Not every category seems to have cleared the decks for a La La Land rampage. But some slates have aroused our suspicions. We can’t say we’d be surprised if a whisper campaign was launched against Arianne Phillips, whose work on Tom Ford’s lurid and only borderline defensible Nocturnal Animals practically flashes dollar signs up on the screen whenever Amy Adams starts crying. We’re willing to bet Mary Zophres missed out on landing a nomination for her whimsical work in the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar! as a result of Beverly Hills gerrymandering. It’s a certainty that Marlon Boyce and Margot Wilson missed the secret society meeting that would’ve ensured The Dressmaker its rightful representation here, owing to the literal-mindedness of certain Oscar voters. And word has it that Jo Sang-kyeong accidentally spilled her amuse-bouche all over Harvey Weinstein’s lapel last November, and rumor was immediately put out that her work on The Handmaiden was not to make the final five. All of these alternative facts were brought to you by the same piece of our collective consciousness that can’t get over the idea of double-digit Oscar wins for La La Land, which incidentally is the same zone experiencing the cognitive dissonance of being put in a position to root for the radical un-reimagining of Jackie O’s pillbox hat, as it’s the only viable alternative to halt Emma Stone’s twirly yellow dress in its tracks.
Will Win: La La Land
Could Win: Jackie
Should Win: Jackie
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