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89th Academy Awards: My Analysis and Picks (Part 1)

As per a ritual of movie enthusiasts like me, it's high and right time I come up with my Oscars predictions for year 2017. I have covered 8 of the 9 best picture nominees and I believe all the popular awards like best actor, director and actress shall come out from their closets only. And just like two previous years, this is gonna be a two-parts post. So let's begin.....

A) Arrival : Although Academy doesn't like giving best film award to sci-fis (cases in contention could be Alien, Gravity and Stanley Kubrick's Magnum opus that I cannot recall), it would be another utter wrongdoing on Academy's part if Arrival skips it's radar. It's the ROOM of Oscars 2017....A completely original film with an adapted screenplay that will leave you emotionally shattered and completely awestruck.
Oscars for best cinematography and adapted screenplay is due and definitely deserved.

B) Moonlight: I strongly believe Moonlight scored an Oscars nomination for best film simply because there are now 9 films to be picked for this category. It certainly has got its virtues and I was drawn to it mainly because enormously talented Mahershala Ali featured in it. But when I got to watch it, I was disappointed with the length of Ali's role. This film is all about the trials and tribulations of its protagonist who is black. He is bullied beyond words in his childhood and adolescent years by a tough black neighbourhood and how he prepares himself in subsequent years to combat all those bad memories make Moonlight his character study. Still a thought provoking film. A best supporting actor Oscars for British actor Naomi Harris is due and Mahershala Ali could trump everyone in men's division in same awards category.

C) Fences: Fences is based on an award winning play and headlined by Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. They essayed the same characters in the play as well and got raves for their performances all over USA. I really find it fascinating why Fences didn't combust in the presence of two such powerful performances in Washington and Davis. Their performance is 'titanic' in absolutely literal terms and if I had my ways, I would give them Best actress and actor Oscars without hesitating for once. I mean how many singular performances do they have to come up to lift Oscars one more time (Davis' first for that matter)? But since Academy doesn't like Blacks, neither Moonlight nor Fences is gonna score an Oscars best film award. However, Viola Davis' Oscars win is almost certain in Best actress category. If Denzel wins it too in his category, I would be least surprised and happiest person in the world.

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