You’ve heard the buzz around this year’s most prominent categories. “La La Land” is favored to win Best Picture. Damien Chazelle is expected to take home Best Director for “La La Land.” And how about Emma Stone’s performance in “La La Land?”
Story by Natalie Heineman
Are we forgetting Best Sound Mixing? Best Makeup and Hairstyling? Best Costume Design? I care about every single one of these categories more than I care about “La La Land.” Take a look at ORANGE’s picks for categories for the underrated categories that we will probably pay attention to this year just to get a break from all this “La La Land” hype.
Photo courtesy of comingsoon.net
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Who Will Win: “A Man Called Ove”
Who Should Win: “Suicide Squad”
Don’t you love the sound of “‘Suicide Squad:’ an Academy Award-winning film?” “A Man Called Ove” will win because it sounds pretentious, but you should root for “Suicide Squad.” How was it not nominated in any music categories? The movie played more songs than your rich friend with Spotify Premium. If the film can’t win an award for sheer volume of songs played, at least give it an award for dip-dyeing Margot Robbie’s hair and making Killer Croc’s skin the same texture as a purse from Payless Shoesource.
Best Sound Mixing
Who Will Win: “La La Land”
Who Should Win: “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”
We haven’t heard quite enough about Benghazi this past year. Stay tuned for the sequel “But Her Emails,” premiering later this year.
Best Sound Editing
Who Will Win: The film possibly named after Demi Lovato’s 2008 hit song, “La La Land”
Who Should Win: “Sully”
Does anybody understand the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing? Can an RTF major pop their head out of the latest “Fight Club” thinkpiece and let us know? “Sully” should win because I want to know what Canadian geese sucked into a airplane engine sounds like. Probably horrifying.
Photo courtesy of Film Music Reporter
Best Costume Design
Who Will Win: “La La Land”
Who Should Win: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Fantastic Beasts” managed to do what no media has ever done before. Well, except “King of Queens.” And “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” And “The Flintstones.” The point is, it’s hard work making a female gorgeous for her dopey, plain, helpless male love interest. Queenie, keep doing your thing, girl. Jacob… get a personality. At least they both dress nicely.
Best Original Song
Who Will Win: That movie with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, you know the name at this point.
Who Should Win: “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana” by Lin-Manuel Miranda
If Miranda wins an Oscar, he officially becomes the youngest EGOT winner (someone who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony) in history at age 37. Miranda already claims an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony, but needs that final O to complete his EGOT. Plus, if he wins for “Moana,” maybe we’ll get a break from “Hamilton” talk for just one night.
Best Documentary (Feature)
Who Will Win: “O.J.: Made in America”
Who Should Win: “I Am Not Your Negro”
I’m sorry, are you telling me this rehash of the O.J. Simpson trials doesn’t feature David Schwimmer portraying Robert Kardashian? No thank you. However, if you’ve ever even heard someone say the phrase, “Racism doesn’t exist anymore. That was so long ago,” you need to watch “I Am Not Your Negro,” an earnest look at how much work is needed to even just acknowledge systemic racism.
Best Documentary (Short Subject)
Who Will Win: “The White Helmets”
Who Should Win: “Joe’s Violin”
“Joe’s Violin” is a beautiful story about a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor donating his violin to a young girl in the Bronx. In an ordinary year, it would rightfully sweep nomination votes. “The White Helmets” is also a worthy tale about the volunteer squad who rush into areas of Syria ripped apart by civilian-targeted airstrikes and save people from the rubble. Either documentary is worthy of the prize.
Photo courtesy of the South Bay Film Society
Film Editing
Who Will Win: “Hacksaw Ridge”
Who Should Win: Literally anyone else. Even “La La Land” can take this one.
If Academy voters give director Mel Gibson his first Oscar since his 2006 anti-semitic rant, I will… actually, I will feel nothing. Awarding anti-semitism seems very on-brand for 2017. Give the award to “Moonlight,” an aesthetically-pleasing film shot and edited for only $1.5 million.
Best Visual Effects
Who Will Win: “The Jungle Book”
Who Should Win: “Doctor Strange”
Sure, “The Jungle Book” is the better movie, but any film that gives Benedict Cumberbatch the same goatee as a man named Darryl who works at Discount Tire and loves Counting Crows should win an award.
