The 2017 Annual Academy Awards
Well movie lovers, it's that time again. There have been way too many movies to watch this season, but thankfully, I can weigh in on most of the nominees this year. Once again, there was just a lot of really good performances. The Academy Awards celebrates the cream of the crop on Sunday Feb. 26th, and for those who protested last year with the tag #oscarsowhite, fear not! The list of nominees this year is extremely diverse...and the performances are equally as talented. History could be made...it literally could be anyone's night! In order to help gauge things, I've created my own sort of Oscar predictions based on my own critiques of the nominees and their performances:

BEST PICTURE
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
WINNER: Moonlight
=============================
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
WINNER: Ryan Gosling, La La Land
=============================
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
WINNER: Isabelle Huppert, Elle
=============================
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
WINNER: Dev Patel, Lion (although Mahershala would also be a very close 2nd)
=============================
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
WINNER: Viola Davis, Fences
=============================
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia
WINNER: Either Zootopia and Moana
=============================
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence
WINNER: Moonlight
=============================
COSTUME DESIGN
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land
WINNER: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
=============================
DIRECTING
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
WINNER: Moonlight
=============================
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made in America
13th
WINNER: 13th
=============================
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
Extremis
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets
WINNER: 4.1 Miles
=============================
FILM EDITING
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight
WINNER: Hacksaw Ridge
=============================
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann
WINNER: A Man Called Ove
=============================
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad
WINNER: Star Trek Beyonf
=============================
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers
WINNER: La La Land
=============================
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from La La Land
Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"Can’t Stop The Feeling" from Trolls
Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster
"City Of Stars" from La La Land
Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"The Empty Chair" from Jim: The James Foley Story
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting
"How Far I’ll Go" from Moana
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
WINNER: "How Far I'll Go" from Moana
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
=============================
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers
WINNER: La La Land
=============================
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper
WINNER: Piper
=============================
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Ennemis Intérieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode
WINNER: Sing
=============================
SOUND EDITING
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully
WINNER: La La Land
=============================
SOUND MIXING
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
WINNER: La La Land
=============================
VISUAL EFFECTS
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
WINNER: Doctor Strange
=============================
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight
WINNER: Moonlight
=============================
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women
WINNER: Manchester by the Sea