Entertainment Weekly - February 24 - March 3, 2017

52 EW.COM FEBRUARY 24/MARCH 3, 2017

ON THE CONDITION OF ANONYMITY, SIX ACADEMY MEMBERS REVEALED TO EW HOW THEY

PLAN TO VOTE. HERE THEY EXPLAIN THEIR REASONING.By Nicole Sperling @nicsperling

Barry JenkinsMoonlight is the

least predictable of the films, and

I think Barry managed to get

extraordinary performances out

of these young people. I think

Damien Chazelle is going to win, but

I loved the direction ofMoonlight.

Barry Jenkins What he did

impressed me in a way I found sur-

prising and really worthy. Denis

Villeneuve did an incredible job, but

he had a lot more [resources] at his

disposal. Barry made a masterpiece

out of a bare-bones cupboard.

Damien Chazel e

the future of cin

He had a $30 m

movie, and it lo

enormous. Imagi

what he’ll do wi h

$100 million.

Viola Davis Viola was the most

vulnerable she’s ever been. She

stepped into an aspect of herself

that we haven’t seen before.

There was a softness to her perfor-

mance that I’ve been waiting for

her to get to on screen.

Viola Davis She demands to not

only be noticed but to be respected

and understood. I think it’s Nicole

Kidman’s best thing in years and

years, but Viola’s performance

is otherworldly. It’s a bar-raising

performance.

Michelle Williams She knocked

me out. She was like a different

human. She just transformed. Her

emotion really allowed Casey to

walk the narrow line of his perfor-

mance. She helps illustrate what’s

going on beneath the surface.

Dev Patel The arc of that role is

huge, and I loved him in it. I’ve

watched him grow as an actor, and

I think with this role he’s stepped

into being a real movie star. He

really carries the story line. I loved

him inLion.

Isabelle Huppert One of the most

audacious performances I’ve seen

in years. She was daring to live every

unexpected emotion throughout

the story.

Emma StoneRuth Negga was a

close second with her beautiful per-

formance inLoving, but the nuance

in Emma’s performance did it for

me. She’s so good at both the subtle

and the big moments. To have that

range, it’s the whole enchilada.

Natalie Portman Ruth Negga was

extraordinary, and I liked Emma

Stone a lot, but I’m going to go with

Natalie. She captured Jackie and

showed me a different side. There is

an availability to her, and that piece

was so poignantly played.

Mahershala Ali In a very confined

period of time, he

conveyed a very

profound cultural

experience. I gath-

ered extraordinary

insight from him

and found it

quite beautiful.

Denzel Washington

It’s a tour de force per-

formance. He’s been a

movie star for such

a long time, but in

Fences he’s back to

just acting. It’s

powerful.

Casey AffleckManchester by the

Seais an incredibly complicated

piece of material, and everything

that is going on in that character is

happening behind the eyes. It was

one of the most restrained perfor-

mances I’ve seen in a long time.

To maintain that and not dive into

melodrama was mind-blowing.

Ryan Gosling Denzel is always

amazing. Casey was lovely and

searing. But Ryan’s performance

is the underappreciated one.

He’s so incredibly good while being

understated. I wish I got a little

more inside Casey’s character. With

Ryan, I knew what made him tick.

Mahershala AliMoonlight was my

second-favorite movie of the year,

and his performance was the rock.

Jeff Bridges is wonderful. Dev Patel

did a nice job, but Mahershala’s

lovely multifaceted portrait provides

the anchor for that film. It’s just

beautiful work.

THE ACTRESS

A 30-year veteran per-

former whose long career

spans television and

film, drama and comedy.

THEDIRECTOR

Popcorn features are

this filmmaker’s bread

and butter.

THE SCREENWRITER

A writer specializing

in compelling historical

dramas.

La La Land For the production value,

the overall performances, the look

of it, it’s my Best Picture. I grew up

on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers,

and this made me feel terrifically

nostalgic watching it. I’m a big fan

of movie musicals, and this had

a lovely twist on it.

MoonlightThe nature ofMoonlight’s

storytelling was truly extraordinary.

The subject matter was out of the

box and as daring as any this cycle.

To know that [director] Barry Jenkins

made it on such a small budget is out

of control. It’s something that feels

enduring. It screams achievement.

La La Land It’s just so incredibly

innovative. [Director Damien

Chazelle] used contemporary film-

making to freshen the musical genre.

And its box office success suggests

it’s also speaking to a younger

generation. The music is incredible,

and the direction is fantastic.

lle He’s

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