SINGAPORE: The clock is ticking down to the Oscars, that night of glitz and glamour when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honours the best films of the year.
On Sunday night (Feb 27) in Los Angeles, actors, producers, directors and everyone in between will gather to see if frontrunner La La Land can convert its staggering 14 nominations into actual statuettes.
Ahead of the ceremony, here's our assessment of who will snag the coveted Oscars in the main categories - and who we think may be more deserving of Hollywood's highest honour.
La La Land (Photo: movie still)
BEST PICTURE
Nominees:
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
What ought to win: Moonlight
What will win: La La Land
As effervescent as a bottle of champagne after a particular trying work day, no one can deny La La Land is a vibrant work of escapism. It's an intoxicating romp that has the power to capture the spirits of viewers who don't particularly care for musicals, starring two perfectly cast leads who will eventually charm even the most jaded of hearts.
This ode to the classic movie musicals of yore is the kind of razzle and dazzle dream-fantasy movie magic that Oscar voters love.
But if there is a film to rival the award-winning juggernaut of this perfectly painted patische, it would have to be Moonlight.
Formidable, dexterous and transcendental, Barry Jenkins’ movie deserves all the praise that critics have heaped on it. A powerful and brave statement on homosexuality and race in the United States, this is a gripping and honest piece of cinema. The genius of Moonlight’s storytelling? It feels both of-the-moment as well as timeless, performed by a flawless cast.
It will be a surprise if Moonlight pulls the rug from under the genuinely enjoyably La La. But it would be a fitting win for a film that beautifully portrays the universal themes of coming to terms with identity and where one fits in this world.
Emma Stone holds the award for leading Actress at the British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) at the Royal Albert Hall in London. REUTERS/Toby Melville
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Nominees:
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
Who ought to win: Isabelle Huppert
Who will win: Emma Stone
It was a travesty that some of the top female performances of the year, like Amy Adams for Arrival and Annette Bening for 20th Century Women, didn’t get the acknowledgement they so deserved with a nomination.
Having said that, this category still boasts exceptional performances, like the spot-on Natalie Portman in Jackie or the quietly strong Ruth Negga in Loving. So, with the possible exception of the always-perfect Streep, who was great but not at her all-time best in Florence Foster Jenkins, any of these women could win and we’d have few complaints.
But if we had to choose, it would have to be Huppert, whose superbly unsettling, psychologically complex and perversely instinctive work in Paul Verhoeven’s brazenly controversial Elle as a rape victim will be talked about for a long time.
But let’s face it, Emma Stone is likely to dance away with this one. While we prefer Huppert, who won the Golden Globe (or even Portman who won the Critics’ Choice), it’s difficult to argue with that.
It’s easy to dismiss her La La Land role as somewhat underdeveloped, especially compared to the others in the running. But Stone gives an incredibly inviting performance, both in the quiet “actor” moments as well as the big movie musical numbers. So much so that it would seem foolish if the Academy discounts the charming star of a film they are so clearly besotted with.
Casey Affleck holds the award for best Leading Actor for "Manchester by the Sea" at the British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) in London. REUTERS/Toby Melville
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Nominees:
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)
Who ought to win: Casey Affleck for Manchester By The Sea
Who will win: Casey Affleck for Manchester By The Sea
This award will come down to two specific actors with wildly different narratives.
If we’re talking pure performance with a heartbreaking masterclass in emotional restraint, the Oscar should go to Casey Affleck, nominated for the first time since The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in 2007.
But if Affleck, fighting off resurfaced allegations of sexual harassment, gets taken down by his real life transgressions, then two time Oscar winner Washington could pull of the surprise win. As he already did at the SAG awards.
But other factors notwithstanding, this should go to Affleck.
Viola Davis holds the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for her role in "Fences" during the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Nominees:
Nominees: Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
Who ought to win: Viola Davis
Who will win: Viola Davis
A talent-filled category that has been billed as the one for Viola Davis to lose.
Past Oscar winners Octavia Spencer and Nicole Kidman’s peformances lack the same buzz or bite as those they are competing with. Michelle Williams was absolutely devastating and emotionally stunning in Manchester ByThe Sea, but the two-time Oscar nominee might not have clocked enough screen time to be a true contender. In another other year, Naomie Harris, who absolutely killed it playing against type as a drug-addicted mother in Moonlight, would have walked home with the prize.
But they're up against the formidable, universally praised Davis, who might have lost her two previous Oscar nominations but has since nabbed every possible award for her scorched earth performance in Fences. Davis already won the Tony award for this same role on stage, so why not add the Oscar to complete the collection? The Academy award should be hers, and deservedly so.
Mahershala Ali poses with his awards during the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Nominees:
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
Who ought to win: Mahershala Ali
Who will win: Mahershala Ali
Mahershala Ali is arguably the most revealing actor to shine in Moonlight, delivering so much passion and humanity in the role of a left-field benevolent saviour that is impossible to forget.
Yes, there’s also the the legendary Jeff Bridges and the underrated Michael Shannon, who both checked in such remarkable performances that they might just emerge as dark horse winners.
But we stand by Ali. This should be his time in the Oscar spotlight.
Damien Chazelle's whimsical tribute to Hollywood's Golden Age of musicals, 'La La Land', has topped the 2017 Academy Award nominations list AFP/Robyn BECK
BEST DIRECTOR
Nominees:
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
Who ought to win: Barry Jenkins
Who will win: Damien Chazelle
All the signs point to Damien Chazelle winning the big prize for pulling off a piece of cinema so irresistibly nostalgic yet modern; which is why we won’t be disappointed if the Academy does the obvious and gives it to him for breathing new life into a bygone era and his joyously assured direction of wish-fulfilment and honest melancholy.
But Barry Jenkin’s deft handling of Moonlight suggests a directing master has emerged. The film manages to undo our expectations, not just as viewers but also as human beings. And if Jenkins wins, he would make history by being the first black filmmaker to win Best Director.
So perhaps the Academy might once again split the spoils between two movies, this time by awarding La La Land with Best Picture and Jenkins as Best Director.