And the Award Goes To… - theHumm February 2017

And the Award Goes To… - theHumm February 2017

February: Oscar month. On the 26th, the 89th Academy Award ceremonies will commence. On January 24 at 5am PST, the Oscar nominations were released. The results were, as usual, filled with a healthy mix of sure bets and shockers. Naturally, most of my favourite films of the year were completely ignored (The Witch, anyone?). But on the bright side, many excellent films I figured would be ignored by the Academy got some serious recognition. One of the best films of the year, Arrival, made a phenomenal impression on me, and apparently on the Academy too, tallying up an impressive eight nominations, including those for Best Picture, Best Director for Denis Villeneuve — a Québec native — and Best Adapted Screenplay.

A few records were made this year as well. Meryl Streep made history (for about the sixth time) by receiving her 19th competitive nomination for her stellar performance in Florence Foster Jenkins (her co-star Hugh Grant, who gave his best performance to date in the film, sadly failed to garner a nomination). The musical La La Land received 14 nominations, the most for any film ever, tied only with All About Eve (1950) and Titanic (1997). The spectacular stop-motion film Kubo and the Two Strings became the second animated film ever to be nominated for Best Visual Effects. Amazon, the internet company, made history this year by becoming the first ever streaming-video company to receive a Best Picture nomination for Manchester by the Sea. Mel Gibson returned to the Oscar circuit after a 20-year hiatus with his second nomination for Best Director for Hacksaw Ridge, having won the first time around with Braveheart (1995). It’s the independent films, though, that seem to have pleasantly reverberated through the voters, and the nominations are indicative of that fact. Independent darlings such as Lion, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea all received worthy acknowledgement. Indeed, each of the 24 categories has a very tight race. And, knowing the Academy, it could be any one of the nominees.

The Best Picture race (with nine films nominated this year out of a possible ten) is one of the most solid of recent years. Yet I can’t help but wonder, why not ten? I can think of a handful of films that could have fit into that slot. Still, the race is on. Most people’s money will be on La La Land taking home the top honour, with a Best Director win for its mastermind, Damien Chezelle. Its stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone both received nominations as well. But the wins in the acting categories will be varied. Casey Affleck, for me, anyways, has an absolute lock on the Best Actor statuette. His truly brilliant performance in Manchester by the Sea deserves the award and so much more. Yet, fellow nominees Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Denzel Washington (Fences), Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic) and Ryan Gosling (La La Land) all gave tremendous performances. So, who knows? But mark my word, Affleck is going to bring home the gold.

The Best Actress race is even tighter. My money has been on Isabelle Huppert, one of the finest and most courageous actors working today, for her stunning performance in Elle (which should have received a Best Foreign Film nomination too), and she does seem to be the frontrunner, having just won the Golden Globe and a slew of other awards for the film. Yet, her competition is intense. Natalie Portman has received rave reviews for her eloquent performance as Jackie Onassis in Jackie; Ruth Negga gave a tender, understated performance in Loving; and Emma Stone and Meryl Streep both have strong support. The Supporting Actor and Actress categories are filled with great performances too. Will Jeff Bridges win a second Oscar for his acute performance in Hell or High Water? Or will newcomers Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) or Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) steal the spotlight? A big surprise for me would be seeing Michael Shannon win for his excellent, laconic work in Nocturnal Animals. One of my favourite working actors, Shannon has been terribly underrated and his work in the film (alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, whose name was sorely missed on nomination morning) could make him the dark horse winner. The Supporting Actress category has many worthy nominees but this is going to be Viola Davis’ year. Her work in Fences is heartbreaking and powerful; Oscar fodder if I ever saw it. Her performance is a masterclass of acting and will finally bring her the statuette.

I’m also thrilled Ava DuVernay got a nomination for her masterful documentary 13th and should be a lock to win. Fellow documentaries I Am Not Your Negro, O.J.: Made in America, Fire at Sea, and Life, Animated are all great too. But I was very disappointed to see the omission of Weiner, a documentary about former Republican Anthony Weiner’s run for mayor of New York when his sex scandal broke out. The film is quite something, yet it seems like no one has seen it.

Many other films and actors were overlooked as well. Annette Bening gave a brave performance in 20th Century Women but failed to get a nomination. Ben Foster was terrific in Hell or High Water, as was Amy Adams in both Arrival and Nocturnal Animals, respectively, yet no nominations for either. The biggest sin of omission was the lack of a nomination for Ralph Fiennes’ bravura performance in A Bigger Splash. Fiennes seems to have reinvented himself as a comedian, giving hilarious, scene-stealing performances in In Bruges, The Grand Budapest Hotel (in which he got snubbed for a nomination as well) and Hail, Caesar!. Why the Academy didn’t appreciate his performance in A Bigger Splash is beyond me. Even Martin Scorsese’s long-gestating passion project Silence, about Jesuit priests in 17th century Japan, got completely ignored save for a single Best Cinematography nomination. And the fantastic Love & Friendship failed to receive any recognition whatsoever.

But this is how it goes. Every year. Whatever the case may be, it’s still exciting as hell and I cannot wait to see who wins (I’ve got my ballot printed out already, with my guesses highlighted). The show will be great, as it always is. I really hope Jimmy Kimmel brings it as host. The Academy needs edgier hosts and they have tried to incorporate more flavours to the ceremonies in the last few years, but nothing has really stuck. Maybe this year will be different? Either way, I can’t wait. And, luckily, almost all of these films are readily available at your local theatres and Cineplex. Go see them, and prepare yourself for the big night!