Oscar season is here again, and all of Hollywood’s finest stars will walk down the red carpet to be asked who they’re wearing by an overly eager Ryan Seacrest. If all previous award shows from this year serve as predictors, this last, biggest show will likely turn very political very quickly. The ceremony’s In Memoriam will be one of the longest on record, honoring everyone from Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds to Alan Rickman and Gene Wilder. La La Land leads with a record-tying 14 nominations (along with 1997’s Titanic and 1950’s All About Eve). Jimmy Kimmel will host, and Justin Timberlake, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sting, and John Legend will perform.
The Contenders
Best Picture
The nominees are: Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight
The Oscar will go to: La La Land
Could/Should win: Moonlight should and could
Dissed: Loving, 20th Century Women, Nocturnal Animals
Best Actress
The nominees are: Isabelle Huppert (Elle), Ruth Negga (Loving), Natalie Portman (Jackie), Emma Stone (La La Land), Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
The Oscar will go to: Emma Stone
Could/Should win: Isabelle Huppert should and could
Dissed: Amy Adams (Arrival), Annette Bening (20th Century Women), Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures)
Best Actor
The nominees are: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic), Denzel Washington (Fences)
The Oscar will go to: Denzel Washington
Could/Should win: Casey Affleck could
Dissed: Joel Edgerton (Loving), Andrew Garfield (Silence), Tom Hanks (Sully)
Best Supporting Actress
The nominees are: Viola Davis (Fences), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Nicole Kidman (Lion), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
The Oscar will go to: Viola Davis, who will likely inspire all with her acceptance speech
Could/Should win: Michelle Williams could
Dissed: Greta Gerwig (Jackie), Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures)
Best Supporting Actor
The nominees are: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Dev Patel (Lion), Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
The Oscar will go to: Mahershala Ali
Could/Should win: Jeff Bridges could
Dissed: Kevin Costner (Hidden Figures), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals)
Best Director
The nominees are: Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), Dennis Villeneuve (Arrival)
The Oscar will go to: Damien Chazelle
Could/Should win: Barry Jenkins should
Dissed: Denzel Washington (Fences), Garth Davis (Lion), David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water)
Best Adapted Screenplay
The nominees are: Arrival, Fences, Hidden Figures, Lion, Moonlight
The Oscar will go to: Moonlight
Could/Should win: Arrival could
Dissed: Loving, Nocturnal Animals
Best Original Screenplay
The nominees are: 20th Century Women, Hell or High Water, La La Land, The Lobster, Manchester by the Sea
The Oscar will go to: Manchester by the Sea
Could/Should win: La La Land could
Dissed: Captain Fantastic, Zootopia
Best Animated Feature Film
The nominees are: Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini, The Red Turtle, Zootopia
The Oscar will go to: Zootopia
Could/Should win: Kubo and the Two Strings could
Dissed: Miss Hokusai, The Little Prince
Best Documentary
The nominees are: 13th, Fire at Sea, I Am Not Your Negro, Life, Animated, OJ: Made in America
The Oscar will go to: OJ: Made in America
Could/Should win: 13th should
Dissed: Gleason, Cameraperson, Weiner
Best Foreign Language Film
The nominees are: Land of Mine (Denmark), A Man Called Ove (Sweden), The Salesman (Iran), Tanna (Australia), Toni Erdmann (Germany)
The Oscar will go to: The Salesman
Could/Should win: Toni Erdmann
Dissed: My Life as a Zucchini (Switzerland), Paradise (Russia)
Best Original Score
The nominees are: Jackie, La La Land, Lion, Moonlight, Passengers
The Oscar will go to: La La Land
Could/Should win: Lion could
Dissed: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Cinematography
The nominees are: Arrival, La La Land, Lion, Moonlight, Silence
The Oscar will go to: La La Land
Could/Should win: Lion could, Moonlight should
Dissed: Nocturnal Animals, Hacksaw Ridge, Hail, Caesar!
Best Costume Design
The nominees are: Allied, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Florence Foster Jenkins, Jackie, La La Land
The Oscar goes to: Jackie
Could/Should win: La La Land could
Dissed: The Dressmaker, Live by Night
I’ve developed my predictions through personal opinions of film topic and story originality, and depth of performance.
Don’t hold me to any of these predictions, but do comment if you think I missed the mark or didn’t mention something that you think should have been nominated!
Laemmle Theaters in the Village are screening the Oscar Nominated Shorts in all three categories (Animated, Live Action, Documentary) this weekend.
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