Our 89th Academy Awards Predictions by #KimTiu!

It’s that time of the year again! The #KimTiu tandem (composed of What’s A Geek contributors Sean and Kim) is back for more awards show shenanigans, fashion, and politics to end the month of February. Without further ado, here are our predictions for the victors of the 89th Academy Awards!

• Arrival
• Fences
• Hacksaw Ridge
• Hell or High Water
• Hidden Figures
• La La Land
• Lion
• Manchester by the Sea
• Moonlight

Kim: It’s going to be La La Land, definitely. It has all the momentum from previous awards shows, including the Producers Guild of America Award (which usually determines who wins Best Picture). Sure, Hidden Figures won the SAG Award but it wasn’t competing against La La Land. There’s also the fact that 2016 was such a divisive year in politics and culture, so a lot of people are hoping that La La Land would unite and uplift everyone’s spirits.

Sean: Statistically, “La La Land” is the film to beat. With fourteen nominations, it’s now tied with “Titanic” and “All About Eve” – both of those films won Best Picture as well, and you don’t nominate a film with that many awards for it to walk away without the biggest one. Moreover, “La La Land” has won the Producers Guild Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture, which is often the best predictor for the Oscars. Not that it’s undeserved – “La La Land” is a sheer delight as a film, and it’s a fantastic throwback to how Hollywood used to make musicals. There’s no way “La La Land” will lose – the immense backlash against it just solidified its win.

That said, my personal pick would be for “Moonlight.” A deeply personal and affecting movie, “Moonlight” explored a coming of age story with such tenderness and raw emotion that it’s hard to walk away from the film unmoved. It’s a stunning work of art, and it should be rewarded, but it’s “La La Land’s” year.

Should Win: “Moonlight”

Will Win: “La La Land”