Jan 24, 2017

Spoiler

“La La Land” was the big story from the nominations announcement for the 89th Academy Awards Tuesday morning, garnering 14 nominations, tying “Titanic” and “All About Eve” for the most of any movie. The musical’s nominations include best picture, best director for Damien Chazelle, leads Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and two in one category, best song.

[‘La La Land’: How one of the best movies of the year almost didn’t get made]

Other standouts include “Moonlight,” which is up for eight awards, including best picture, director (Barry Jenkins) and supporting awards for Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris. Tied with “Moonlight” is “Arrival,” which wasn’t singled out for acting, but is a contender for production design, cinematography and sound awards, not to mention best picture and director (Denis Villeneuve).

“Lion,” “Manchester by the Sea” and “Hacksaw Ridge” also had an impressive showing with six nominations a piece. Notably, Mel Gibson was nominated for his direction of “Hacksaw” after years as a Hollywood pariah. But he’ll have stiff competition in that crowded field.

The Oscars ceremony, which will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, airs Feb. 26 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

Nominations (by movie):
“La La Land” – 14
“Arrival” – 8
“Moonlight” – 8
“Hacksaw Ridge” – 6
“Lion” – 6
“Manchester by the Sea” – 6
“Fences” – 4
“h--- or High Water” – 4

The list of nominations for the 89th Academy Awards

Best picture
“La La Land”
“Moonlight”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Arrival”
“Fences”
“Lion”
“Hidden Figures”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“h--- or High Water”
Immediate reaction: This race is shaping up to be a battle between the poignant drama “Moonlight” and the fanciful musical “La La Land,” which won a record-setting seven Golden Globes earlier this month. “La La” seems to have the edge given its record-tying 14 nominations.

'La La Land' trailer: Ryan Gosling sings 'City of Stars'

Play Video1:35

From the director of "Whiplash," this movie-musical stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, who fall in love while trying to make it in Los Angeles. In this trailer, Gosling sings the melancholy "City of Stars." (Lionsgate)
Best actress in a leading role
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Ruth Negga, “Loving”
Immediate reaction: Amy Adams, who starred in “Arrival,” was edged out by Ruth Negga in “Loving” — that movie’s only nomination. Maybe it’s for the best since Adams has become the Susan Lucci of the Oscars. Always a contender, never a winner. Natalie Portman’s performance as Jacqueline Kennedy in “Jackie” is going to be hard to beat, though Isabelle Huppert took home the Golden Globe over Portman. Huppert is nominated here, too, and for a foreign film, “Elle.”


Best actor in a leading role
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Denzel Washington, “Fences”
Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
Immediate reaction: Casey Affleck has won just about every award there is to win for his affecting turn as a grieving, broken man in “Manchester by the Sea.” Will a Gotham, a Globe and countless critics’ association awards add up to Oscar glory? It’s looking that way.

Trailer: 'Manchester by the Sea'

Play Video2:30

After the sudden death of Joe Chandler (Kyle Chandler), his younger brother Lee (Casey Affleck) is made legal guardian of Joe's son Patrick (Lucas Hedges). (Roadside Attractions)
Best director
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Immediate reaction: The question is whether Damien Chazelle can recreate his stellar Golden Globes night with another director’s award. This isn’t Chazelle’s first Oscar nomination; he was also up for the best screenplay award in 2015 for “Whiplash.” Another notable mention: Mel Gibson, whose redemption is complete.

[How ‘Moonlight’ became one of the year’s best movies]

Actress in a supporting role
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Immediate reaction: Viola Davis could win an award for award-winning, given that she always delivers moving, thoughtful speeches. She has a good shot at giving us a little more of that brilliance thanks to her powerful performance as a put-upon wife in “Fences.” She’s also the first black actress to be nominated for three Oscars.


Actor in a supporting role
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges, “h--- or High Water”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”
Immediate reaction: This prize should be Mahershala Ali’s to lose. He was stunning as a d--- dealer with a paternal streak in “Moonlight.” To everyone’s surprise, the Golden Globes awarded Aaron Taylor-Johnson the prize instead. That clearly won’t be happening again at the Oscars since Taylor-Johnson didn’t even make the cut for nominees. His co-star Michael Shannon did, though.

