La La Land leads Oscar nominations – who’s missing?

Well, here we are. The 89th Oscar nominations have arrived, and there are some seriously worth contenders here. The Hollywood Reporter had their predictions, and unsurprisingly, La La Land was top of the list. And perhaps even more unsurprisingly, the musical hit did score some serious love, with nominations in all the major categories. Moonlight is the runner up to La La Land, and it will be interesting to see which one will take home Best Picture.

I loved La La Land, so I’m pleased to see Hollywood give it the attention it merited. I was equally pleased to also see Hell or High Water receive a fair share of nominations as well. After much debate, I’d cite that western crime film as my favourite movie of 2016. Jeff Bridges scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination and it was well deserved.

Also high on my list in 2016 was Arrival, and seeing it receive Best Film and Director nominations warms my heart. Unfortunately, Amy Adams didn’t get a Lead Actress nomination, which is confusing, as she carried that film on her shoulders. 

Mel Gibson nominated for Best Director for Hacksaw Ridge? Deserved, and could be the next stop on his Hollywood comeback, though I’d argue that there’s a better chance we’ll see Damien Chazelle or Denis Villeneuve take that accolade this year.

Deadpool didn’t get any love in the major categories, so I’m guessing we’re still a ways away from super hero film getting real Oscar love.

Here’s the rundown of nominations: for the 89th Academy Awards

Best picture
“La La Land”
“Moonlight”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Arrival”
“Fences”
“Lion”
“Hidden Figures”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Hell or High Water”

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”

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”

Best director
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Actress in a supporting role
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”

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”

Best adapted screenplay
“Moonlight,” Barry Jenkins
“Arrival,” Eric Heisserer
“Lion,” Luke Davies
“Fences,” August Wilson
“Hidden Figures,” Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi

Best original screenplay
“La La Land,” Damien Chazelle
“Hell or High Water,” Taylor Sheridan
“Manchester by the Sea,” Kenneth Lonergan
“The Lobster,”  Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou
“20th Century Women,” Mike Mills