By Megan Bianco
Ben Affleck and Bryan Cranston in “Argo.” (c) 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Hollywood’s annual winter award season is off to one of the more unpredictable and surprising beginnings in years. The front contenders for Best Picture at the Oscars are about political intrigue (Argo, Zero Dark Thirty), romance (Silver Linings Playbook, Amour) and passionate period pieces (Les Misérables, Lincoln). Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Ang Lee’s Life of Pi are also grabbing a lot of attention.
Anne Hathaway is already racking in her share of wins including Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in Les Misérables. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the SAG and Oscar go to her as well, though Amy Adams for The Master could possibly pull an upset. The same could be said for Daniel Day-Lewis as the title character in Lincoln for Best Actor. While most were expecting Leonardo DiCaprio to shine for Best Supporting Actor in Django, his co-star Christoph Waltz seems to be gaining more hype.
Newcomers Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain have been neck-in-neck as top contenders for Best Actress with Lawrence continually winning for Silver Linings Playbook as well as Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty. It will be interesting to see who wins the SAG and Oscar when competing in the same category. Ben Affleck garnered Best Director at the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globes for Argo, but was shockingly snubbed by the Academy in favor of David O. Russell for SLP. Argo still has a chance at winning at the SAGs and the Oscars within the month.
