On the Image

With the 89th Academy Awards a mere day away and the Detroit Red Wings sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, now seems as good a time as ever to briefly parse through some thoughts with regards to this year’s batch of Oscar nominations. I don’t want to offer predictions for each category, as to do so effectively requires too exhausting a combination of expertise and cynicism. Instead, I’m just running through the categories on which I have the strongest opinions and complaining about what I think the Academy got wrong. Go Wings.

(You can also just scroll to the end to find a list of my top 20 films of 2016.)

Best Directing

Arrival – Denis Villeneuve

Hacksaw Ridge – Mel Gibson

La La Land – Damien Chazelle

Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

Moonlight – Barry Jenkins

There’s a lot to like about this year’s batch of best directing nominees. There’s also a nomination for Mel Gibson for “Hacksaw Ridge,” a movie that abandons its own relentlessly-established moral position in its final act. That aside, the big three films all make appearances here, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s hard to argue against the subtle but steady guiding hand behind “Manchester by the Sea,” the coordination and craftsmanship that went into “La La Land,” or the visionary beauty of “Moonlight.” However, this category is one of many that raises the question, “Did members of the Academy actually watch Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence?’” Also on my short list but missing here: Robert Zemeckis for “Allied” and Joel and Ethan Coen for “Hail, Caesar!” (I think we’ve all just become desensitized to the Coen brothers’ mastery of form). Aside from that, it is unsurprising to see rising directorial star Denis Villeneuve grab a spot on the list for “Arrival,” as I suspect he makes everything work better than it should. I have my issues with the film, but those stem largely from the inconsistent writing.

My pick: La La Land – Damien Chazelle

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Arrival – Eric Heisserer

Fences – August Wilson

Hidden Figures – Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi

Lion – Luke Davies

Moonlight – Barry Jenkins

While I do think that the high-level narrative of “Arrival” is excellent, the dialogue leaves much to be desired (there are a few quotes in particular that are comically out-of-place) and the script takes an intriguing ending and muddles its nuances beyond complete coherence. “Lion” works best in its magical first half, which plays much like a silent film and relies very little on dialogue. “Hidden Figures” is a great film, but one that amounts to more than the sum of its parts, many of which are strong but ultimately rather conventional. In my perfect world, this one comes down to “Fences” and “Moonlight.”

My pick: Moonlight – Barry Jenkins

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Hell or High Water – Taylor Sheridan

La La Land – Damien Chazelle

The Lobster – Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou

Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

20th Century Women – Mike Mills

I don’t have too much to say here but it’d feel strange to not include both writing categories. A few things: this is an Oscar that “La La Land” should not win; I’m super excited that “The Lobster” got a writing nomination; and I still haven’t seen “20th Century Women.”

My pick: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

Music (Original Song)

“Audition (The Fools who Dream)” from La La Land

“Can’t Stop the Feeling” from Trolls

“City of Stars” from La La Land

“The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story

“How Far I’ll Go” from Moana

Guys. The Academy is going to split the “La La Land” vote. But that’s okay, because “City of Stars” is actually not that great and also it’s tough to say that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s sensational “How Far I’ll Go” shouldn’t take home the gold. Conspicuously absent from this list is anything from “Sing Street,” teenage rock and roll musical and spiritual successor to Richard Linklater’s “School of Rock,” and that really sucks because it is a hell of a movie (one that is currently on Netflix). Also, I understand why “Finest Girl” from “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” isn’t here, but I don’t have to be okay with it.

My pick: “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana

Music (Original Score)

Jackie – Mica Levi

La La Land – Justin Hurwitz

Lion – Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka

Moonlight – Nicholas Britell

Passengers – Thomas Newman

Mica Levi getting the nod for her haunting work on Pablo Larraín’s “Jackie” is my favorite nomination of the year. Seemingly everybody who saw the film came away with a strong opinion on its polarizing score, and the discussions regarding its influences and impact are fascinating and ongoing. Looking elsewhere, I would’ve loved to see Abel Korzeniowski’s sweepingly tragic soundtrack for “Nocturnal Animals” make an appearance. “Passengers” being nominated for two Oscars may seem like quite the reach, especially when you compare it to the single nomination for “Hail, Caesar!” (and especially especially since another one of Carter Burwell’s great collaborations with the Coen brothers was passed over) but if it means giving more love to the composer behind the music of “Road to Perdition” then I can accept it.

My pick: Jackie – Mica Levi

Sound Mixing

Arrival – Bernard Gariépy Strobl and Claude La Haye

Hacksaw Ridge – Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace

La La Land – Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A. Morrow

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson

13 Hours: The Scret Soldiers of Benghazi – Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth

I don’t actually feel very passionate about this one. I’m just joking around.

My pick: I guess just give it to “La La Land”

Cinematography

Arrival – Bradford Young

La La Land – Linus Sandgren

Lion – Greig Fraser

Moonlight – James Laxton

Silence – Rodrigo Prieto

This is a bit of a frustrating category. Natasha Braier being left off of this list for “Neon Demon” is one of the year’s most baffling omissions. The film has many divisive qualities, but its stunning photography should not be counted among them. Other notable absences: Roger Deakins for manufacturing the artificial beauty of “Hail, Caesar!” and Stéphane Fontaine for capturing the claustrophobic photography of “Jackie.” Regardless of all this, James Laxton and Linus Sandgren are both excellent choices, and it’s a relief to see “Silence” being recognized by way of Rodrigo Prieto’s nomination.

My pick: Moonlight – James Laxton

Production Design

Arrival – Patrice Vermette (Production Design); Paul Hotte (Set Decoration)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Stuart Craig (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)

Hail, Caesar! – Jess Gonchor (Production Design); Nancy Haigh (Set Decoration)

La La Land – Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Design); Gene Serdena (Set Decoration)

Passengers – David Wasco (Production Design); Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (Set Decoration)

I’m not going to pretend like “Hail, Caesar!” winning Best Production Design isn’t the thing I want most to happen tomorrow. It just is.

My pick: Hail, Caesar! – Jess Gonchor (Production Design); Nancy Haigh (Set Decoration)

All of the Acting Oscars

The strongest of the four acting categories is “Actress in a Supporting Role.” In other years, I can see any one of Viola Davis (“Fences”), Naomie Harris (“Moonlight”), or Michelle Williams (“Manchester by the Sea”) being the clear favorite, and rightfully so. There doesn’t seem to be much competition for “Actor in a Supporting Role;” the obvious choice is Mahershala Ali for his performance in “Moonlight.” I can’t say much about the nominees for “Actress in a Leading Role,” mainly because the only two performances I’ve seen are Natalie Portman’s (“Jackie”) and Emma Stone’s (“La La Land”). “Actor in a Leading Role” is probably this year’s closest category, as it’s very much a two-man race between Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) and Denzel Washington (“Fences”).

My picks: Viola Davis (“Fences”), Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight”), Natalie Portman (“Jackie”), and Denzel Washington (“Fences”)

Best Picture

Arrival

Fences

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures

La La Land

Lion

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Instead of combing through this list it might be best to simply counter with my own, so to close the book on “Oscar Year 2016,” here are my top 20 films of the year:

20. Everybody Wants Some!!!

19. The Jungle Book

18. Kubo and the Two Strings

17. Sing Street

16. A Bigger Splash

15. Fences

14. The Witch

13. Allied

12. Hidden Figures

11. Green Room

10. Toni Erdmann

9. Neon Demon

8. Manchester by the Sea

7. Swiss Army Man

6. Nocturnal Animals

5. Jackie

4. Moonlight

3. Silence

2. Hail, Caesar!

1. La La Land