The 89th annual Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 26.
It is the biggest night of the year for film fans around the world as we celebrate the great films released in 2016.
“Yes, of course I plan on watching the Oscars this year,” said Mauricio Berber, a Stockton resident and former Delta college student. “I enjoy watching them because I feel that award shows always get me through the first couple of months of the year and kind of forces me to
catch up on films I missed out on or forgot about last year.”
The Oscars bring attention to movies that some people may not have planned to see.
“I want to see ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ because I heard good reviews about it and I want to really see if it is a good movie,” said Brandon Seth a Delta College student.
2016 was another solid year for movies, after a disappointing summer blockbuster season the year finished out strong with smaller Oscar caliber movies.
No matter how small the budget of a film or how highly anticipated it is the Oscars have recognized all types of films.
“I definitely still have to watch the highly praised film that’s been sweeping and bringing home gold in all categories in recent award shows and that film is ‘La La Land,’” said Berber. “I also haven’t had a chance to watch ‘Manchester by the Sea’ starring Casey Affleck, who I think is underrated.”
After the backlash the Oscars received last year for not nominating minorities in the major categories, which resulted in a two percent decrease in viewers from the year before, according to deadline.com. It appears the Academy has listened and responded to the criticism.
When you look at the major categories like Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress there is diversity amongst the nominees. All nine movies up for best picture are unique and are different from each other.
“Arrival,” is a Science Fiction movie where aliens have landed on Earth for reasons unknown.
“La La Land,” is a musical about a struggling actress and aspiring jazz musician trying to fulfill their dreams. “Hidden Figures,” is a true story about three black women working for NASA at a time when the country was segregated. “Moonlight,” is about a young African American child
growing up in a harsh neighborhood struggling with his identity. “Fences,” is the the Denzel Washington-directed film with two of the best actors in the business delivering powerful performances. “Hell or High Water,” is a Western about two brothers robbing banks to support
their family. “Manchester by the Sea,” is an emotional drama that focuses on depression and how it affects one’s life. “Lion,” is a tragic but incredible true story about a five year old boy from India getting separated from his family and trying to reunite with them 25 years later. “Hacksaw Ridge,” a war movie and an inspiring true story about a man who refused to touch a gun and decided to save lives instead of taking them.
As someone who has seen all nine Best Picture nominees and most of the performances for Best Actor and Actress everyone deserved their nomination.
Each film was special in its own way, a couple of the films nominated aren’t as good as everyone says but different stories told on the screen with different races being represented are appreciated.
As for predictions for the major categories of the show: “La La Land” will win Best Picture, it is the favorite and has the most buzz surrounding it right now. If any other movie has a chance to upset it it’s probably “Moonlight.” Best Actor goes to Casey Affleck. Best Actress goes to Emma Stone, she was a triple threat in “La La Land:” singer, dancer and actress. Damien Chazelle wins for Best Director wins for his work on “La La Land.”