Entertainment Weekly - February 24 - March 3, 2017

VIGGO MORTENSEN

AND RYAN GOSLING

EACH WON 33% OF THE

PANEL VOTE

OF OUR PANEL VOTED FOR

MAHERSHALA ALI

OF OUR PANEL VOTED FOR

DAMIEN CHAZELLE

OF OUR PANEL VOTED FOR

EMMA STONE

OF OUR PANEL VOTED FOR

VIOLA DAVIS



Barry Jenkins; Casey

Affleck; Emma Stone;

Michelle Williams

OF OUR PANEL VOTED FOR

LA LA LAND

Emma Stone She is just so charming
in the movie. I can’t picture anyone
else doing that role. You love her in
all the little moments—the pool party,
for example—that you come out
thinking about how great she was.

Emma Stone You can connect to

her as an ordinary girl, yet during

that audition scene that she

performs in one take, you see her

becoming a great actress before

your eyes. It was tremendous.

Isabelle Huppert She is incredible

in this film—and in all of the films

I’ve seen her in—and is 100 percent

deserving. The others are all fine

performances, but Isabelle’s is the

standout.

Viola Davis She
was great. You f
so much for that
character. I did t
even see her a
ing but actuall
being that per.

Viola Davis Every performance

in every movie she is in deserves

an Oscar. This year, it’s her turn.

Naomie Harris The way Naomie’s

character deteriorates in front

of your eyes, it is just devastating.

And then the moment when she and

her son come back together and

find a way to reconcile—it was quiet,

incredibly moving, extraordinary.

THE PRODUCER

From Oscar bait to horror

to animated films, there

is little this acclaimed

producer can’t do.

THE DOCUMENTARIAN

This filmmaker has cov-

ered stories on a scale

that ranges from the

global to the intimate.

THE MARKETING EXEC

This exec’s 25-year

career has included

multiple campaigns for

Oscar nominees.

Damien Chazelle Knowing the
budget and what he had to go
through to get it made, it was a huge
accomplishment. So well directed,
and he stuck to his guns on the
ending. Any other studio would have
made him end it differently.

Damien Chazelle As much as it’s a

feel-good film, the end is a tour de

force. To reimagine what a musical is,

is incredible. I’ve seen it four times,

and each time I’m more taken by

the craft of the movie.

Kenneth LonerganManchester

by the Sea is devastating, though so

well crafted. Kenneth is talented

both as a screenwriter and a direc-

tor. He’s the real deal, and I’d love

to see him acknowledged.

La La Land It delivered something
I never expected to love as much as
I did. The movie was so much more
fun compared with the other films.
I loved the soundtrack. I bought the
whole thing.

La La Land The artistry and storytell-

ing is so much more sophisticated

than it appears on the surface. It’s

great filmmaking. People disregard

that because it’s a feel-good movie.

But the storytelling is masterful.

Moonlight It’s exquisitely made,

beautifully acted, and something

you rarely get to see. It’s a gem—

complicated, human, tender. It’s also

a miracle it got made and so gratify-

ing that it has found an audience.

Ryan Gosling The choice is between
Denzel, Casey, and Ryan. The ick
factor with Casey, plusManchester
being such a downer, pushes me
over the edge with Ryan. The
chemistry between him and Emma
was perfect.

Viggo Mortensen

His speech to his son

about how to treat

women at the end

of the film was so awe-

some. What’s great

is he was able to

capture both sides of

the righteous fanatic.

Viggo MortensenI’m at a loss

here. I really wanted to vote for

Casey given the size of the role and

his understated performance. But I

can’t help this nagging feeling that

to vote for him is to condone and

reward bad behavior. To me, it’s not

okay. I’ll vote for Viggo.

Mahershala Ali He was such a strik-
ing figure, and I had never seen him
before. Lucas Hedges did a great
job, but I just didn’t love that movie.
Mahershala gave such a smooth
performance. To me, he came out
of nowhere. I was blown away.

Mahershala Ali He was wonderful.

He captured both tenderness and

menace at the same time.

Mahershala Ali What a nuanced

and wonderful performance! What

he does here is so subtle and hard

to do, especially when you have

so much charisma and such a

striking presence. I could watch

him in everything.

THE CONSENSUS

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MOONLIGHTROBINETTE/LIONSGATE; WILLIAMS: AMAZON STUDIOS AND ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS; CHAZELLE: JOHN: DAVID BORNFRIEND/A24 (2); AFFLECK: CLAIRE FOLGER/ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS; STONE: DALE

PHILLIPS/GETTY IMAGES;FENCES: DAVID LEE/PARAMOUNT (2); MORTENSEN: ERIK SIMKINS/ BLEECKER STREET