The common refrain this season has been one of despair, of theatrical death by dearth.
Blergh. Weeks ago I dreamed a dream where all the particulars of my presently contentious relationship with Anne Hathaway were manifest.
No single element of no single film in recent memory has more shamelessly been invented for the purpose of snaring just one more Oscar nod than “Suddenly.”
By now, most awards watchers are aware of Tony Kushner’s grand task of translating Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals.
Looking back on the last decade of winners in this category, you might begin to see a pattern.
It’s a boon for a short to taste like a flavor of the moment contending for best picture.
The email paper trail this year’s live-action short category has left in its wake has litigation written all over it, but our expert panel [sic] managed to agree on at least a few things.
Starting tomorrow, check back daily as we predict the winner in every Oscar category.
We’re sensing that, once again, Best Picture will fall just shy of 10 nominees.
The surefire frontrunners are Kathryn Bigelow, Ben Affleck, and Steven Spielberg.
Compared to most of the season’s races, Best Actress has remained somewhat open.
It certainly looks like Joaquin Phoenix is about to be snubbed for his work in The Master.
Boasting enough fine performances to at least fill a 10-wide field, supporting actress is this year’s most riches-packed race.
With all due respect to the gentlemen in contention, this year’s likely Supporting Actor crop has shaped up to be a snooze.
The one certainty of this year’s Original Screenplay field is a bit of 2010 déjà vu.
The stage bred many of 2012’s finest film adaptations.
With its Oscar clout and inevitable crowd-pleasing matched by widespread critical ire, the film is easily the year’s most divisive awards contender.
Any major-race hopes that Focus Features may have had for the film were basically dashed this week.
Consider Bigelow a virtual lock, tightening up the Best Director field alongside Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee, Ben Affleck, and, perhaps, Tom Hooper or David O. Russell.
The film’s strongest bit of buzz has been swirling around the lead performance from Naomi Watts, whose tortured turn as the quintet’s mother hen has made her a Best Actress frontrunner.
What remains in the air is just how many plays the David O. Russell film can pull off.