Who Won and Who Should Have

Won: 'Manchester by the Sea' Should have won: 'Manchester by the Sea' The screenplay for this film was absolutely exquisite from start to finish. The sheer brilliance in versatility writer/director Kenneth Lonergan showed in the script itself was unmatched by any original screenplay this year. One second the characters in the film were breaking each others’ hearts and the next they’d be scre...

Won: 'La La Land' Should have won: 'Silence' Good cinematography in a film is when the DP goes out of their way to capture a shot that will amplify the whole scene. No film in the list of nominations was able to do this to the effect of Rodrigo Prieto’s work in Silence. Having not even been nominated for his tremendous work with Alejandro González Iñárritu in his first four features, he was...

Won: Emma Stone Should have won: Rachel Weisz The fact that Rachel Weisz wasn’t even nominated for this role is an absolute travesty. Both Colin Farrell and Weisz easily deserved nominations for their leading roles. Fortunately, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ work didn’t go completely unnoticed, as it grabbed a Best Original Screenplay nomination. However, Weisz really did this film justic...

Won: Damien Chazelle Should have won: Barry Jenkins This one easily could have been another Manchester by the Sea win for me should Moonlight not have been such a monumental achievement in directing. Barry Jenkins’ second feature was absolutely flawless in the directing department. His vision and understanding of composition and rhythm was a treat to see on the big screen, as he told the s...

Won: Casey Aflleck Should have won: Casey Affleck Casey Affleck gave us, without a shadow of a doubt, the most heart-wrenchingly brilliant performance of the year. His performance as Lee Chandler, a blue-collar Bostonian forced to take care of his nephew after his own brother, Joe Chandler, dies of heart failure, was the most brutally honest and emotional of the year. A performance like this will be...

Won: 'Moonlight' Should have won: 'Manchester by the Sea' This film slowly crept its way into existence and slid its way into the Academy’s Best Picture nomination list. The charm of this film is how simple it is. Nothing was extra, there was nothing yelling at you, unlike in La La Land, which was practically on its knees for a Best Picture win. The beauty of this film is in how gently it presents itself. Ke...