Tuesday 24 January 2017

Oscars 2017: Snubs, Surprises and Who'll End Up Winning

And they're out! And what a bunch of films we've got going for the big awards this year. With the journey to this point being filled with rape allegations (The Birth of a Nation) and bizarre turns of events (Deadpool's big success with nominations elsewhere), it was hard to know just what would end up in the final nominations list. But let's get to it in order of announcement, starting with...

Best Supporting Actor
Snubs: The big names being thrown around here are Hugh Grant and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who have had a good run with the Golden Globes and BAFTAs but barely made it into the final five here. Kevin Costner was also considered a strong possibility but to no avail.
Surprises: Michael Shannon! Lucas Hedges! And I'm still curious why Dev Patel is a supporting actor in his own movie.
Who Should Win? Jeff Bridges/Michael Shannon/Marershala Ali
Who Will Win? Mahershala Ali

Best Cinematography
Snubs: A good few films - award-winning and indie - could have made the cut here, with the likes of The Neon Demon, Swiss Army Man and Nocturnal Animals being worthy here. 
Surprises: None! Each entry is a worthy nominee.
Who Should Win? Arrival/La La Land
Who Will Win? Arrival/La La Land

Best Actor
  • Casey Affleck - Manchester By The Sea
  • Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge
  • Ryan Gosling - La La Land
  • Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic
  • Denzel Washington - Fences
Snubs: Tom Hanks? Jake Gyllenhaal? Heck, in an alternative dimension maybe even Ryan Reynolds could have been included here.
Surprises: None! They're the exact same batch of people who have been nominated throughout. Although kudos to Mortensen to elevating such a small film to new heights.
Who Should Win? Casey Affleck/Ryan Gosling
Who Will Win? Casey Affleck/Ryan Gosling

Best Sound Editing
Snubs: Sound awards tend to be where some of the more general audience-friendly films make their appearance. So alas, no love for the likes of Star Wars, Captain America, or The Jungle Book.
Surprises: None!
Who Should Win? Arrival/La La Land
Who Will Win? Arrival/La La Land

Best Sound Mixing
Snubs: The biggest one is probably The Jungle Book, although some love for animated movies like Finding Dory could also have been given here.
Surprises: Let's be honest: does anyone even remember 13 Hours? Yet here sits a Michael Bay film.
Who Should Win? Arrival/La La Land
Who Will Win? Arrival/La La Land

Best Production Design
Snubs: Poor Jackie failed to make a mark here despite how elegant it looks.
Surprises: Only one of my personal nominees made the cut, and that's Fantastic Beasts. The rest are solid...but was anyone expecting the panned Passengers or the return of Coen Brothers effort Hail, Caesar!? Certainly not me.
Who Should Win? Arrival/La La Land
Who Will Win? La La Land

Best Visual Effects
Snubs: No Fantastic Beasts? Not even Arrival could make it here, despite featuring some realistic space pods and some great alien creations.
Surprises: Kubo and the Two Strings! An animated film hasn't been nominated for this category since The Nightmare Before Christmas, so this is certainly a huge surprise.
Who Should Win? Doctor Strange/The Jungle Book
Who Will Win? The Jungle Book

Best Costume Design

Snubs: There was plenty of talk for Kubo possibly making waves here too, but I think it would have been neat seeing the likes of Hail, Caesar! and even the overlooked Everybody Wants Some!! making a mark here.
Surprises: None!
Who Should Win? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them/Jackie/La La Land
Who Will Win? Jackie/La La Land

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Snubs: I really wish they'd expand this category to having five nominees like all the others, as there are so many possible entries. Deadpool, The Neon Demon, Sing Street... c'mon Academy, a lot of work goes into it!
Surprises: Suicide Squad: Oscar nominee. *shudders*. Also, I was not even aware of A Man Called Ove, so... surprise!
Who Should Win? Star Trek Beyond
Who Will Win? Star Trek Beyond

Best Original Score
  • Jackie
  • La La Land
  • Lion
  • Moonlight
  • Passengers
Snubs: Okay, I have a soft spot for Thomas Newman's work on Finding Dory, so I'm especially upset by its lack of recognition here. But even then, maybe Kubo or The BFG could have made a mark here.
Surprises: Passengers! It's here again. Does this mean I definitely have to see it now? Because the reviews put me off.
Who Should Win? La La Land
Who Will Win? La La Land

