The coveted Oscars will be handed out tomorrow. My attempt to see the future this year. You can also have a look at my predictions in the previous years here: 2016 , 2015 and 2014.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Who Will Win: ‘La La Land’
Who Should Win:’Manchester by the Sea’
Honourable Mention: ‘Moonlight’
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Who Will Win: A toss up between Denzel Washington and Casey Affleck. I would love to see Casey Affleck win.
Who Should Win: Casey Affleck
Honourable Mention: Denzel Washington could spring a surprise. I also liked Ryan Gosling’s performance.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Who Will Win: Emma Stone because Hollywood loves its princesses and Emma carried the biggest film of the year on her shoulders.
Who Should Win: Isabelle Huppert because her performance in Elle is nuanced and perfect.
Honourable Mention: Natalie Portman for ‘Jackie’
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Who Will Win: Mahershala Ali for Moonlight
Who Should Win: Jeff Bridges for ‘Hell or High Water’
Honourable Mention: Michael Shannon for ‘Nocturnal Animals’
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Who Will Win: Viola Davis for ‘Fences’
Who Should Win: Viola Davis for ‘Fences’
Honourable Mention: Michelle Williams for ‘ Manchester by the Sea’
Best Achievement in Directing
Who Will Win: Damian Chazelle for ‘La La Land’
Who Should Win: Damian Chazelle
Honourable Mention: Kenneth Lonergan for ‘Manchester by the Sea’
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Who Will Win: Manchester by the Sea
Who Should Win: Manchester by the Sea
Honourable Mention: La La Land
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Who Will Win: Moonlight
Who Should Win: Fences
Honourable Mention: Arrival
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Who Will Win: Zootopia will win. I would not be surprised if ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ wins. Kubo is the better movie but Zootopia is a love letter to diversity and tolerance (and this is 2017).
Who Should Win: Kubo and the Two Strings’
Honourable Mention: Moana
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Who Will Win: Close call between ‘Toni Erdmann’ and ‘The Salesman’. For a politically charged season the likely winner is ‘The Salesman’ from Iran.
Who Should Win: A Man Called Ove
Honourable Mention: Land of Mine
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Who Will Win: Linus Sandgren for ‘La La Land’
Who Should Win: Linus Sandgren
Honourable Mention: Greig Fraser for ‘Lion’ and Rodrigo Prieto for ‘Silence’
Best Achievement in Editing
Who Will Win: Mad Max: La La Land
Who Should Win: La la Land
Honourable Mention: Hacksaw Ridge
Best Achievement in Production Design
Who Will Win: La La Land
Who Should Win: La La Land
Honourable Mention: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Who Will Win: Jackie
Who Should Win: Jackie
Honourable Mention: La La Land
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
Who Will Win: Star Trek Beyond
Who Should Win: Star Trek Beyond
Honourable Mention: A Man Called Ove
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Who Will Win: La La Land
Who Should Win: La La Land
Honourable Mention: Moonlight
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
Train to Busan (2016) [IMDB:7.5 , Rotten Tomatoes: 96%, My Rating: 8.0]
Trailer
Although I have seen all the Oscar nominees in the foreign language category this year, they have mostly been drab stuff. ‘Train to Busan’ is not nominated for the Oscars but it is what Hollywood would envy the south Korean movie industry for. ‘Train to Busan’ is an out and out entertainer which does not hold back for even a second on the thrills. With well crafted characters and wonderfully choreographed sequences, it is an edge of the seat thriller with a novel take on the zombie genre. I have never been to South Korea but traveling in a train in South Korea is not an experience I look forward to. ‘Train to Busan’ is one of the best movies ever in the zombie category. It is a ride I highly recommend.
Movies I Saw This Week
La La land (2016) [IMDB:8.5 , Rotten Tomatoes: 93%, My Rating: 8.5]
Trailer
‘La La Land’ could have been a mediocre movie. If the music did not work, it could even have been a bad movie but the music worked. The acting worked. The direction was in secure hands. The producers wanted to change the story line but the director stuck to his guns. Much younger actors were to play the roles meant for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. All that did not happen. As the movie rightly portrays the glorious possibilities of life, it is those final few minutes and the last act of the story that takes it to heights seldom achieved in movie making. ‘La La Land’ is the ‘Shawshank Redemption’ of romance for the impact the climax has on the movie. It is not just about the climax though. Emma Stone steals the show with her performance that should land her the Oscar. Ryan Gosling supports her in his own deadpan style. In many ways ‘La La Land’ is a reinvention of the musical genre.
This movie based on a true story tells the tale of a war hero who refused to kill during war. Directed by the Hollywood bad boy Mel Gibson, the film is gory with many sequences of unfiltered action. That does create the setting of the war but takes away the story from its core of a conscientious objector’s fight to hold on to his beliefs and yet be an able servant to his country’s army. Andrew Garfield plays the character with a lot of heart but some inherent contradictions in the screenplay reduce the impact of his performance. It is also very difficult to understand, let alone appreciate his moral positions. By straddling the worlds of religion, country and army, Hacksaw Ridge delivers a message which is lost somewhere in the movie. Nevertheless, a one time watch.
