“Hidden Figures” is one of several films, nominated at this year’s Academy Awards, to finally turn the tide on the past two years’ whitewashed nominees. Unlike many films nominated in the past, “Hidden Figures” does not purely focus on the degradation of black people, but also their contributions to the world at large. The subjects of this film are black women, who are often seen as the most disenfranchised group of Americans, and aren’t generally the subjects of big profile films.
This year, I am once again looking towards the future with these contenders for the 2017 Oscars, and try as hard as I can to really suss out who will be nominated. Below are probable nominees for this year’s Oscar nominations, in the biggest categories, like Actress, Actor, Best Picture etc.
While past collaborations between this dream team have yielded multiple acting and creative nominations, Lawrence received the sole nomination in her turn as Mangano
The Weinsteins made Tarantino a critical darling with their backing of “Reservoir Dogs,” and “Pulp Fiction,” and have been behind the wunderkind ever since. The Oscar glory has faded some since the nineties, but “The Hateful Eight” garnered an impressive three nominations and subsequent win for Ennio Morricone’s score.
I think it’s important to note that when people choose which actors and properties get nominated, they aren’t looking to what stories are most important, but who deserves what more. The Academy is made up predominantly of white men.
Adding the scenic location of coastal Ireland, and the allure of fifties costuming, “Brooklyn,” is mostly about trying to be happy, no matter what the cost. Our main character, Eilis, learns this lesson through the world expanding procedure of falling in love.
Adonis Creed deals with some of the exact same issues as Rocky did: finding love, being the underdog in an important fight, proving himself to professionals, and showing his mentor he can go the distance.
Other issues with the film include that the entire novel that the film is based around is fictional, meaning it is not researched. Many things about the plot, ages of those in it, and the details of Gerda and Lili’s relationship are completely false.
She used her classical training to change the way jazz was performed. She stood tall and proclaimed she wanted to be a revolutionary in a time when it was dangerous to do so.
Bryan Cranston’s nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role was the only nomination that this film garnered. Cranston should have been nominated years before for supporting roles in films such as “Drive,” and “Argo,” but it’s good to see his first nomination is for something he genuinely earned.
The dissent surrounding the Academy Awards this year was not only directed towards a lack of minority nominees. The film caused uproar concerning the lack of nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.
Focusing on the many cases of women who report and are then demonized for it, "The Hunting Ground," shows the predatory relationship between universities and perpetrators of sexual assault.
Mostly set in a single room, the story follows a young mother and her son (who only knows the inside of a room). His mother teaches him about the outside world and the horrifying circumstances that have led to the pair’s current fate.
It puts you at odds with conventional animation, which in recent years has veered more and more towards the realistic, which is why computer animation has become so prevalent.
Rylance is most famous for being the first artistic director for the Globe Theater in London and is a classically trained actor, working mostly in the UK. He looks much like the subject, Rudolf Abel, and gives a strangely stoic performance as the supposed Soviet spy.
Ruffalo is especially gripping as Rezendes, fighting for his childhood interpretation of the Catholic Church and his agnostic adult life, while also researching and tracking down the information needed to collar Cardinal Law.
Though I have never met Steve Jobs, been privy to who he was as a person, or read the biography by Walter Isaacson, it’s easy to see this as the true Jobs; fostering insecurity while pushing his agenda on an unwilling public.
Asif Kapadia has previously dealt with distinguishable public figures in documentaries like "Senna." That documentary was mostly found footage, voice over interviews, and TV interviews. Like that film "Amy" is eponymous and mostly features old footage and backstage filming of Winehouse in many different contexts.
