Oscar Predictions 2017
by
Kam Williams
Will
La La Land make history by eclipsing the record of 11 Academy Awards?
Damien Chazelle's magical homage to the Hollywood musical definitely
has a decent shot. After all, it's a lock to win in 5 categories:
Best Picture, Director, Score, Original Song, and Sound Mixing. And
it 's the heavy favorite in another 5: Lead Actress, Cinematography,
Costume Design, Production Design and Film Editing.
That
leaves Sound Editing, Original Screenplay and Lead Actor. La La's
best shot at tying the record will be by beating the World War II
epic, Hacksaw Ridge in Sound Editing.
If
successful there, it has two paths to 12. Unfortunately, Ryan Gosling
is unlikely to win for Lead Actor because he's up against some very
stiff competition in Casey Affleck and Denzel Washington. That leaves
Original Screenplay where Manchester by the Sea has the advantage by
virtue of its being a super-realistic drama as opposed to an escapist
musical fantasy.
Nevertheless,
I'm optimistic that the Academy voters will pull the lever for the
very-deserving La La Land a record-breaking dozen times.
The
Envelope Please
Who
Will Win, Who Deserves to Win, Who Was Snubbed
Best
Picture
Will
Win: La La Land
Deserves
to Win: La La Land
Overlooked:
Deadpool
Best
Director
Will
Win: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Deserves
to Win: Damien Chazelle
Overlooked:
Denzel Washington (Fences) and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures)
Comment
: Wunderkind Damien Chazelle, at 32, becomes the youngest Best
Director winner in history.
Best
Actor
Will
Win: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Deserves
to Win: Casey Affleck
Overlooked:
Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)
Comment:
Denzel Washington might upset Affleck, if the Academy decides to
overcompensate for its complete snubbing of minority actors the last
two years. And Ryan Gosling has a puncher's chance of prevailing if
La La Land's sweep turns out to be a record-breaking tsunami.
Best
Actress
Will
Win: Emma Stone (La La Land)
Deserves
to Win: Emma Stone
Overlooked:
Amy Adams (Arrival) and Annette Bening (20th Century Women)
Comment:
Stone is a shoo-in for three reasons. First, Viola Davis opted to
compete in the Supporting Actress category. Second, it was an
off-year for perennial-nominee Meryl Streep whose performance in
Florence Foster Jenkins was undeserving. Third, Amy Adams wasn't even
nominated. Fourth, Emma's the only Lead Actress nominee whose movie
was also nominated for Best Picture.
Best
Supporting Actor
Will
Win: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Deserves
to Win: Mahershala Ali
Overlooked:
Andre Holland (Moonlight) and John (La La Land)
Comment:
2016 was a breakout year for Mahershala Ali who was only on screen in
Moonlight for about 20 minutes. But he always cuts such a mesmerizing
presence that he could have just as easily been nominated for Hidden
Figures, Kicks or Free State of Jones.
Best
Supporting Actress
Will
Win: Viola Davis (Fences)
Deserves
to Win: Viola Davis
Overlooked:
Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women) and Janelle Monae (Moonlight)
Comment:
Viola Davis finally gets the Oscar she deserved for The Help. This
go-round, she strategically avoided a head-to-head showdown with
Meryl Streep by downsizing her starring role into a support
performance.
Best
Original Screenplay
Will
Win: La La Land
Deserves
to Win: La La Land
Overlooked:
Loving
Comment:
La La Land manages to squeak by Manchester by the Sea, a critical win
on an historic night.
Best
Adapted Screenplay
Will
Win: Moonlight
Deserves
to Win: Moonlight
Overlooked:
Deadpool
Question:
Why was Moonlight nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar,
but nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category by both the
British Academy and the Writers Guild of America?
Predictions
for the Balance of the Categories
Animated
Feature: Zootopia
Foreign
Language Film: Toni Erdmann
Documentary
Feature: 13th
Cinematography:
La La Land
Costume
Design: La La Land
Production
Design: La La Land
Film
Editing: La La Land
Makeup
and Hairstyling: Star Trek Beyond
Original
Score: La La Land
Best
Song: La La Land ("City of Stars")
Sound
Editing: La La Land
Sound
Mixing: La La Land
Visual
Effects: The Jungle Book
Animated
Short: Piper
Documentary
Short: Extremis
Live-Action
Short: Ennemis Interieurs
No comments:
Post a Comment