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
Snubs: SING STREET. SING STREET. SING STREET. SING STREET. 'Drive it Like You Stole It' has been a strong favourite for many, and its Golden Globe nomination gave it some legitimacy. But the film has walked out of 2016 with nothing, which pains me. It's also interesting to see a lack of love for Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping in the one category it might have had a shot at. Maybe voters think they're being "so humble"?
Surprises: TWO nominations for La La Land! Not only that, but one being for 'Audition' rather than the likes of 'Another Day of Sun'. Also, 'The Empty Chair'.
Who Should Win? City of Stars (La La Land)
Who Will Win? City of Stars (La La Land)

Best Original Screenplay
  • Hell or High Water
  • La La Land
  • The Lobster
  • Manchester By The Sea
  • 20th Century Women
Snubs: While the final five are all solid picks, would it have hurt to have gone left-field with some of its choices? The Nice Guys? Swiss Army Man? No?
Surprises: None! Although very happy to see The Lobster get some recognition/
Who Should Win? Hell or High Water/La La Land/The Lobster
Who Will Win? La La Land/Manchester By The Sea

Best Adapted Screenplay
  • Arrival
  • Fences
  • Hidden Figures
  • Lion
  • Moonlight
Snubs: There's been a little talk of a potential Deadpool nod here, especially following a WGA nomination, so his lack of presence is a little disappointing. Aside from that... Hacksaw Ridge?
Surprises: None!
Who Should Win? Moonlight/Arrival
Who Will Win? Moonlight

Best Animated Feature
  • Kubo and the Two Strings
  • Moana
  • My Life as a Zucchini
  • The Red Turtle
  • Zootropolis
Snubs: FINDING DORY. FINDING DORY. FINDING DORY. FINDING DORY. It always depresses me when a Pixar movie fails to get nominated (except Cars 2. That year the disappointment was for Tintin's lack of nomination), and for this particular entry, the workmanship on Hank was alone worth a nomination. There's also some outcry for Your Name, although its lack of US release may be the cause of that.
Surprises: The Red Turtle came out left-field here, although it's hardly a huge surprise. 
Who Should Win? Kubo and the Two Strings/Zootropolis
Who Will Win? Zootropolis

Best Supporting Actress
  • Viola Davis - Fences
  • Naomie Harris - Moonlight
  • Nicole Kidman - Lion
  • Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures
  • Michelle Williams - Manchester By The Sea
Snubs: None!
Surprises: None, but a big win for people of colour with three nominees here!
Who Should Win? Viola Davis/Michelle Williams
Who Will Win? Viola Davis

Best Film Editing
  • Arrival
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Hell or High Water
  • La La Land
  • Moonlight
Snubs: None!
Surprises: None!
Who Should Win? La La Land
Who Will Win? La La Land

Best Actress
  • Isabelle Huppert - Elle
  • Ruth Negga - Loving
  • Natalie Portman - Jackie
  • Emma Stone - La La Land
  • Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins
Snubs: Everyone knows which one is most deserving of being here.Amy Adams won me over in both Arrival and Nocturnal Animals and even gave her my own recognition in my Best (and Worst) of 2016 awards. There's also the lack of Annette Benning though, who's performance in 20th Century Women has been making waves for months yet has ended up with nothing with the big award.
Surprises: While all five have been recurring appearances on the awards circuit, Ruth Negga has been a smaller name amongst giants of Portman and Stone. 
Who Should Win? Emma Stone/Natalie Portman
Who Will Win? Isabelle Huppert/Natalie Portman/Emma Stone

Best Director
  • Denis Villeneuve - Arrival
  • Mel Gibson - Hacksaw Ridge
  • Damien Chazelle - La La Land
  • Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester By The Sea
  • Barry Jenkins - Moonlight
Snubs: No love for Nocturnal Animals or Silence here despite rave reviews for Tom Ford and Martin Scorsese, and for a possible bit of racial diversity Denzel Washington for Fences, although he's got attention already with his Best Actor nomination. 
Surprises: Again, no surprises here as all five were recently nominated for in the Golden Globes. At most, Mel Gibson being welcomed back so openly a decade on from his controversial comments is a shock, but no more than it was a month ago.
Who Should Win? Damien Chazelle/Denis Villeneuve
Who Will Win? Damien Chazelle

Best Picture
Snubs: Whilst many are likely crying out over a snubbed Deadpool nomination, it's more the artistic works like Silence and Nocturnal Animals that have been cut off. Personally, I think it would have been a nice touch for Zootropolis to make an appearance - although Arrival does have the whole basis of unity between races/countries covered.
Surprises: Honestly, there are no real surprises here. Each of these films has been leading the fray, whilst the likes of Arrival have had winning reviews regardless.
Who Should Win? La La Land/Manchester By The Sea/Moonlight
Who Will Win? La La Land/Moonlight


So! With a good few of these coming to cinemas in the upcoming weeks, expect a slew of new reviews!*

*maybe. No promises
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