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Home , Bill Murray, Dwight Henry (actor), Edward Norton, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes (actor), Rosemarie DeWitt

DanielDay-Lewis “Lincoln”in OMINEES N R A SC O AG, AG, S 8

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By Daniel Lehman Daniel By

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Perspective “I think it’s one of those unequivocal while Walter Brennan is alone in receiv- ing three supporting actor trophies.) But leading ! ilm critics say that Daniel Day- Lewis, who won the awardWillBeBlood” (2008)and “MyLeft Foot” for “There (1990), has a good chance to break barrierthat this year withour 16th hispresident in portrayalSteven Spielberg’s of “Lincoln.” performances,” says Sasha Stone, a critic n the 84-year history Awards, of no the one Academy has taken Oscars for home best performance three by an ac- tor in a leading role. (Only two male ac- tors are three-time honorees at all: has split his between trio of lead awards and supporting parts,

Critical

PROMINENT REVIEWERS REVIEWERS PROMINENT Playing Lincoln in the !inal days of his presidency and life, Untilthe nominees are announced and the winners anoint- Oscar race for stars Quvenzhané Wallis and .) Dwight and Wallis Quvenzhané stars for race Oscar Day-Lewis is the obvious front-runner “That’s among a these tough act critics. to follow,” muses Maltin, who says the critic and editor for HufBeachum,!ington support- and lead Post seniorthe evaluate Entertainment;Stone—to editorand GoldDerby.com; Chris for awards-season prediction ing performances site that could score at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be held Jan. 27 and leadinghave predictor becomeof who will a be honored on Oscar night. (One !ilm not eligible for SAG Awards is Fox Searchlight’sof the“Beasts Southern Wild,” which will likely still !igure into the and the editor of AwardsDaily.com. “Lincoln” Likening to Day-Lewis Helen Mirren’s in awards-sweepingof another political ! embodimentigure, Queenchance.” a Elizabethhad else one II,“No insays, 2006’s she “The Queen,” ex- four to spoke Backstage happen. anythingcan though, ed, pert prognosticators—Leonard Maltin, !ilm criticof “Leonardand authorMaltin’s Movie Guide”; Christopher Rosen, !ilm

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JAMES/DREAMWORKS D DAVI 6 backstage.com 6 backstage.com individuals FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IN ALL CATEGORIES INCLUDING

MATT DAMON FRANCES MCDORMAND ROSEMARIE DEWITT SCOOT MCNAIRY TITUS WELLIVER TERRY KINNEY AND HAL HOLBROOK

PROMISED LAND DIRECTED BY , DIRECTOR OF “GOOD WILL HUNTING” & “MILK” SCREENPLAY BY JOHN KRASINSKI & STORY BY DAVE EGGERS

For more on the artistry and acclaim on this fi lm go to www.FocusGuilds2012.com

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Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master” in “Flight”

! CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 similar in many respects to Day-Lewis’ role in Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood.” Maltin adds that Phoenix displays “a great mas- actor disappears into his role. “Moments into the !ilm, I forgot tery of the craft” but says that the !ilm is not a favorite among I was watching an actor and I just felt I was watching Abraham voters. Lincoln come to life.” Rosen adds, “His transformation is really After earning nominations from both SAG and the Oscars in incredible, and I think actors are going to appreciate that. I don’t 2011 for his supporting role in “Winter’s Bone,” is see any way he doesn’t win.” back in awards contention in “The Sessions,” starring as a para- But who can challenge Day-Lewis for the throne? The critics’ lyzed polio survivor living in an iron lung who hires a sex sur- consensus is that as an unhinged World War rogate to help him lose his virginity. Beachum says that Hawkes II veteran, Denzel Washington as an alcoholic airline pilot, and is an actor’s actor who is !irmly on the SAG membership’s radar, John Hawkes as a physically disabled 40-year-old virgin will and Maltin praises him for “doing everything imaginable to not compete this year. “Denzel Washington gives a master class in call attention to John Hawkes but simply to serve the character,” screen acting in ‘Flight,’ ” says Maltin. He calls the character of who is based on a real person. Whip Whitaker, a complex and challenging portrait of a man in a Other contenders in the lead actor category include Anthony OLONK A; G moral and ethical crisis, “a juicy role that he gets every last drop Hopkins as the titular !ilm director in “Hitchcock” and Hugh out of.” Washington, himself a two-time Academy Award winner, Jackman as Jean Valjean in Tom Hooper’s movie-musical adapta-

ARAH M. M. ARAH has never won a SAG Award, but Beachum believes “this might tion of “Les Misérables.” Although “Les Miz” had not screened for S be his shot.” critics at the time of our interviews, the !ilm has been generating Even more likely to steal some statues is Phoenix, who af- awards buzz for months. “He’s so well-regarded in the industry, ter a self-imposed exile returns to the screen in Paul Thomas and he’s got a Tony Award and an Emmy Award,” Beachum says ESSIONS”: ESSIONS”: S Anderson’s “The Master.” “Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is also of Jackman. “This could be his year as well. It’s a very weighty a towering achievement in acting, but it’s not as emotionally sat- role, if the movie’s as good as expected.” isfying because he’s such a distant character who’s kind of weird is receiving praise for his lead turn in director

URES; “THE “THE URES; and off-putting,” Rosen says. He describes Phoenix’s portrayal of David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook,” as a former teacher CT I

P Naval veteran Freddie Quell as “very hard and not very likable,” ! CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 T OUN M ARA P

T ”: T HLIGH C EAR S PANY; “FLIGH M EIN CO EIN T UZANNETENNER/FOX S K”: K”: ER”: THE WEINS THE ER”: C T John Hawkes in O C

H “The Sessions” in “Hitchcock” TC I H “ “THE MAS “THE CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE 8 backstage.com

