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Movies

Your Hometown Rooting Interests at the Oscars

In which we draw sometimes tenuous Dallas connections to nominees at the Academy Awards.
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The Academy Awards are Sunday. Regardless of how much stock you could or should place on the Oscars as a barometer of a film’s quality (probably not much), or of how many nominated films you’ve actually seen, it’s easy to appreciate glitz and glamour on the TV. But, to keep your eyes from rolling back into your head as the boredom creeps in during this very long program, it helps to have some sort of rooting interest.

If you don’t feel particularly attached to any of the movies nominated, why not root for the films with a North Texas connection, no matter how tenuous? Here, as far as we have deduced, are your hometown representatives at the Academy Awards. (Please feel free to tell us if we missed any.)

Moonlight
Trevante Rhodes, a Little Elm native and former all-state sprinter, who we talked to in November, is fantastic and heartbreaking as the twenty-something version of Moonlight’s principal role, Chiron. While Rhodes himself isn’t nominated, likely suffering from vote-splitting with the other two actors who portrayed the same character at different ages, Moonlight is up for seven awards, including best picture. Rhodes will be fine — he’s obviously talented, and, per IMDB, has a role in an upcoming Predator sequel. But “actor in the film that won the Academy Award for best picture” has a nice ring to it.

Hell or High Water and Nocturnal Animals
Two films that are at least partly set in Texas, but were filmed in New Mexico and California because of the Lone Star State’s meager film incentives, which are in danger of becoming even more meager. Still, Texas forever, right? Hell or High Water is up for best picture, film editing, screenplay, and best supporting actor (Jeff Bridges). Nocturnal Animals is nominated in the latter category for Michael Shannon’s performance as a stoic lawman.

Manchester by the Sea
Our film critic’s pick for the best movie of 2016 and best picture nominee Manchester by the Sea stars Casey Affleck, best actor nominee and frequent collaborator of Dallas director David Lowery. Their latest, A Ghost Story, was shot in Dallas and generated a lot of positive buzz at Sundance.

Jackie
Natalie Portman’s nominated for best actress for her portrayal of the First Lady following her husband’s assassination in Dallas. Second-unit footage was filmed at Dealey Plaza. Not the city’s proudest day, but it does remain a draw for filmmakers.

Fences
This best picture nominee is based on a play by August Wilson, the playwright and the inspiration for the August Wilson Monologue Competition—the Dallas regionals were just at SMU, and two Dallas-area students will go to New York to compete at a national level.

Life, Animated
I saw this best documentary nominee at last year’s Dallas International Film Festival. It was pretty good!

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