WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Nominees: Hell or High Water; La La Land; The Lobster; Manchester by the Sea; 20th Century Women
My pick: Manchester by the Sea. This story was a gripping portrait of loss and depression in a small town. It was both devastating and funny. It owes these strong emotional beats to a terrific script.
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Nominees: Arrival; Fences; Hidden Figures; Lion; Moonlight
My pick: Fences or Hidden Figures. I’m caught between the August Wilson play and the incredible story of the women of color who defined our space program in silence. Both are potent stories that translate well to screen.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Nominees: Deepwater Horizon; Doctor Strange; The Jungle Book; Kubo and the Two Strings; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
My pick: Kubo and the Two Strings. A Variety review by Peter Debruge describes the film’s “distinctive animation style involves a complex mix of cutting-edge technology and painstaking human labor so fine that it’s easily and often mistaken for pure computer-generated images.” While I’m not sure Kubo can beat Moana for Best Animated Picture, I definitely think it deserves a visual effects win.
SOUND MIXING
Nominees: Arrival; Hacksaw Ridge; La La Land; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
My pick: Hacksaw Ridge. This film had the challenge of mixing what The Hollywood Reporter describes as a “big orchestral score” with the sounds and chaos of battle. I have always been a fan of the sound design of war films and I believe this is one that deserves a win.
SOUND EDITING
Nominees: Arrival; Deepwater Horizon; Hacksaw Ridge; La La Land; Sully
My pick: La La Land. As a musical, this film had a lot to work with in terms of sound. The A.V. Club Review describes a highly satisfying sound moment in the film: the contrast between the film’s opening number and the chorus of traffic horns that followed.
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Nominees: Ennemis Intérieurs; La Femme et le TGV; Silent Nights; Sing; Timecode
My pick: La Femme et le TGV. The trailer for this film captures its sweet premise and examines the love people can have for strangers.
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Nominees: Blind Vaysha; Borrowed Time; Pear Cider and Cigarettes; Pearl; Piper
My pick: Blind Vaysha. The animation style is distinctive especially against the Pixar film Piper and Disney’s Pearl. It would be a fresh Academy pick.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Nominees: Arrival; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Hail, Caesar!; La La Land; Passengers
My pick: La La Land. The film is beautifully designed. The costumes, the settings, the colors everything shines with a bit of old Hollywood nostalgia. Although I’m not convinced the film deserves to steal Best Picture or Best Director from Moonlight, Best Production Design would be an appropriate nod.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Nominees: "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 Story, Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting; "How Far I’ll Go" from Moana, Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
My pick: "How Far I’ll Go" from Moana. Let’s help Lin-Manuel Miranda become an EGOT. The song is a sweet and emotional coming of age musical adventure.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Nominees: Jackie; La La Land; Lion; Moonlight; Passengers
My pick: La La Land. As a musical, La La Land, is unique and its score requires a bit more. This would be a well deserved win.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Nominees: A Man Called Ove; Star Trek Beyond; Suicide Squad
My pick: A Man Called Ove. I’m a fan of a more realistic hair and makeup design. A Man Called Ove is subtly beautiful in a way that is more difficult to achieve than the flashier Star Trek Beyond and Suicide Squad.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Nominees: Land of Mine; A Man Called Ove; The Salesman; Tanna; Toni Erdmann
My pick: A Man Called Ove. Indiewire reports that A Man Called Ove is the highest grossing foreign film of the year, and for good reason. This sensitive story teaches people what can come from getting to know their neighbors.
FILM EDITING
Nominees: Arrival; Hacksaw Ridge; Hell or High Water; La La Land; Moonlight
My pick: Moonlight. The decision to tell this film in three parts was perfect. The cuts are artful and they add to the story’s layers. If you learn anything from the Academy Awards this year it should be that Moonlight is a deserving film.
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
Nominees: Extremis; 4.1 Miles, Joe’s Violin; Watani: My Homeland; The White Helmets
My pick: My Homeland. This film tells a powerful and potent tale about a family fleeing Aleppo after their father is captured by ISIS. It is an important film for this current cultural moment and it deserves an Oscar.
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
Nominees: Fire at Sea; I Am Not Your Negro; Life, Animated; O.J.: Made in America; 13th
My pick: 13th. Ava DuVernay was snubbed in 2015 when she failed to receive a Best Director nomination for Selma. Her fantastic instincts as a director are showcased once again in 13th, a powerful documentary about mass incarceration, the War on Drugs, and Race in contemporary America. She deserves a Documentary win.
DIRECTING
Nominees: Arrival; Hacksaw Ridge; La La Land; Manchester by the Sea; Moonlight
My pick: Moonlight. According to The Huffington Post, no black man has ever won Best Director at the Oscars. Barry Jenkins is only the fourth to ever be nominated. His directorial decisions in Moonlight put an independent film on the map.
COSTUME DESIGN
Nominees: Allied; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Florence Foster Jenkins; Jackie; La La Land
My pick: Jackie. Bring Jackie’s fashion sense and class back. This film captures her fashion sense well.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nominees: Arrival; La La Land; Lion; Moonlight; Silence
My pick: Moonlight. The swimming lessons scene. If that’s not explanation enough check out the gentleness with which the film captures Chiron’s story and his relationship with Juan. This is a truly visual experience.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Nominees: Kubo and the Two Strings; Moana; My Life as a Zucchini; The Red Turtle; Zootopia
My pick: Moana. I’m rooting for a girl, and Disney’s first princess, who doesn’t need a man. Moana’s story is the kind of film I was looking for as a young girl trapped as the prince in my sister’s princess games. For my childhood self, I’d like to see Moana win.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Nominees: Viola Davis, Fences; Naomie Harris, Moonlight; Nicole Kidman, Lion; Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures; Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
My pick: Viola Davis, Fences. This is Viola Davis’ third nomination. She is the first black actress to earn that many nominations. She has never won, however. Fences is the perfect performance to change that.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Nominees: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight; Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water; Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea; Dev Patel, Lion; Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
My pick: Dev Patel, Lion. I’ve been a fan of Patel since Slumdog Millionaire. I even liked him in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel franchise. In Lion Patel brings it once again. The Guardian review, by Peter Bradshaw, credits his “A-game” performance in it’s title, “Dev Patel excels in incredible postmodern odyssey.”
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Nominees: Isabelle Huppert, Elle; Ruth Negga, Loving; Natalie Portman, Jackie; Emma Stone, La La Land; Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
My pick: Ruth Negga, Loving. This is a softer film. The Variety review, by Peter Debruge, herolds the “emotional impact” of Negga’s “understated” performance and describes it as “[one] of the best American performances of the past several years.”
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Nominees: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea; Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge; Ryan Gosling, La La Land; Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic; Denzel Washington, Fences
My pick: Denzel Washington, Fences. Washington directed and starred in this adaption of the August Wilson play. A Variety review of the film by Owen Gleiberman described his performance as “ keep[ing] both sides of Troy in beautiful balance, so that he never seems more humane than when the full extent of his demons is revealed.”
BEST PICTURE
Nominees: Arrival; Fences; Hacksaw Ridge; Hell or High Water; Hidden Figures; La La Land; Lion; Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight
My pick: Moonlight. While La La Land is getting the most buzz, I’m hoping Academy voters can look past its chintzy, obvious love-letter to Hollywood style bid and vote for a film with real power. Moonlight tells an important story simply and beautifully. A Best Picture win is exactly what Barry Jenkins and his cast and crew deserve. La La Land is an easy pick. It is the film American nostalgia wants but Moonlight is the film it needs.
