The award season is in the air, and with the Oscar nominations having been announced on Jan. 24, the buzz around the Oscars is in full throttle.
In case you’ve been missing the low-down, here’s everything you need to know about the biggest pictures for the upcoming 89th annual Oscars ceremony:
The Oscars got a break from backlash and controversy this year. We’re far from the 2016 ceremony’s #OscarsSoWhite ordeal that took over social media. Last year’s major snubs, lack of diversity, and underwhelming nominations left a sour taste in the mouths of many, and put many on edge for this year’s nominations. Luckily, the academy took last year’s backlash seriously, as they updated and diversified their members.
Three of this year’s films nominated in the Best Picture category include a predominantly black main cast.
- Fences, directed by none other than Denzel Washington, tells the story of a working class family. Washington plays Troy Maxson, a sanitation worker whose dream was to be a baseball player. The dream could never come true, as he was too old when the major leagues started drafting black people. The story is a different angle of the failed American Dream, and beautifully showcases Viola Davis’ (The Help) and Washington’s emotional and powerful acting styles.
You can still catch Fences at the good old Cineplex Odeon Forum, downtown.
- Moonlight is this year’s ultimate masterpiece. Just like how it cleaned up the Golden Globes, I predict it will clean up as the big title at the Oscars. The film is so refreshingly un-Hollywood. It is an attainable art film that is written, directed, cast, and played to perfection. The film poetically explores modern-day African-American life, in an intimate coming-of-age way. In his review in the New York Times, O.S. Scott wrote, “Barry Jenkins’s new film somehow manages to feel grand and intricate in the same moment, weaving random memories and crucial life experiences into a gripping tapestry.” This film was nominated in eight different categories.
You can still catch Moonlight at Cinéma du Parc, Cinéplex Odéon Quartier Latin, or Cinéplex Odéon Forum.
- La La Land has tied with classic films Titanic and All about Eve with 14 nominations in this year’s ceremony. However, a lot of contradicting feedback has been floating around for this film. While some say it is a beautiful and magical musical, some frown upon it for its “unbearable whiteness,” as critic Geoff Nelson put it in his review for Paste Film magazine. The film chronicles aspiring actress Mia, played by Emma Stone, and jazz pianist Sebastian, played by Ryan Gosling, as they both try to “make it big” in Hollywood. While beautiful from an aesthetic and on-screen chemistry standpoint, the importance and historical honesty of the film is up for debate.
Be part of the debate by catching La La Land at Cinéma du Parc, Cinéplex Odéon Quartier Latin, or Cinéplex Odéon Forum.
Other films in the Best Picture category include…
Lion
Starring Dev Patel, this moving and heartbreaking film recounts the quest of an adopted boy to find his biological family. The cast greatly complements the beautiful story and cinematography
Nominations:
- Best Picture
- Dev Patel for actor in a supporting role
- Nicole Kidman for actress in a supporting role
- Cinematography
- Music (Original Score)
- Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Manchester by the Sea
This film has also received some controversy for its ‘whiteness,’ and for the sexual harassment charges against lead actor, Casey Affleck. This being said, the film, which tells the story of a man reluctantly becoming the guardian of his nephew after his brother passes away, is admirable for its realism- both in its cinematography, but also in its acting.
Nominations:
- Actor in a Leading Role, Casey Affleck
- Actor in a Supporting Role, Lucas Hedges
- Actress in a Supporting Role, Michelle Williams
- Directing, Manchester by the Sea
- Writing (Original Screenplay), Manchester by the Sea
Hidden Figures
This badass story about three brilliant black female engineers working for NASA in the 1960s is an absolute must-see in the lead up to the Oscars. The film, based on a true story, is both humorous and moving; an important story to be told, and acted wonderfully by Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae. For The Guardian, Catherine Shoard wrote about the film. “Following a pre-programmed trajectory marked #OscarsSoWhite, this biopic of the scientists behind John Glenn’s space flight is irresistibly uplifting.”
Nominations:
- Actress in a Supporting Role, Octavia Spencer
- Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Hidden Figures
While I can’t speak for the other films as I have yet to see them, the other big names in the Best Picture category include our beloved Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival, the not-so beloved Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge and David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water.
All films can still be caught in theatres in Montreal. Happy viewing!