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'Arrival', Amazon's 'Manchester by the Sea' tapped for Oscars

"Rogue One", "Doctor Strange", "Suicide Squad" and "Star Trek Beyond" are also among the geek-tastic movies vying for glory at the 2017 Academy Awards.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
3 min read
Photo Credit: Jan Thijs

And the nominees are...

Amazon's "Manchester by the Sea", the thoughtful sci-fi story "Arrival" and the inspiring NASA drama "Hidden Figures" were among the films nominated Tuesday for multiple Oscars, including best picture.

"Manchester by the Sea" made film history by becoming the first movie from a streaming service to get a best picture Oscar nod, a show of Amazon and Netflix's growing influence on the entertainment industry. Amazon acquired the rights to the film at Sundance last year. Netflix, too, pulled in a nomination for best documentary feature for "13th."

Watch this: See these Oscar-nominated movies online right now

"La La Land" came out on top as the 2017 Academy Award contenders were released. The musical, which is also tapped for best picture, earned 14 nominations in all. That's a tie for the record with "Titanic" and "All About Eve".

Of the sci-fi, fantasy and other nerd-focused films, "Arrival" led the way with eight nominations: best adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing, production design, sound editing, sound mixing, best director and best picture. "Arrival" director Denis Villeneuve was tapped by the Academy, but star Amy Adams missed out on a nod for best actress.

"Hidden Figures" was nominated for three awards, including best picture and adapted screenplay. The third was Octavia Spencer's nomination for her supporting role as real-life NASA pioneer Dorothy Vaughan.

A bunch of sci-fi and fantasy movies also made the Oscar shortlists, including "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story", "Doctor Strange", "Suicide Squad" "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", "Passengers" and "Star Trek Beyond".

Watch these Oscar-nominated films online

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Actors Michelle Williams, Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges were nominated for their performances in "Manchester by the Sea". With six nominations in total, including best picture and best director, "Manchester by the Sea" is the first major success for a film distributed by Amazon. Unlike rival Netflix, Amazon gives films an extended, wide theatrical release before making them available to stream online. Amazon's original TV shows "Transparent" and "Goliath" have already raked in awards, and now "Manchester by the Sea" looks set to follow suit.

Netflix has brought in nominations in the feature documentary category for four years running. It got nods for "The Square" in 2014, "Virunga" in 2015 and two documentaries in 2016, in addition to this year's nomination. The company hasn't yet nabbed an Oscar, though.

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"Hidden Figures", the true story of the black women who helped send NASA into space, is a best picture contender.

20th Century Fox

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" was nominated for its sound mixing and visual effects. Marvel's "Doctor Strange" and stop-motion animated "Kubo and the Two Strings" also got a nod for visual effects. "Kubo" and "Zootopia" are up for best animated film.

Other sci-fi and fantasy movies in the running for technical awards include "Star Trek Beyond" and "Suicide Squad" for hair and makeup, as well as "Fantastic Beasts" and the roundly panned "Passengers" with two nominations each.

Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel were tapped for their supporting roles in "Lion", in which Patel plays a young man who finds his childhood home by combing through Google Maps.

Other movies with multiple nominations include "Hell or High Water" and "Moonlight".

Every geek movie we're excited about in 2017

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The 89th Academy Awards ceremony will take place February 26 with host Jimmy Kimmel.

That's enough about the movies of last year. Check out our guide to the flicks we're excited about in 2017. And on the small screen, here are the TV shows you'll be binge-watching this year.

First published Jan. 24, 5:37 a.m. PT.
Update, 1:30 p.m. PT:
Adds more information on "Manchester by the Sea" nomination and Netflix's past nominations.

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