Best documentary
“O.J.: Made in America”
“13th”
“I Am Not Your Negro”
“Fire at Sea”
“Life Animate”
Immediate reaction: There were a number of exceptional documentaries about race in America this year, and the Academy noticed. “O.J.: Made in America” is ESPN’s exhaustive, stunning 467-minute docuseries about O.J. Simpson’s rise and fall; “13th” is Ava DuVernay’s examination of racial inequality in the prison system; and “I Am Not Your Negro” uses the words from writer James Baldwin’s unfinished book to explore how the assassinations of three civil rights activists still resonate today.

Best foreign language film
“Toni Erdmann”
“The Salesman”
“Land of Mine”
“A Man Called Ove”
“Tanna”
Immediate reaction: If you have a few hours to spare, and a taste for absurdist humor, then it’s time to check out “Toni Erdmann.” The disarmingly funny German movie about a wacky dad trying to get his all-business daughter to loosen up could earn its writer-director, Maren Ade, her first Academy Award. Asghar Farhadi, the writer-director of “The Salesman,” saw his film “A Separation” win this category in 2012 (and he was nominated for best original screenplay as well).

Best animated feature film
“Zootopia”
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Moana”
“The Red Turtle”
“My Life as a Zucchini”


Best adapted screenplay
“Moonlight,” Barry Jenkins
“Arrival,” Eric Heisserer
“Lion,” Luke Davies
“Fences,” August Wilson
“Hidden Figures,” Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
Immediate reaction: The rules on what constitutes an adapted screenplay are a little odd, but here we are. Although “Moonlight” is based on a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney that was never actually performed, it’s still in the adapted category. (Meanwhile, “Jackie,” based on any number of biographies about Jackie Kennedy’s life, is original. Go figure.) The competition is stiffer in this category, because we all know how Hollywood loves to churn out adaptations.


Best original screenplay
“La La Land,” Damien Chazelle
“h--- or High Water,” Taylor Sheridan
“Manchester by the Sea,” Kenneth Lonergan
“The Lobster,” Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou
“20th Century Women,” Mike Mills
Immediate reactions: Taylor Sheridan got his start as an actor, but he’s gotten a lot more attention for his brilliant, gripping scripts with no shortage of social commentary. First there was “Sicario” in 2015, then last year’s “h--- or High Water.” He shows no sign of slowing down given that his latest (also his directorial debut) “Wind River” just debuted at Sundance to good reviews. But can he possibly beat “Manchester by the Sea” and “La La Land”? That will be a tall order. This is the sole nomination for each of the two other movies in this category, the eccentric dark comedy “The Lobster” and the coming-of-age dramedy “20th Century Women.”

Best original song
“How Far I’ll Go,” “Moana”
“City of Stars,” “La La Land”
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” “La La Land”
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” “Trolls”
“The Empty Chair,” “Jim: The James Foley Story”
Immediate reaction: You can’t exactly call it a snub, but it’s still a shame that the charming Irish musical “Sing Street” — not to be confused with the animated “Sing” — got no love from the Academy. The song “Drive It Like You Stole It” is at least 15 times more brilliant than Justin Timberlake’s inescapable and derivative “Trolls” anthem. In other news, Lin-Manuel Miranda is apparently taking over the world. After getting plenty of acclaim for “Hamilton,” he’s also getting love from the Academy for his work on “Moana,” and if “How Far I’ll Go,” which he wrote, wins this category, he’ll become part of the select group of people to have won an EGOT(Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony).

[With his Oscar nomination, Lin-Manuel Miranda is on the brink of an EGOT]

Best original score
“La La Land,” Justin Hurwitz
“Moonlight,” Nicholas Britell
“Lion,” Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka
“Jackie,” Mica Levi
“Passengers,” Thomas Newman
Immediate reaction: Come on. It’s all about “La La Land.” Obviously. Though it’s interesting to see that the universally panned “Passengers” got a nod, one of two for the movie. (The other was production design.) This is composer Thomas Newman’s 14th nomination.

