What the Academy Should Have Picked at the 2017 Oscars

The Academy Awards, or Oscars, are dedicated to honoring and celebrating the past year in film, and it is undoubtedly a highly prestigious staple of modern cinema. The nominations for the 89th Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, and, as always, they were chock full of egregious snubs and pleasant surprises. So, here are our picks for what films and individuals truly deserved Oscar nods ahead of the Sunday, Feb. 26 ceremony.

Note 1: Nominees are listed in descending order of quality

Note 2: Neither author of this list has viewed these contenders— Elle, Hidden Figures, The Red Turtle, Fire At Sea, and I Am Not Your Negro.

Note 3: The category of Best Foreign Language Film as well as all three short categories are not listed here, as neither author of this list has viewed a significant amount of major releases in those categories

Best Picture:

1. Moonlight
2. Manchester by the Sea
3. Arrival
4. Hell or High Water
5. Silence
6. Jackie
7. Paterson
8. The Lobster
9. Nocturnal Animals
10. La La Land

Honorable Mention: 20th Century Women

Best Director:

1. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
2. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
3. Martin Scorsese (Silence)
4. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
5. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

H.M.: Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Actor In A Leading Role:

1. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
2. Denzel Washington (Fences)
3. Adam Driver (Paterson)
4. Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
5. Andrew Garfield (Silence)

H.M.: Joel Edgerton (Loving)

Best Actress In A Leading Role:

1. Natalie Portman (Jackie)
2. Amy Adams (Arrival)
3. Annette Bening (20th Century Women)
4. Tilda Swinton (A Bigger Splash)
5. Emma Stone (La La Land)

H.M.: Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen)

Best Actor In A Supporting Role:

1. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
2. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
3. Ralph Fiennes (A Bigger Splash)
4. Issei Ogata (Silence)
5. Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

H.M.: Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Actress In A Supporting Role:

1. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
2. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
3. Viola Davis (Fences)
4. Felicity Jones (A Monster Calls)
5. Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women)

H.M.: Nicole Kidman (Lion)

Best Original Screenplay:

1. Manchester by the Sea
2. Hell or High Water
3. The Lobster
4. 20th Century Women
5. Jackie

  H.M.: Hail, Caesar!

Best Adapted Screenplay:

1. Moonlight
2. Arrival
3. Nocturnal Animals
4. Fences
5. Silence

  H.M.: A Monster Calls

Best Cinematography:

1. Silence
2. Moonlight
3. Arrival
4. La La Land
5. Jackie

  H.M.: Live By Night

Best Original Score:

1. Jackie
2. Moonlight
3. Arrival
4. La La Land
5. Nocturnal Animals

H.M.: Silence

Best Original Song:

1. “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” (La La Land)
2. “How Far I’ll Go” (Moana)
3. “City of Stars” (La La Land)
4. “Letter to the Free” (13th)
5. “Drive It Like You Stole It” (Sing Street)

H.M.: “You’re Welcome” (Moana)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

1. Jackie
2. Star Trek Beyond
3. Silence

H.M.: Hail, Caesar!

Best Costume Design:

1. Jackie
2. La La Land
3. The Handmaiden
4. Live By Night
5. Silence

H.M.: Love & Friendship

Best Production Design:

1. Silence
2. La La Land
3. Jackie
4. The Handmaiden
5. Live By Night

H.M.: Passengers

Best Animated Feature:

1. Kubo and the Two Strings
2. Moana
3. Zootopia
4. Sausage Party
5. The Little Prince

H.M.: Finding Dory

Best Film Editing:

1. Moonlight
2. Jackie
3. Hell or High Water
4. Silence
5. La La Land

H.M.: O.J.: Made In America

Best Visual Effects:

1. The Jungle Book
2. A Monster Calls
3. Doctor Strange
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
5. Kubo and the Two Strings

  H.M.: Arrival

Best Sound Editing:

1. La La Land
2. Arrival
3. Hacksaw Ridge
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
5. Deepwater Horizon

  H.M.: Silence

Best Sound Mixing:

1. La La Land
2. Silence
3. Hacksaw Ridge
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
5. Hell or High Water

H.M.: Live By Night

Best Documentary Feature:

1. O.J.: Made In America
2. 13th
3. Tower
4. Weiner
5. Tickled

H.M.: De Palma