Most anticipated: 'La La Land' is the movie we can't wait to watch
Which of these awards season hopefuls are our Paste BN Network movie writers most looking forward to seeing?
John Beifuss, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal
Silence: Like Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, which probed excessive sex, wealth and vulgarity, his post-election release about 17th-century men of honor and faith (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) challenged by violence and persecution is likely to be timely as well as harrowing.
Alex Biese, The Asbury Park (N.J.) Press
La La Land: Damien Chazelle made an incredibly bold cinematic breakthrough with Whiplash back in 2014. The fact that his follow-up is a lovely-looking original musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is a little surprising, but we’re still incredibly intrigued.
Courtney Crowder, The Des Moines Register
Jackie: That voice! Natalie Portman, who’s already won an Oscar for her head-first dive into the worlds of ballet and psychosis in Black Swan, tries her hand at a biopic centering on Jackie Kennedy — complete with pink pillbox hat.
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic
La La Land: A bit of a cheat because I've seen it, but that only makes me more excited. Don't be fooled: It's a full-on musical. But Emma Stone is tremendous (and a great dancer!) as a would-be actress who falls for jazz musician Ryan Gosling. Both traditional and unexpected, a neat trick. Stone may win an Oscar.
Carol Motsinger, The Cincinnati Enquirer
Nocturnal Animals: Has Amy Adams ever looked better? Well, she is filmed by Tom Ford, the fashion-designer-turned-director, in this stylish psychological thriller that stunned audiences at film festivals this year. But as Ford’s dazzling debut, A Single Man, proved, his powerful storytelling is anything but superficial.
Brian Truitt, Paste BN
La La Land: It's been more than a decade since Chicago danced off with a best picture Oscar, and there's no time like the present to bring the movie musical back in vogue. Plus, some soft-shoe and a few showtunes might be the antidote we all need to get over a divisive election and a glum year.
James Ward, Visalia (Calif.) Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register
Fences: The big screen adaptation of the late, great Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson's most acclaimed work is long overdue. A stellar cast including Denzel Washington and Viola Davis makes this film the can't-miss of awards season.