ARTICLE
InC's 2017 Oscar Predictions. Who Will Win, Who Should Win and Who Could Possibly Win.
By Freddy / 22 Feb 2017 (Wednesday)
It's time... the Oscars is finally coming! Just next Monday, we will see a new set of films, actors and creatives walking away with a golden statuette, and a lifetime bragging rights.
Who are you rooting for?
Don’t forget to follow InCinemas @InCinemasSG on Twitter and Facebook for we will be live tweeting and sharing with you the latest updates from the awards show!
BEST PICTURE
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Moonlight, Hidden Figures
Should Win: Hidden Figures
Will Win: La La Land |
Could Possibly Win: Moonlight, Hidden Figures
Should Win: Hacksaw Ridge
Will Win: La La Land
|
Flora: With all the hype around La La Land, and it being a pretty darn good movie, we’re expecting it to bag the biggest honour at the Oscars as well, but certainly not with a tough fight from Hidden Figures, which has already ousted La La Land in its box office sales.
Freddy: ‘La La Land’ has been the awards’ darling this year and I would not expect the Oscars to be an exception. All the films nominated here are excellent, though, so I would not be surprised if another film snatched the trophy.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Andrew Garfield
Should Win: Denzel Washington
Will Win: Denzel Washington
Should Have Been Nominated: Tom Hanks (Sully) |
Could Possibly Win: Ryan Gosling, Casey Affleck
Should Win: Denzel Washington
Will Win: Denzel Washington
|
Flora: Denzel Washington gave a standing ovation-worthy performance in the film adaptation of ‘Fences’, which he delivered chunks of dialogues with grit and perfection. We hope he brings home that golden statuette once again.
Freddy: Casey Affleck won the Golden Globes in this role but his recent scandal might sway the Oscar voters to another actor. Denzel Washington’s performance in ‘Fences’ might just win him his third Oscar.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Isabelle Huppert
Should Win: Natalie Portman
Will Win: Emma Stone
Should Have Been Nominated: Amy Adams (Arrival), Taraji P. Henson
(Hidden Figures) |
Could Possibly Win: Emma Stone
Should Win: Natalie Portman
Will Win: Isabelle Huppert
Should Have Been Nominated: Amy Adams (Arrival)
|
Flora: We love Emma Stone as the aspiring actress in La La Land, and her irresistible charisma makes her the new media darling, but this year’s Best Actress contenders are a strong bunch to beat. Will Stone get her first Oscar this year?
Freddy: The competition in this category is tough this year, isn’t it? I predict Isabelle Huppert to win, following her Golden Globe win in this category. Natalie Portman’s portrayal of JFK’s widow is strong, but will the Academy will give Portman her second Oscar? Emma Stone has been collecting awards including Golden Globe and BAFTA for her role, so it is a likely choice as well.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Dev Patel
Should Win: Lucas Hedges
Will Win: Mahershala Ali |
Could Possibly Win: Dev Patel
Should Win: Lucas Hedges
Will Win: Mahershala Ali
|
Flora: Manchester By The Sea saw some pretty good performances by the Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, but let’s not forget the rising young adult Lucas Hedges, who stole the show in the movie. The youngest nominee of the five, we sure hope there will be some sort of recognition for this up-and-coming star.
Freddy: Lucas Hedges, the youngest nominee in this category, gave an award-worthy performance in as a son who recently lost his father in ‘Manchester by the Sea’. Even so, Mahershala Ali is more likely to win in this category, having won the SAG Award and Critics’ Choice Award for his performance as a drug dealer in ‘Moonlight’. Dev Patel, who has won both BAFTA and AACTA his role in ‘Lion’ is a strong contender as well.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Michelle Williams
Should Win: Viola Davis
Will Win: Viola Davis |
Could Possibly Win: Octavia Spencer, Michelle Williams
Should Win: Viola Davis
Will Win: Viola Davis
|
Flora: It’s Viola Davis’ year. She should, and will most probably win the Best Supporting Actress title this Oscars.
Freddy: There are certainly some strong performances in this category. But after winning Golden Globes, SAG Award, BAFTA, and Critics Choice Award for her role as Rose Maxson in ‘Fences’, it is hard to imagine anyone other than Viola Davis winning this category.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Moana. Kubo and the Two Strings
Should Win: Zootopia
Will Win: Zootopia
Should Have Been Nominated: Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory |
Could Possibly Win: The Red Turtle
Should Win: Kubo and the Two Strings
Will Win: Zootopia
|
Flora: This is a tough category as well, for nearly all the nominees have been very well-received from both fans and critics alike. We’re rooting for Disney’s Zootopia because for the fact that they have ingenious weaved in a social-political issue in a world populated by animals.
Freddy: I am rooting for ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ which is an amazing, BAFTA-winning stop-motion animation with a distinctive visual style. Nevertheless, the morally ‘Zootopia’ has obviously been collecting more accolades and is likely to be the Oscar voters’ favourites as well, continuing the Disney domination of this category.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Arrival
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land |
Could Possibly Win: Lion
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land
|
Flora: One of the reasons why musical movie ‘La La Land’ became such a big hit is due to its amazing camera work - creating movie magic with its long shots and quick pans. This is the award for La La Land and will be rightfully theirs.
