Not much discussion of Hell or High Water, but it is a really , really good movie. Chris Pine should have been nominated, as well as Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges. I wish the movie had ended three lines earlier, but that was really my only quibble with it.
I meant to add, Hell or High Wter was not at all the movie I was expecting.
^^^ I’d vote for Hell or High Water as best of the four nominated pictures I’ve seen. I also think that Chris Pine and Ben Foster should have been nominated along with (or instead of) Jeff Bridges.
La La could be renamed So So. Totally predictable story. Unremarkable performances. Emma Stone has to croak some notes. Still, since Hollywood loves movies about themselves, it will likely win.
Manchester was far, far better.
La La Land is the only one I’ve seen, and it doesn’t deserve all the awards it’s getting. It’s a nice movie but not that special.
It might have been better if Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling could actually sing and dance. The amateurism of their singing and dancing was a distraction for me. I could jump on and off of benches better than that, and I’m 61 years old with a bad knee.
I think La La land may indeed deserve some technical awards-set decoration, cinematography, that kind of thing.
I saw Allegience this weekend. It’s just a film of the Broadway performance, but the singing and dancing reminded me of just what was wrong with La La Land. There were some great things about La La Land, such as the opening number, but best movie? No way.
I finally saw Moonlight this weekend. What a fantastic film that is! It probably doesn’t have a chance to win Best Picture, but it certainly deserved the nomination, and in my mind it should be neck and neck with Manchester By The Sea.
The two films from 2016 I thought were really super films that got hosed by the Oscar nominations are Deepwater Horizon and Captain Fantastic.
@JHS I liked Moonlight as well. Refreshing to see a film in a different style.
I haven’t seen the other two films you mentioned. I thought 20th Century Women was overlooked.
Captain Fantastic is a movie many people on CC should love, because it deals – in a much more dramatic way than most of us experience – with issues very close to our hearts. The central character is a brilliant, hard-core hippie who lives pretty much completely off the grid in the Cascade Mountains with his six children whom he and his wife have home-schooled (and who are very impressively educated). His wife suffered from chronic depression, had to be hospitalized, and ultimately committed suicide just before the action of the film begins. Important elements of the film include conflict between the father and his wealthy, conservative in-laws about what’s best for the children, the children’s own different (and often not consistent day-to-day) interests in a more conventional life, the father’s pride and guilt about what his ideology has meant to his family, and how to let go of young-adult children whom you love intensely. Those matters are sometimes addressed comically and sometimes with moving seriousness, and the treatment is nuanced, not pat or fully predictable. The script takes on all that stuff in a very engaging, entertaining way, and all the actors are terrific, starting with Viggo Mortensen as the father and Frank Langella as his nemesis father-in-law, and including all of the kids.
Another thumbs up for Captain Fantastic. Viggo was nominated for his acting. It’s on streaming/dvd so easy to access.
Me three for Hell or High Water – I was dragged to it, kicking and screaming, but I was really, pleasantly surprised. It is easily my favorite of the Oscar-nominated movies that I saw.
This thread has served an educational function. I thought Captain Fantastic was a super hero movie.
I just saw La La Land for the second time this weekend. I liked it even better this time. I enjoy Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in just about anything, but I really do think there is something special about this movie.
I can’t wait to see Captain America, now that I know Viggo is in it and it’s not a superhero movie.
In a sense, it is a superhero movie. The father is larger than life, and certainly seems to have super powers. He can pretty much do anything, and he apparently knows everything. His kids’ critical thinking, expressive ability, STEM understanding, and historical perspective make them super-students at a level that, for College Confidential, approaches pornography. On top of that they are all in amazing physical shape and have genuinely high moral standards most of the time. The fun of the film comes from establishing the general superiority of these amazing people, then unraveling them a bit when they have to take their act into the real world. Not unlike, say, Captain America, or Anakin Skywalker.
Edited To Add: Just to be clear, Captain America is a movie about a Marvel superhero, who wears a tight costume and has actual physical superpowers. Captain Fantastic stars Viggo Mortensen as a super-fit, super-good-looking, super-smart hippie dad.
Just watch the movie before JHS gives you too many details. 
Years ago I read that Viggo Mortensen doesn’t bathe regularly or use deodorant. I haven’t liked him since then.
More Viggo for the rest of us. 
He he. I’m pretty sure Captain Fantastic didn’t bathe regularly or use deodorant! Just saw the film - free with Amazon Prime. Love it. No simple answers. Like Lion - the smallest kid is really a winner.
Oh, no… The Oscars will be missing one big star. CNN reports that Bill Paxton has passed away from complications after surgery.