The Oscars Predictions 2017!

By Jessica Lipman & Jade Washington

      The ravishing glamor, the gleaming awards, and the glistening spotlight brings together the event we have all been anticipating: The Oscars. Also known as the Academy Awards, The Oscars bring our favorite actors, actresses, and films into one show. This year’s host is Jimmy Kimmel, and he reveals not only who simply grabbed the hearts of the voters, but also which films touched Americans throughout the entire country. Here are the nominees that we believe are most expected to make an outburst in the top twelve categories.

     The thrilling and eccentric movie La La Land, which stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, was nominated for best picture this year, and it screens an upcoming actress and  pianist who go through manifold struggles in order to accomplish their desires. La La Land’s scenery  is filled with rich hues throughout; for instance, the sky in it was painted royal blue as the two actors experienced a blossoming romance. The movie also highlighted dramatic scenes with vibrant or theatrical backgrounds and incorporated covers which create a sense of liveliness. In contrast to this film, the runner up (or next best selection) is the thrilling and historically based movie Hacksaw Ridge. Based on true events, Hacksaw Ridge tells the story about a man named Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield) who enters a war, but never lays one finger on a gun. Instead, he risks his life to help his fellow army men and others who were injured.

     The two frontrunners for best actor are Denzel Washington and Andrew Garfield. Andrew Garfield delivers an exhilarating performance in Hacksaw Ridge, as he plays a pacifist who saves lives on the battlefield. He demonstrates the suffrage of being a medic in an alarming war, but also triumphs over the dangers that could have damaged his home life and the surrounding men around him. On the other hand, Denzel Washington is up for his third Grammy Award (although it is his eighth Academy Award nomination). Washington played Troy Maxson in Fences, who was a father that felt so hostile towards his past life that he tore his home life apart. As Washington displays this character, he creates an atmosphere that brings people to realize the importance of family.

     The number one nominee for Best Actress is Emma Stone. She brings excitement and joy to the table while playing Mia, an aspiring actress in La La Land. Throughout her role, she shows the ongoing trials it takes for an artist to make a debut into the music career. 

     Based on the original 1967 film, The Jungle Book has been most expected to win the Best Visual Effects award at the Oscars. Although contenders such as Deepwater Horizon, Doctor Strange, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story have received applause for their stunning optical effects, The Jungle Book has a large advantage in this category because of its interactive CGI wild animals that provide a jungle setting.

     With two nominees for Best Original Song, La La Land’s composer Justin Hurwitz is expected to have dominance in this category. However, Hurwitz will be “competing with heavy hitters” says Elias Leight, a reporter from the Rolling Stone. Leight also discusses that “How Far I’ll Go,” from Moana, “The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story, and “Can’t Stop The Feeling” from Trolls are tough competitors.

     With cosmetics being a major factor on how to bring a movie to life, makeup and hairstyling takes its own award at the Oscars. With A Man Called Ove, Suicide Squad, and Star Trek Beyond running up to take home the award, it is hard to predict who the victor will be. Carson Dillard, a Sophomore at Glenelg, has confidence that Star Trek Beyond will win this category because “the characters look so alike to the ones from the original movie, which shows how talented the makeup designers for this specific movie [are].” Although there are only three nominees, it is still going to be hard to tell who will win this Oscar.

     Makeup and hairstyling are not the only things that bring to life the characters in movies; costumes are also extremely important. For example, nominee Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has received credit from many viewers for having interesting concepts and designs that help to draw multiple fans in.  However, Michael Lewis, a Sophomore at Glenelg, thinks differently. Lewis believes that another nominee, Allied, should win Best Costume Design because of how detailed its costumes are compared “to the time setting of the film” and because they are geared “towards the World War 2 era.” The other nominees for the Best Costume Design award are Florence Foster Jenkins, Jackie, and La La Land.

     Collider, an online article website, asserts how the Best Adapted Screenplay category “[isn’t] free from controversy” and is also “now the heavy favourite” of viewers. With minor disagreement, the expected winner is to be Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins. Additionally, viewers must also remember that there is still fierce competition from the nominees Arrival, Fences, Hidden Figures, and Lion.

     Walt Disney Animation Studios will possibly add onto the ten Academy Awards that they have claimed in the past for Best Animated Feature, as the company has created two nominees this year: Moana and Zootopia. It will be very close, because Zootopia has had a large outbreak throughout 2016, but Moana (a more recent animation) has received endless praise. Also, Moana has been appreciated for “its non-traditional female protagonist, diversity in storytelling, and an amazing songbook”, but Zootopia is “critically acclaimed, socially-conscious and one of the top-grossing films of the year”, says an online writer for Tylt. Although one of these two are highly anticipated to take home the title of Best Animated Feature, their competitors include Kubo and the Two Strings, My Life as a Zucchini, and The Red Turtle.

     Despite the fact there are a variety of categories that still have no clear winners, we can only hope that our favorite actors and actresses will take home their own Oscar this year at the 89th Academy Awards. Make sure to tune into ABC on February 26 at 5:30 PM to watch them!