Oscars 2017: 20 Predicted Best Film Nominees Ranked Worst To Best
1. La La Land
It's hard not to get romantic about La La Land. Hyped as one of the most beautiful films of recent memory and a stunning achievement by sophomore director Damien Chazelle, it delivers on absolutely everything promised (aside from perhaps the "feel-good" billing). It is astonishingly good-looking, bravely and boldly made in a style that is simultaneously nostalgic and entirely brand new.
Not since The Artist has a film been so assuredly adorable, so remarkably watchable and so in love with Hollywood. But Chazelle has pulled off a masterstroke in turning what appears to be a prototypical romance into one of the most bittersweet stories in living memory. Already defying convention by having the audacity to follow up Whiplash with a golden age musical, he then went and ended it with a devastating montage that rivals the opening sequence of Pixar's Up. It's beautiful, and delirious, but it is also haunting and profoundly sad.
And yet still, it was gorgeous and the kind of film you ache to recommend to people. In all honesty, they might as well just dedicate the entire Oscar ceremony to it.
Was there a better film released in 2016? No. Will there be a better one released in 2017? It'll have to be extremely special.
Which hotly tipped Oscar nominee did you most enjoy this year? Share your reactions below in the comments thread.