Manchester by the Sea (2016) [IMDB: 8.2 , Rotten Tomatoes: 96%, My Rating: 8.5]
Trailer
Let me say this aloud. If Casey Affleck does not get the Oscar for this performance, then it would be travesty of justice. ‘Manchester by Sea’ is the among the best two movies I have seen in the last one year. Superficially, it is about the story of man who is asked to take care of his brother’s young son after the death of his brother. The layers that the film unravels is akin to the experience of peeling onions. At every level, the story gets more interesting and new insights in to the life of the lead character emerge. Casey Affleck who is there in practically every frame of the movie delivers a pitch perfect performance. He brings to life the tortured soul whose awkward behaviour is based on his tragic past. The rest of the cast also perform competently. ‘Manchester by Sea’ is a great movie with a haunting and unforgettable performance by Casey Affleck. Must See.
‘Arrival’ has been generally well received but I am in the minority. (Spoilers ahead) It is a very pretentious movie where a linguist is called on to interact with aliens who have made contact with earth. The unfortunate part is that this is just a suitable prop for telling a story which has nothing to do with aliens. It is a manipulation of the intelligence of the audience with word plays on the concept of palindromes and another idea of the movie itself being a palindrome. Amy Adams plays a human character who for the sake of keeping up appearances to suit the screenplay of the movie does not believe in the notion of aging. So she looks the same at every age bracket she plays. Some cheap ideas to cement her credentials include the Sanskrit word for war and some other shenanigans of the director to suit the situation. Arrival is low level science, cheap propaganda and dimwitted screenplay disguised as high brow thriller.
Sing Street (2016) [IMDB: 8.0 , Rotten Tomatoes: 96%, My Rating: 8.0]
Trailer
‘Sing Street’ is the most underrated movie of the year. It is also the feel-good movie of the year. A young boy in Dublin in 1985 falls in love with a girl at first sight. He makes the audacious move of inviting her to be in his band’s music video. She says yes. The problem is: he has to now form a band which he said he had. Filled with terrific music and authentic characters, ‘Sing Street’ delivers the kind of roller-coaster ride which keeps you engaged. The music videos that are shot are epic in nature. With some generous doses of humour and smartly crafted dialogues, the movie is also a toast to a time in history and the uninhibited freedom of adolescence. Highly recommended.
Southside With You (2016) [IMDB: 6.5 , Rotten Tomatoes: 91%, My Rating: 6.5]
Trailer
Based on the first date of Barack and Michelle Obama, this movie is an easy watch. Similar in style to ‘Before Sunrise’, the story takes us to the first few hours the couple spent together walking the streets and visiting exhibitions. The dialogues are casual and the attempt is clearly to set a leisurely pace and make it look as informal as possible. The best part is the casting with actors who bring genuineness to the characters. Recommended.
The Queen of Katwe (2016) [IMDB:7.3 , Rotten Tomatoes: 92%, My Rating: 7.5]
Trailer
A true story of a chess champion from Uganda who creates history. ‘Queen of Katwe’ has its flaws but it has a deeply humane story at its heart which enthralls and captures the attention of the viewer. It does not stereotype the Africans in the movie. The everyday struggles of life in an impoverished neighbourhood and subsequent highs of international recognition are captured without exploiting or glorifying either of the them. There are no villains in the movie. It is about normal people doing extraordinary things and (at the risk of sounding cliched ) the triumph of human spirit. Recommended.
The sequel to the award winning original is better made, has better production values and has much better actors in Annu Kapoor and Akshay Kumar. The plot is very engaging and at some points convenient. Akshay Kumar plays a lawyer who is as principled as Silvio Berlusconi. The hilarious introduction scene has him helping students rig exams. The first half progresses well with the character having a change of heart. The second half is focused on the courtroom proceedings which are the best part of the movie with Saurabh Shukla and Annu Kapoor squaring off. There are many missing links in the story in the second half but they may be set aside as allowances for story telling. I personally liked the plot of the original more but this sequel holds on its own and delivers another success for Akshay Kumar. It is curious to note that every major hit of the actor in recent times has him play the ordinary man whereas other stars are scrambling to play larger than life characters.
Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016) [ IMDB” 9.0, Rotten Tomatoes: Not yet rated, My rating: 7.0]
Trailer
The movie which has 16 characters and relates to events over 16 hours is a decent thriller from a debutante director. The infirmities in direction are easy to see in the initial part of the movie. For a regular movie watcher, it is not difficult to see where the story is proceeding. Some of the scenes are predictable. The movie rises above the average fare by some inventive film making which relies on different versions of the story. At the same time, the compulsion on the part of the director to make it like a jigsaw puzzle in which all the pieces fall in place at the end is a distraction. Some ambiguity would have helped. The novelty about the movie is that when the same story is said by two different people there is a role reversal between the hero and the villain.
Documentary of the Week
I am Bolt (2016) [IMDB: 7.0 , Rotten Tomatoes: 83%, My Rating: 6.5]
Trailer
Usain Bolt on what makes him normal. Other great athletes on what makes him special. The life and times of the fastest man in human history.
Eagerly waiting for: The Academy Awards
Did youknow: There is something called the the Black List to determine the best screenplays for which there are no takers yet. Screenplays which figure prominently on the list have then been picked up and made into movies. Some of the films that saw the light of the day after featuring in the Black List are Argo, American Hustle, Juno, The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, Spotlight and The Revenant. For more on this visit https://blcklst.com/ .
couldhavebeenacontender 