(From: L to R: Midnight Special, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Demolition, Ghostbusters,
Cafe Society, Captain America: Civil War, Everybody Wants Some!!, Little Sister, Lion
King Cobra, The Witch, The Neon Demon, Suicide Squad)
Hollywood's annual celebration of the prior year in film returns tonight with the Academy Awards celebrating 2016. For once the Oscars actually did an overall solid selection for the year. Every single film nominated for Best Picture is worthy of that title. The acting categories also are overall very strong as well with the Best Actress category an embarrassment of riches. 2016 overall brought us many treasures and a couple of complete slogs to sit through, but brought us the best film since Blue is the Warmest Color in 2013.
Here are my personal picks for the best of 2016.
Here are my personal picks for the best of 2016.
Nominees in alphabetical order, winner in bold. (Six nominees in each category, except Best Actress because I am weak, and cannot cut one of them.)
Best Picture:
Arrival
Elle
La La Land
Other People
The Edge of Seventeen
Toni Erdmann
Best Director:
Maren Ade, Toni Erdmann
Andrea Arnold, American Honey
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Robert Eggers, The Witch
Paul Verhoeven, Elle
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Best Actress:
Amy Adams, Arrival
Rebecca Hall, Christine
Sandra Hueller, Toni Erdmann
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Hailee Steinfeld, The Edge of Seventeen
Emma Stone, La La Land
Best Actor:
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton, Loving
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Connor Jessup, Closet Monster
Peter Simonischek, Toni Erdmann
Best Supporting Actress:
Viola Davis, Fences
Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women
Gillian Jacobs, Don't Think Twice
Riley Keough, American Honey
Janelle Monae, Moonlight
Molly Shannon, Other People
Best Supporting Actor:
Tom Bennett, Love & Friendship
Alden Ehrenreich, Hail,Caesar!
John Goodman, 10 Cloverfield Lane
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Andre Holland, Moonlight
Ashton Sanders, Moonlight
Original Screenplay:
20th Century Women
Hell or High Water
Manchester by the Sea
Other People
The Edge of Seventeen
Toni Erdmann
Adapted Screenplay:
Arrival
Elle
Fences
Indignation
Love & Friendship
Moonlight
Cinematography:
Arrival
Don't Breathe
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
The Neon Demon
Score:
Arrival
Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Elle
Jackie
La La Land
The Neon Demon
Film Editing:
Arrival
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
Demolition
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Moonlight
Production Design:
Hail, Caesar!
Jackie
La La Land
Love & Friendship
The Nice Guys
The Witch
List of eligible 2016 films:
The Forest |
The Witch |
Hail, Caesar! |
Deadpool |
Zootopia |
How to Be Single |
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot |
10 Cloverfield Lane |
Everybody Wants Some!! |
Batman vs. Superman |
Civil War |
The Jungle Book |
X-Men: Apocolypse |
Neighbors 2 |
Popstar |
The Shallows |
Ghostbusters |
Indignation |
Swiss Army Man |
Eddie the Eagle |
Maggie's Plan |
Don't Breathe |
Bad Moms |
Sully |
Other People |
American Honey |
King Cobra |
Hacksaw Ridge |
Mascots |
Arrival |
Café Society |
Midnight Special |
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk |
Hell or High Water |
Finding Dory |
Fantastic Beasts |
Moonlight |
The Edge of Seventeen |
Florence Foster Jenkins |
Captain Fantastic |
Demolition |
Rogue One |
Passengers |
Manchester by the Sea |
Moana |
Love & Friendship |
The Nice Guys |
Suicide Squad |
Goat |
Nocturnal Animals |
Little Men |
La La Land |
Little Sister |
Elle |
Closet Monster |
Christine |
20th Century Women |
Jackie |
A Bigger Splash |
Alice: Through the Looking Glass |
Fences |
Lion |
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back |
Don't Think Twice |
The Neon Demon |
Loving |
Toni Erdmann |