Best cinematography
“Moonlight,” James Laxton
“La La Land,” Linus Sandgren
“Arrival,” Bradford Young
“Silence,” Rodrigo Prieto
“Lion,” Greig Fraser


Best production design
“La La Land,” David Wasco
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Stuart Craig and James Hambidge
“Arrival,” Patrice Vermette
“Hail Caesar”
“Passengers”
Immediate reaction: Are you getting sick of all the love for “La La Land” yet? Well, you’re not alone. Still, the movie was pretty stunning to look at. It’s also about time that David Wasco got a nomination. He’s responsible for the production design for “Pulp Fiction,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “Inglourious Basterds,” among others. This is one of two nominations for the Harry Potter spin-off “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” and the sole nomination for the Coen Brothers’ “Hail, Caesar!”

[The aliens in ‘Arrival’ are stunning. How do they compare to other film creatures?]

Best visual effects
“The Jungle Book,” Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould
“Doctor Strange,” Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould
“Deepwater Horizon,” Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington and Burt Dalton
“Kubo and the Two Strings,” Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff
Immediate reaction: “The Jungle Book” is the front-runner here, for the way the movie used CGI to bring animals to life without making them look creepy. Meanwhile, the animated film “Kubo and the Two Strings” also made the cut, which means it’s up for two Oscars (the other is best animated feature). The Star Wars spin-off “Rogue One” is also nominated for two awards, visual effects and sound mixing.

Best costume design
“La La Land,” Mary Zophres
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Colleen Atwood
“Florence Foster Jenkins,” Consolata Boyle
“Jackie,” Madeline Fontaine
“Allied,” Joanna Johnston
Immediate reaction: This is the second nomination for “La La Land” designer Mary Zophres. But her competition is tough, especially from Madeline Fontaine of “Jackie,” which so expertly recreated the wardrobe of the former first lady, including her iconic pink Chanel suit.

Best makeup and hair styling
“Star Trek Beyond,” Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo
“Suicide Squad,” Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson
“A Man Called Ove,” Eva von Bahr and Love Larson
Immediate reaction: Which of these things is not like the other? The Swedish film “A Man Called Ove,” also nominated for best foreign language film, is up against two blockbusters, including the critically derided “Suicide Squad.”

Best animated short film
“Piper”
“Pearl”
“Borrowed Time”
“Pear Cider and Cigarettes”
“Blind Vaysha”

Best live action short film
“Timecode”
“Sing (Mindenki)
“Silent Nights”
“Ennemis Interieurs”
“La Femme et le TGV”

Today's Headlines newsletter

The day's most important stories.

Best documentary short subject
“The White Helmets”
“Extremis”
“Watani: My Homeland”
“4.1 Miles”
“Joe’s Violin”

Best film editing
“La La Land,” Tom Cross
“Moonlight,” Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon
“Hacksaw Ridge,” John Gilbert
“Arrival,” Joe Walker
“h--- or High Water,” Jake Roberts

Best sound editing
“La La Land,” Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
“Hacksaw Ridge,” Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright
“Arrival,” Sylvain Bellemare
“Sully,” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
“Deepwater Horizon,” Wylie Stateman and Renée Tondelli

Best sound mixing
“La La Land,” Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A. Morrow
“Hacksaw Ridge,” Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
“Arrival,” Bernard Gariépy Strobl and Claude La Haye
“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth

 

Jan 24, 2017

WOAT year for movies

 

Jan 24, 2017

Biggest snub is still Russell Westbrook

 

Jan 24, 2017

The nominations were less white than usual, but just as boring. Cool that Huppert got nominated though.

 

Jan 24, 2017

Haven't seen a single one of these movies

 

Jan 24, 2017

Haven't seen most of these but h--- or High Water was dope. Definitely need to check out Arrival.

 

Jan 24, 2017

W-where's Deadpool?

 

Jan 24, 2017

@Kenneth basement

 

Jan 25, 2017

False statement

But understandable if you're judging solely by what films are considered for Oscars.

 

Jan 25, 2017

2016 lowkey the strongest year of the decade overall.