Oscar Index: Is It February Yet?
The Leading 5:
1. Octavia Spencer, The Help
2. Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
3. Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus
4. Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
5. Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Outsiders: Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter; Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids; Jessica Chastain, The Help; Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs; Judi Dench, J. Edgar; Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method; Mia Wasikowska, Albert Nobbs; Emily Watson, War Horse; Marion Cotillard, Midnight in Paris
You can basically transpose what was written about Jean Dujardin and Michael Shannon in Best Actor to their co-stars Bejo and Chastain -- festival surges and continued critical goodwill (to say nothing of an early screener offensive in the latter case) helped them gain momentum. Spencer still remains the favorite, but Bejo's extraordinary, Hollywood-influenced work may yet overtake her as those all-important critics' awards and organizational events like the Gothams and NBR kick off earlier than ever on Nov. 28.
The Leading 5:
1. Christopher Plummer, Beginners
2. Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
3. Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
4. Albert Brooks, Drive
5. Nick Nolte, Warrior
Outsiders: Jonah Hill, Moneyball; Jim Broadbent, The Iron Lady; Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method; John C. Reilly, Carnage; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Moneyball; Armie Hammer, J. Edgar; Tom Hanks, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
You know whose campaign I'm going to launch/raise money for? Uggie, the brilliant canine performer in The Artist. Seriously. No animal actor since the donkey in Au Hasard Balthazar has evoked a more dynamic relationship to its human master(s). Sincerely, utterly astonishing. Sorry, Crystal the Monkey. Uggie is it. Consider!
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Comments
So, all that August talk about Serkis for Best Supporting never came to fruition? Nobody's talking about that anymore? Because honestly, he gave the best performance I've seen in a film all year. (Yes, AS, I know Gosling and the rest in Drive rule, but Serkis did it by speaking even fewer words than Gosling).
lol, of course.......but just in case anyone forgot Drive = Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Scorpion Jacket, Best Hammer, Best Face Smash, Best Fork Stabbing
Surely the won't do a repeat of giving the Lead Actress Oscar to the star of a sh!tty-mediocre film, which should rule out Davis and, possibly, Close. But who knows?