With U.S. film critics' circles having announced their awards for this year's movies, "Moonlight", "Manchester by the Sea" and "La La Land" have emerged as major winners which will likely secure a nomination for the 2017 Oscars.
Last week, "La La Land," a musical comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, was voted Best Picture by New York's film critics. On Sunday, Dec. 4, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association gave its accolade to "Moonlight," which also garnered Best Feature at the Gotham Awards.
The second full-length feature by director Barry Jenkins, 鈥淢oonlight鈥�, which has been greeted with virtually unanimous critical acclaim, is now tipped to win a much coveted gold statuette. First screened at the Telluride and Toronto festivals, and thereafter in New York, London and Rome, "Moonlight" has been hailed by the press in the U.S., and the independent picture is now viewed as this year's sleeper hit which could create an upset at the Oscars.
"Manchester by the Sea" is another serious contender for an Academy Award. The picture, which was named Best Film by the National Board of Review, has attracted praise for strong performances by actors Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck. Along with Adam Driver, who received the LAFCA award for his role in 鈥淧aterson,鈥� the brother of Ben Affleck is now a hot favorite for Best Actor at the Oscars.
Huppert tipped for Best Actress
As the Oscar for Best Actress, Isabelle Huppert has virtually unanimous support from the critics. In the wake of victories at the Gotham and New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the French actress rounded out the week with a third accolade from the film critics of Los Angeles for her role in Paul Verhoeven's "Elle," which may well be the picture that represents France at the Feb. 26 ceremony.
For the moment, Huppert has taken the lead among a prestigious group of contenders for the statuette, which includes Natalie Portman ("Jackie"), Amy Adams ("Arrival"), Emma Stone ("La La Land") and Annette Bening ("20th Century Women").
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will announce its nominations for the 2017 Oscars on Jan. 24, and the 2017 ceremony, which will be the 89th in the history of the awards, will be held on Feb. 26.
