The 2017 Oscars (or 89th Academy Awards) airs tonight (at the time of writing this), and it’s at this eleventh hour that most of the people planning to watch it actually seek out some kind of explanation of what the films are (since they never watch them beforehand), and the respective stories behind each film (who is the director, the stars, how did the film come about, etc…).
This year, we thought we’d give The Oscar’s more casual viewer a quick primer on what’s happening with this year’s awards, with the caveat of knowing they’ll maybe never see the actual movies being nominated. If you fall into that category of person, then you’ll appreciate our Oscars 2017 Primer: What You Need to Know Without Seeing the Movies.
Videos by PopCulture.com
It’s A Dichotomous Year
People usually try to frame the Oscars underย some kind of general headline, but that has been something of a challenge this year, as The Oscars’ biggest films are split down the line of between high-quality escapist entertainment, and films that echo something that’s more real, and/orย relevant toย our times. ย ย
For someย heavy realities, there’s the true life stories ofย Hidden Figures, Lion, or Hackshaw Ridge; if you want something a little less real (but no less powerful), there are fictional films that invoke very real subjects, such asย Manchster by the Sea, Moonlight,ย andย Fences. Meanwhile,ย La La Landย andย Arrivalย offerย viewers more fantastical Oscar selections, and roundingย things out isย Hell or High Water, which adds a dark horse genre film to the mix.ย
Taken altogether, this eclecticย blend of Best Picture nominees (representing the big films of the entire Awards ceremony) sort of indicates a push-pull happening in Hollywood, wherein true ‘hidden figures’ of the industry are now making their voices heard, and changing the landscape of “acclaimed films” are.
Expected Big Winner: La La Land
If you’ve been hearing a lot about Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s modern Hollywood musical byย Whiplashย director Damien Chazelle, sorry to inform you: the chatter is likely only to get louder after tonight’s Oscars.ย
La La Landย swept some big awards categories at the 2017 Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy); Best Actor (Musical or Comedy); Best Actress (Musical or Comedy); Best Director, Screenplay, etc. Gosling and Stone both nabbed big SAG wins, while Chazelleย clinched the DGAย award.ย
Thereย couldย be an upset for the Oscars Best Picture winner (Moonlight? Arrival?), but experience tells us that The Academy is unapologetically narcissistic, so a movie about LA actors trying to make it in Hollywood would be easy for them to crown king.ย
What to see After the Show
The Oscars are funny in that the movies that populate the awards ceremony aren’t seen by very many people – at least until the films have been spotlighted by the Oscars.ย So, what to see this year after the show?ย
The Mainstreamย Picks:ย For your average, casual, movie fans, inspirational films likeย Hidden Figuresย andย Hackshaw Ridgeย are must-see ย – not just on our say so, but because a lot of people have already seen them!ย Hidden Figuresย has earned $182 million, andย Hacksawย has earned $175 million, respectively. So if you haven’t seen them yet, you’re really missing out.ย
The Film Snob Picks:ย For those who like to go talk up all the acclaimed films they’ve seen before/actor the Oscars,ย Moonlightย (many critics’ groups ย top choice this year) needs to be your first stop. After that,ย Manchester by the Seaย needs to be seen, followed byย Lion and finished out withย Fences. If don’t have those four films pass by your eyeballs, you need to hand in your boujeeย film snob card…ย
Genre Picks:ย For people who tend to gravitate to specific genres of films: sci-fi fans, it’s a must you giveย Arrivalย a watch; if you prefer crime thrillers, then don’t missย Hell or High Water.ย
More Oscars News
- Where and When to Watch
- Michael Bay’sย 13 Hoursย Kicked Out of Oscar Noms
- The Walking Dead’sย Oscars Poster
- Jimmy Kimmelย Wanted Deadpool Oscar Nom
ย
