89th Annual Academy Awards

With some incredibly well-deserved wins, the Oscars certainly didn't leave the drama behind - a shock misread led to La La Land having to hand their Oscar over to Moonlight. Alongside all the glitzy dresses and political speeches, there were some triumphant wins; Mahershala Ali became the first Muslim to win an Oscar - his performance in Moonlight was indeed extraordinary, so a round of applause to him. La La Land still came out on top - but not by as much as anticipated.

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Best Picture

Nominees;

Arrival

Fences

Hacksaw Ridge

Hell or High Water

Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best Actress

Nominees;

Emma Stone (La La Land)
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Ruth Negga (Loving)

Best Director

Nominees;

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)

Best Actor

Nominees;

Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Denzel Washington (Fences)

Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees;

Hell or High Water

La La Land
The Lobster

Manchester by the Sea

20th Century Women

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees;

Dev Patel (Lion)

Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Visual Effects

Nominees;

Deepwater Horizon

Doctor Strange

The Jungle Book

Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best Animated Feature

Nominees;

Kubo and the Two Strings

Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle

Zootopia

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees;

Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)

Viola Davis (Fences)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees;

Arrival
Fences

Hidden Figures

Lion

Moonlight

Best Animated Short

Nominees;

Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper

Best Documentary Short

Nominees;

4.1 Miles
Extremis
Joe's Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets

Best Cinematography

Nominees;

Arrival

La La Land

Lion
Moonlight
Silence

Best Costume Design

Nominees;

Allied

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

Florence Foster Jenkins

Jackie

La La Land

Best Documentary
Nominees;
13th
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
OJ: Made in America

Best Film Editing
Nominees;
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight

Best Foreign Language Film
Nominees;
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann

Best Make Up & Hairstyling
Nominees;
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad

Best Song
Nominees;
Audition (La La Land)
Can't Stop the Feeling (Trolls)
City of Stars (La La Land)
The Empty Chair (Jim: The James Foley Story)
How Far I'll Go (Moana)

Best Production Design
Nominees;
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers

Best Sound Editing
Nominees;
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully

Best Score
Nominees;
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers

Best Sound Mixing
Nominees;
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours

Best Live-Action Short
Nominees;
Ennemis Intérieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode

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He Said, She Said: La La Land Review

Runtime: 2hr 8min

Director: Damien Chazelle

Release Date: 12th January 2017

Rating: 12A (UK), PG-13 (US)

Critically acclaimed and currently totalling 14 Oscar Nominations, 11 BAFTA Nominations, and 7 Golden Globe wins, musical La La Land is not as incredible as you would expect. Myself and guest writer Natasha tell you why...

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Plot Summary

La La Land's centres on Seb (Ryan Gosling), an overqualified restaurant pianist with a penchant for Jazz, and Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress lacking in successful auditions. Upon meeting, Mia and Seb push each other to make their struggling dreams a reality, and the movie follows how their relationship moulds as they attempt to reach their goals.

He Said...

Damien Chazelle, director of La La Land, clearly knew with this project that he was on to a winner; but why did he have to make such a song and a dance about it?! With its' dazzling aesthetic and charm, it is difficult to imagine La La Land going home empty-handed at this years' Academy Awards, particularly for costume design and cinematography. Emma Stone clearly the star of the show, I felt Ryan Gosling's performance was not particularly special, nor any of the rest of the cast bar Stone. For its' praised musical elements, certain shots (and songs) were overused at times - every other song, it appeared, would open with dimmed lights and a spotlight on the performer (*eye roll*). Perhaps due to the overwhelming acclaim it has already received, my expectations were set high - and La La Land was not the solid 10/10 I had hoped it to be. The plot itself wasn't overly ambitious, and through all its glitz and retro glamour had an aura of arrogance despite being far from perfect.

7/10

She Said..

Did I like La La Land? Of course! Did I love it? Hmm, perhaps not.. With fantastic use of colour and costumer, as well as a hint of Baz-Luhrmann-esque beauty in its' shots and cuts, the storyline and catchy songs kept my intrigue until the end. But whilst I understand some of the hype, I can't help but feel it could have been a little less pretentious. This self-indulgent piece of cinema portrayed a bland Ryan Gosling, some fairly odd pacing (or total lack there-of), and an unusual, disappointing lack of chemistry between Gosling and Stone. Emma Stone was breath-taking as ever - endearing, gawky and not afraid to laugh at herself - but I felt paired with far too 'Hollywood' a role. The films' music (think 20's speakeasy & Parisian jazz cafe contrasted with blatant cheese), whilst catchy, was paired with some fairly mediocre singing and dancing. The whole thing just seemed a bit unnecessary, and its' overzealous approach to the arts just reminded me of the movie Midnight in Paris (FYI, not a favourite of mine). My final words? Over-hyped but a fun ride.

7.5/10