The Oscar nominations for the 89th Annual Academy Award which was on Tuesday announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has kept the cinematic and film industry buzzing.
The Oscars are the biggest award show of the year, so one can wonder about the excitement and anticipation surrounding it. This year’s Oscar nominations seem to quash the #OscarsSoWhite controversy from last year with more open nominations in the leading categories.
Having set the tone to be an Oscar contender at the Critics’ Choice Awards and Golden Globes with 7 awards, La La Land is leading the pack in this year’s Oscar with massive 14 nominations. Let’s take a look at the nominations and predictions of who’s going to win what in the leading categories.
Best Picture
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight
This award category holds nine nominees but only two are likely possible winners- La La Land and Moonlight. La La Land being triumphant at awards from last year, is predicted to win the best picture. With Moonlight as the strongest contender with 8 nominations in big categories and a best picture effort, La La Land’s 14 nominations look more likely to earn it the Best Picture Award.
Best Actor
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)
La La Land’s 14 nominations might not earn the movie a Best Actor win, with Manchester by the Sea’s Casey Affleck being a strong contender and likely possible winner. This is a first and long time coming Oscar nomination for Casey and as this might not be a Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Revenant” win; Casey is sure to win this with his performance in Manchester by the Sea which had earned him an award at the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globes leaving him with an Oscar to grab which he’s certainly going to earn even with Denzel Washington, breaking his own record of most Oscar nominations by a black actor with 7 at his heels.
Best Actress
Isabelle Hupert (Elle)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
With La La Land earning Emma Stone a Golden Globe which has made the beauty a best actress contender, we are not surprised at the Oscar nomination and neither will we be surprised when she wins the Golden statuette for the Best Actress. Ruth Negga’s performance in Loving was a touching romance tale which was enjoyable but with a sing, dance and act trifecta of Emma Stone, we would bet on her! Although with Natalie Portman in this category, one can ask the question – will Stone beat Portman to the win? I guess if Amy Adams was included, we would be in a bind.
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
Micheal Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
No doubt Mahershala Ali is going to nab this award category for his performance in Moonlight. Ali’s nominations at award shows and a win at the Critics’ Choice Award has set a tone for his Oscar win. Although he lost a Golden Globe in this category to Aaron Taylor Johnson, who could have been a threat, isn’t nominated for an Oscar, thereby paving the way for Mahershala.
Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
With a Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe award already on her shelf, it will be a shame for Viola Davis not to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Apart from making history being the first black actress to receive three Oscar nominations, Viola Davis with her third nomination will definitely sweep this award category.
Best Director
Dennis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
It highlights the American dream in the film industry when you find young, brilliant and new directors like Dennis Villeneuve, Damien Chazelle shoving the regulars like Clint Eastwood off the way. Damien Chazelle’s brilliance in the musical comedy of La La Land which has earned the movie 14 nominations obviously shouldn’t go unrewarded as a best director win looks possible for him. With Mel Gibson’s return and his directing in Hacksaw Ridge, it can’t beat Damien Chazelle’s.
With award shows still on, prediction chances might sway. We’ll have to wait with our predictions till Feb. 26 when the 89th Oscars will air live on ABC at 8:30pm ET with Jimmy Kimmel as host.
0 Comments