - Fences
  
It shouldn't be a surprise that Denzel nailed his performance in Fences (check out the review here). He starred in the play on which the movie is based. He could probably play that part in his sleep. But he's not the favorite to win so it will be a surprise if we find out that the Oscar voters did the right thing and rewarded him with his third trophy.





Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Mahershala Ali - Moonlight

Jeff Bridges - Hell or High Water

Lucas Hedges - Manchester by the Sea

Dev Patel - Lion

Michael Shannon - Nocturnal Animals


Jeff Bridges' character was a dick but his performance was top-notch.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

 

Isabelle Huppert - Elle

Ruth Negga - Loving

Natalie Portman - Jackie

Emma Stone - La La Land

Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Viola Davis - Fences

Naomie Harris - Moonlight

Nicole Kidman - Lion

Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures

Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea

Viola Davis portrayed Denzel Washington's wife right next to him in the stage version of Fences. Like him, she knows the role inside and out and knocked it outta the park. She should win.

Best Animated Feature

Kubo and the Two Strings

Moana

My Life as a Zucchini

The Red Turtle

Zootopia

Best Original Song

"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" - La La Land

"Can't Stop The Feeling" - Trolls

"City Of Stars" - La La Land

"The Empty Chair" - Jim: The James Foley Story

"How Far I'll Go" - Moana

Best Cinematography

 

Arrival

La La Land (click here to read the review)

Lion

Moonlight

Silence

Best Costume Design

 

Allied (check out the review here)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Florence Foster Jenkins

Jackie

La La Land

Best Editing

Arrival

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water

La La Land

Moonlight

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

 

A Man Called Ove

Star Trek Beyond

Suicide Squad

Best Original Score

 

Jackie

La La Land

Lion

Moonlight

Passengers

Best Production Design

Arrival

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Hail, Caesar!

La La Land

Passengers

Best Sound Editing

Arrival

Deepwater Horizon

Hacksaw Ridge

La La Land

Sully

Best Sound Mixing

Arrival

Hacksaw Ridge

La La Land

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Best Visual Effects

Deepwater Horizon

Doctor Strange

The Jungle Book

Kubo and the Two Strings

 
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Batman v. Superman should've been nominated in this category too. But nothing in 2016 looked better than Rogue One.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Arrival

Fences

Hidden Figures

Lion

Moonlight

Best Original Screenplay

Hell or High Water

La La Land

The Lobster

Manchester by the Sea

20th Century Women

Best Foreign Language Film

Land of Mine

A Man Called Ove

The Salesman

Tanna

Toni Erdmann

Best Documentary Short Subject

Extremis

4.1 Miles

Joe's Violin

Watani: My Homeland

The White Helmets

Best Animated Short Film

Blind Vaysha

Borrowed Time

Pear Cider and Cigarettes

Pearl

Piper

Best Live-Action Short Film

Ennemis Intérieurs

La Femme et le TGV

Silent Nights

Sing

Timecode 


Feel free to give your picks in the comments section.
Click on over to see John's picks here.

- Ran Britt

Related:



The Best Films of 2016










2016 - Year of the Documentary
 










"The Birth of a Nation" Review








"Hell or High Water" - A Modern Western Masterpiece

I'm Glad I Saw 'Hidden Figures' on MLK Day

 

One of the better, if not best, films of 2016/2017 is the "Hidden Figures." What a treasure and a joy this film is! It is not only a film with many emotions ranging from laughter to love to anger, but it is also one of appreciation and education. 

It is not very often that a film's director can find the perfect balance of entertaining the audience while at the same time educating or getting a life message across to them without seeming to be overly 'preachy.' What a powerful film this is - for women, African Americans (men as well, but in this case especially the women) and people of all races and sexes. 

First, the performers in the cast are phenomenal, especially the main characters portrayed by Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae. Unbelievable acting -- and you could feel their appreciation for each other radiating off of the screen. Watching what these women had to go through and the challenges and adversity they faced during that time period was hard to watch and made me angry to think that people - because of the color of their skin - had to (and in many cases still do) endure such hardship and racism. But here is what I love about the movie. 

While it does not shy away from those hard facts, because history should be learned from (both the good and bad), it did not focus entirely on that. The women portrayed in this film were just that - women who were very smart and worked very hard to get ahead in life. They were women who were wives, mothers, daughters and more but were extremely talented and smart and were proud to be Americans. 

I am so glad I saw this film, especially on Martin Luther King, Jr. day as this film only reinforced the fact that we should learn to love ALL of our fellow people regardless of race, sex, religion or anything else for that matter. Definitely a wonderful film for all to see!

- John Z.

Related:



The Best Films of 2016 






 

2016 - The Year of the Documentary 

'Fences' is Phenomenal

 

'Fences' is phenomenal. I'm gonna tell you what -- that was some powerhouse acting in that movie. While Denzel was great, Viola Davis TORE UP that screen. She was incredible and deserves a nomination for a Best Actress Academy Award. 

But everyone in the film was great and it is one of those that stays with you for a long time after. Just amazing and really what movies are about.

- John Z.

 

"Sing" Puts the Pressure on Pixar

 

"Sing" is excellent! This is not just a movie kids can appreciate but one that adults can relate to as well. The animation is excellent and the characters are so believable and likable. 

But of course the real 'star' of the film is the music. Such a great and diverse list of songs are played in this movie. It is fun, makes you move and want to sing along. In fact, several people behind us were! But I have throw a personal note in and say to watch my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter clap her hands in time to the music tells it all! Fun, enjoyable movie! Pixar definitely has some serious competition!

- John Z.

"Lion" Movie Review

 

Many movies that are 'based on a true story' do not ring true in my opinion. Either the acting is over-the-top or the story itself too far fetched to be believable. However, in the past couple of years there have been some pretty good ones such as 'The Impossible', based on the Indian Ocean tsunami (the graphics were amazing if you have not seen it), 'Capote', based on the life of Truman Capote, and 'Everest', based on the disastrous climb in 1996 to the summit of Mt. Everest by a climbing party. 

There is a new film out that is truly amazing and is good in so many ways. The film, 'Lion', based on the book 'A Long Way Home', is about a 5 year old boy who gets lost from his family in the poor district of an Indian village. Eventually the child is adopted and cared for by a wonderful family but once he is grown he begins to feel the need to find his mother and siblings. 

First, the young actor who plays 'Saroo' is unbelievable! You are totally in a trance watching this young kid act out this part but you really believe he is experiencing everything on the screen. His performance is gut wrenching. The older 'Saroo', Dev Patel, does a great job as well, including the always wonderful Nicole Kidman. This movie works because the story is believable and the performers are so good. 

The other thing is knowing that this is based on a true story. To see the life of the many poor people and how they live in the various Indian communities is very hard to watch at times but it makes you appreciate what you have and glad that 'Saroo' was able to 'find a way out' even thought it was by the events that took place. The ending is well worth the wait and awesome. This is a wonderfully acted film that touches your heart. Loved it!

 - John Z.