The Cinemayward Oscars 2017

The Oscar nominees for 2017 were announced this morning, with little surprise (Meryl Streep was nominated again?) and plenty of snubs (sorry Cameraperson, The Fits, Sing Street, Tower, A Monster Calls, The Witch, and Silence). While I’ve yet to view all the Best Picture nominees (Fences and Hacksaw Ridge remain unseen) and not enough animated or foreign films to have an adequate list, I have seen quite a few excellent films worthy of recognition from 2016. So here are my own nominees, as well as a few new categories, such as “Best Comedy,” “Best Horror Film,” “Best Coming of Age Film,” and “Best Film Exploring Christian Spirituality.”

With five nominees in each category, ten in Best Picture, and my choice as winner in bold:

Best Picture

• La La Land
• Moonlight
• The Fits
• Sing Street
• Hail, Caesar!
• Hell or High Water
• Silence
• Arrival
• Love & Friendship
• Loving

Best Director:

• Robert Eggers (The Witch)
• Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
• Martin Scorsese (Silence)
• Anna Rose Holmer (The Fits)
• Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson)

Best Actor: 

• Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight)
• Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
• Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
• Ewan McGregor (Last Days in the Desert)
• O.J. Simpson (O.J.: Made in America)

Best Actress:

• Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)
• Royalty Hightower (The Fits)
• Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)
• Emma Stone (La La Land)
• Blake Lively (The Shallows)

Best Supporting Actor:

• Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Hidden Figures)
• Tom Bennett (Love & Friendship)
• Daniel Radcliffe (Swiss Army Man)
• John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane)
• Jack Reynor (Sing Street)

Best Supporting Actress:

• Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures)
• Lucy Boynton (Sing Street)
• Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
• Elizabeth Laidlaw (Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party)
• Imogen Poots (Green Room, Knight of Cups)

Best Screenplay:

• Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney)
• Hell or High Water (Taylor Sheridan)
• The Witch (Robert Eggers)
• Arrival (Eric Heisserer)
• Love & Friendship (Whit Stillman)

Best Cinematography:

• Moonlight (James Laxton)
• The Fits (Paul Yee)
• La La Land (Linus Sandgren)
• Arrival (Bradford Young)
• Silence (Rodrigo Prieto)

Best Documentary:

• Tower (Keith Maitland)
• Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)
• The Witness (James Solomon)
• Newtown (Kim Snyder)
• O.J: Made in America (Ezra Edelman)

Best Musical Score:

• La La Land (Justin Hurwitz)
• Sing Street (Sing Street band)
• Arrival (Jóhann Jóhannsson)
• Moonlight (Nicholas Britell)
• Krisha (Brian McOmber)

Best Horror Film: The Witch (Robert Eggers). Runner-up: Green Room (Jeremy Saulnier)

Best Comedy: Hail, Caesar! (The Coens). Runner-up: Love & Friendship (Whit Stillman)

Best Coming of Age Film: The Fits (Anna Rose Helmer). Runner-up: The Edge of Seventeen (Kelly Fremon Craig)

Best Film Exploring Christian Spirituality: Silence (Martin Scorsese). Runner-up: The Innocents (Anne Fontaine)

What were your favorite films of 2016? What do you hope will win at the Oscars?