(May I kindly remind you of this!)
Freddy: ‘La La Land’ should win this, having won in cinematography for BAFTA, Critics’ Choice Awards, Chicago Film Critics Association, and many other awards. ‘Lion’ won the top prize from American Society of Cinematographers, so it should not be overlooked.
DIRECTING
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By the Sea
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Should Win: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Will Win: Damien Chazelle (La La Land) |
Could Possibly Win: Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
Will Win: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
|
Flora: Damien Chazelle has a cinematic vision like no other - one who dares to experiment his filmmaking techniques that no other directors… and his efforts paid off in La La Land, which is one hell of a masterpiece. Having said that, Villeneuve in 'Arrival' breathe a whole new Sci-Fi experience for us.
Freddy: Damien Chazelle has received Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, BAFTA, and Directors’ Guild of America Award among many other awards for directing ‘La La Land’. It is unlikely he would lose in the Oscars. If it does not win, though, Kenneth Lonergan’s directing for ‘Manchester by the Sea’ is definitely award-worthy.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Jackie
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land |
Should Win: Jackie
Will Win: La La Land
|
Flora: Just think of the beautiful tap dance scene in La La Land, mixed with the one-shots wonders of the film. Those scenes? it was the underlying soundtracks that made it so beautiful.
Freddy: Justin Hurwitz’s score for ‘La La Land’ is probably unbeatable, but Mica Levi’s haunting score for ‘Jackie’ is a worthy contender. I would not be surprised if it beats ‘La La Land’.
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
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: 'Can't Stop The Feeling' 'Audition'
Should Win: 'How Far I’ll Go'
Will Win: 'City of Stars' |
Could Possibly Win: “Can’t Stop The Feeling”, “How Far I’ll Go”
Should Win: “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”
Will Win: “City of Stars”
|
Flora: Can the Trolls, go far, to beat the city’s bright stars? (See what I did there?)
Freddy: Two out of the five nominated songs are from ‘La La Land’ and I think one of them will go on to win the award. I really like “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”, but its nomination is already a surprise given that “City of Stars” has been the one receiving accolades.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Arrival, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Will Win: Hail, Caesar! La La Land |
Could Possibly Win: La La Land, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Should Win: Arrival
Will Win: Arrival |
Flora: Again, La La Land’s production design was stellar, but with Fantastic Beasts magical wonders and even Hail, Caesar!’s set-like production sets, it’s pretty hard to predict the eventual winner of this category.
Freddy: It was not an easy decision to choose from this list, but I picked ‘Arrival’. Its depiction of aliens and UFOs are refreshing while still out-of-this-world while its creation of an entirely new language system is simply extraordinary. ‘La La Land’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ are other possible winners, which transported us to another world when we watched the films.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Strange, Kubo and the Two Strings
Should Win: The Jungle Book, Kubo and the Two Strings
Will Win: The Jungle Book |
Could Possibly Win: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Should Win: Doctor Strange
Will Win: The Jungle Book
|
Flora: Jon Favreau’s gave us the live-action/CG hybrid adaptation of the Disney classic - something that was even new on Hollywood standards. A breakthrough like this that looked effortlessly (and beautiful) on the big screen, this is a frontrunner that should be awarded.
Freddy: Strong contenders here. ‘Doctor Strange’ is one of the few films in recent memory which gets a lot of praise for its trippy visual effects in the mirror dimension. ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ is visual treats as well, with the earlier’s stop-motion innovations and the latter’s superb resurrection of Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin. However, ‘The Jungle Book’ with its realistic forest and animals will probably be the awarded technical achievement.
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WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight
| Flora |
Freddy |
Could Possibly Win: Fences
Should Win: Hidden Figures, Arrival
Will Win: Hidden Figures |
Could Possibly Win: Moonlight, Fences
Should Win: Arrival
Will Win: Arrival |
Flora: We loved all the films listed here, but it was Hidden Figures that blew me away.
Freddy: It is difficult to pick one since each nomination has a strong script, but I would go with ‘Arrival’, which won the Critics’ Choice Award and Writers Guild Award. ‘Moonlight’ is another winner of WGA and has a definite chance.
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women
| Flora |
Freddy |
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land |
Could Possibly Win: Manchester by the Sea
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land |
Flora: I find myself writing 'La La Land' so many times in this article, but because it's so, so good. Chazelle's screenplay is a classic in the making, and that's why he will win this.
Freddy: This one is more clear cut. Damien Chazelle’s ‘La La Land’ screenplay has been award-winning and that trend is likely to continue in the Oscars. In the off-chance that ‘La La Land’ does not get it, ‘Manchester by the Sea’ might get it.
Do you agree with us on the nominations? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo Credit: HBO Asia
The 89th Academy Awards will broadcast on February 27 live and exclusively across Asia on HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601) and streamed live on StarHub Go for HBO subscribers starting with the Oscars® Red Carpet ‘Live’ from8am followed by the 89th Oscars® at 9.30am. Both programs will encore that same night on HBO at 7pm and 8pm respectively.