Best Director: Damien Chazelle for “La La Land”

The film that had everyone buzzing this winter was Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land”.  The first scene of the movie is a beautifully shot musical sequence on the 105 freeway in Los Angeles, and the ending minutes are incredible and original.  I don’t want to give too much of the film away, but Chazelle deserves Best Director solely based on the those two scenes. It is great to see a purely original idea be made to such perfection. Chazelle created a film that everyone should see.  

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis for “Fences”

In the last couple of years Viola Davis has built up quite the filmography, earning Oscar-nods for performances in “The Help” and “Prisoners”. “Fences” is no doubt an Oscar-bait film, but Viola Davis holds her own against one of the greatest actors in our generation, Denzel Washington. Davis plays Rose Maxson, a woman whose passion exceeds that of anyone around her. Viola Davis also took home the Golden Globe for this role.  

Best Supporting Actor:  Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight”

This is a category that is between Mahershala Ali and Jeff Bridges for “Hell or High Water”. “Hell or High Water” released in August and I did not hear a single thing about it until award season came up.  Bridges gave a great performance in “Hell or High Water” though I don’t think it has the nobility for a win.  “Moonlight” also didn’t build up the buzz that other films did which may be due to its very limited release in the U.S., but  stands at a 98/100 on Metacritic.  I believe this is the award that “Moonlight” will be taking home because there is no Best Actor nomination for the film, and a Best Picture win is a quite a stretch. It seemed to be a surprise win at the Golden Globes when it won for Best Drama, but it definitely has been gaining some notoriety.  I think “Moonlight” definitely deserves an Oscar, and Best Supporting Actor will be the award it will receive.

Best Actress: Emma Stone for “La La Land”

To be honest I thought this was a pretty weak year for strong female leads. Nominees included Meryl Streep for “Florence Foster Jenkins”, Isabelle Huppert for “Elle”, Ruth Negga for “Loving”, and Natalie Portman for “Jackie”. The competition this year was pretty much between Emma Stone (who I didn’t think was incredibly impressive in her role) and Isabelle Huppert. Emma Stone will likely win here, but every year there is one surprise winner and Hubbert has a chance. Hubbert won a Golden Globe for her performance in “Elle”, where she plays a woman who tracks down the man who assaulted her. Though I will give it to Emma Stone for some emotional scenes near the end of “La La Land”. The “Fools Who Dream” sequence near the end of the film. I think the Academy will go with the safe bet, and Emma Stone will be taking home the award.

Best Actor: Casey Affleck for “Manchester By the Sea”  

Now this category is tough, and I mean really tough. I think there’s only one nominee that can be thrown out in this category and that’s Viggo Mortensen for “Captain Fantastic”, a movie I didn’t even know existed.  Now there is a toss up between Casey Affleck, Ryan Gosling, Andrew Garfield (who really is a good actor despite roles in the “Amazing Spider Man” franchise), and Denzel Washington. That is one hard-hitting group to choose from, but narrowing it down even more from the award season so far I believe it will come down between Casey Affleck and Ryan Gosling. As much as I loved “La La Land” this year “Manchester By the Sea” is one of the most emotionally-draining films I have ever seen.  Casey Affleck’s role might have not gotten as much as buzz as Gosling did, but I do believe it was a harder role to tackle. I think Affleck’s role had much more depth to it as he played a man that has take care of his nephew after his father (Affleck’s brother) dies.  The on-screen relationships the movie creates between the characters are phenomenal, and Affleck’s performance is a stand-out.  

Best Picture: “La La Land”

“La La Land” is the best film of the year. There has not been a movie in years that has captivated me purely by its story. To be honest, as a guy I actually do enjoy musicals, though I have never seen one in theaters. Even if you don’t like musicals, “La La Land” doesn’t hit you over the head with a constant barrage of songs. The directing in the film is phenomenal (Chazelle somehow took a step-up from what I thought was the best movie of 2014, “Whiplash”), Emma Stone gave a fine performance, as did Gosling (even though I didn’t give him the win). This isn’t just my personal favorite film of the year,  it is definitely one of my favorite films of all time. If you told me last year that Chazelle would followup “Whiplash” with a better movie I would have been skeptical. Though Chazelle did it with a modern film that feels like a throwback.  So yes, I might be biased in this category, but I’m hoping the Academy will vote the same way.