“ REMINDS US HOW TO BE ALIVE. An enchanted ride of a movie with a dream cast including , , , Frances McDormand, , Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward and . links the everyday and the extraordinary with virtuoso artistry. Hilarious and heartfelt.” Pete! T"aver#, Rollin$ Ston%

BEST PICTURE BEST CAST BEST ACTOR JARED GILMAN BEST ACTRESS KARA HAYWARD BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR BRUCE WILLIS EDWARD NORTON BILL MURRAY JASON SCHWARTZMAN BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS FRANCES McDORMAND TILDA SWINTON

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who is trying to put his life back together after a stint in a mental institution. “I don’t think he can win, but it’s interesting to see if he’ll even get nominated,” Stone says. “He’s kind of still consid- ered the guy from ‘The Hangover,’ so it’ll be interesting to see if

individuals they take him seriously as an actor this year.” Cooper’s “Silver Linings” co-star, , is consid- ered the early front-runner among female leads. The 22-year-old Oscar and SAG nominee’s moving performance as an unstable widow named Tiffany, paired with her ability to carry a block- Jennifer Lawrence and buster like “The Hunger Games” in the same year, has domi- Bradley Cooper in “Silver nated the conversation so far. But the critics say she’s only a big Linings Playbook” !ish because of this year’s shallow pool of other potential female nominees. “She’s really good in that !ilm, but it doesn’t feel like anywhere near as good as the best actress performances we’ve seen in the past,” Rosen says of Lawrence. Instead, Rosen and other critics believe that will contend for the title once “Zero Dark Thirty,” director Kathryn Bigelow’s chronicle of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, is released later this year. The !ilm is surrounded by secrecy and had not screened for critics, but the young actor who burst out of nowhere onto screens in several !ilms last year seems ready to maintain her momentum. “In a very short amount of time, she’s really built up a very good reputation as an actress—the kind of actress you just feel should win an Oscar or a SAG Award,” Rosen says. Jessica Chastain in Marion Cotillard (“Rust and Bone”) and Emmanuelle Riva “Zero Dark Thirty” (“Amour”) also belong on the list of leading ladies, but the critics concede that past nominee Cotillard is more likely to be named if only one of these French women can make the cut. Other con- tenders for lead female are Helen Mirren (who Beachum notes is

; “very well liked by SAG,” with four wins in eight nominations) as S Hitchcock’s wife in “Hitchcock,” as a tsunami sur- URE vivor in “The Impossible,” and in the title role in CT I P “Anna Karenina.” “In mainstream Hollywood, for every four great parts for men there is maybe one for a woman,” says Stone, explaining why she thinks the female actor race is “kind of weak this year.” So if SAG voters look for noteworthy performances in smaller independent LLEY/COLUMBIA LLEY/COLUMBIA O

S !ilms, she thinks newcomer Emayatzy Corinealdi could sneak in

HAN HAN for her lead role in Ava DuVernay’s festival favorite “Middle of URE T CT I Marion Cotillard in Nowhere.” Says Stone, “She carries that whole movie. She’s great P

T “Rust and Bone” in that part, and it’s a total star-making turn.” This year’s crop of strong female supporting parts is less lim- HLIGH

C ited, according to the critics. While she could be considered a lead actor opposite Hawkes in “The Sessions,” is their current favorite in the supporting category, returning to big

”: FOX SEAR screens after a long absence as a professional—and often nude— C I

T sex surrogate. “That’s a very showy role,” Beachum says, “no pun XO

E intended.”

EIN COMPANY; “ZERO DARK”: JONA DARK”: “ZERO COMPANY; EIN

ST Two-time Oscar winner Sally Field is almost assured a nomi- E ST B nation as “Lincoln” !irst lady Mary Todd, as is perennial favorite

OU: “ OU: for playing ’s wife in “The J Master.” Dame , fresh in viewers’ minds from her RPA ”: THE WEIN A S scene-stealing role in the BBC series “Downton Abbey,” stands Maggie Smith in out among many prominent British stars in the surprise hit “The OGER OGER R “The Best Exotic Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” which shouldn’t be forgotten when ”:

ST Marigold Hotel” ! CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 U R “ “SILVER LINING “SILVER CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE 10 backstage.com

ForFOR your YOUR consideration CONSIDERATION inIN ALLall CATEGORIEScategories INCLUDING including BEST ACTORFOR YOUR CONSIDERATION INBILL ALL CATEGORIES INCLUDING MURRAY

“Bill Murray delivers a career-best performance.” KAREN DURBIN, ELLE

“Bill Murray’s spectacular, Oscar®-caliber performance is one of the year’s delights.” LOU LUMENICK,

“Bill Murray gives a truly presidential performance.” GRAHAM FULLER, VANITY FAIR

“One of the season’s don’t-miss events. Bill Murray is awesome.” REX REED, THE NEW YORK OBSERVER

“Bill Murray dazzles as former president FDR. An Oscar®-worthy performance.” MARLOW STERN,

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! CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 is on everyone’s list as abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens in “Lincoln.” Stone says that he stands out from the rest the votes are counted. And Beachum believes that Shirley MacLaine of the all-star ensemble because “he’s sort of the hero of the story. might be a dark horse for her performance as a widowed shut-in in Lincoln’s the one who pushes [the 13th Amendment] through and “Bernie,” opposite Jack Black. He points out that Smith and MacLaine is presidential, but he’s not the one who actually says that slavery

individuals will be facing off as dueling grandmothers on the upcoming third is wrong.” Maltin says, “You’re keenly aware that it’s Tommy Lee season of “Downton” when the series airs in the States this winter. Jones, and it even plays on our image of Tommy Lee Jones as a kind Says Beachum, “So of curmudgeon, which wouldn’t it be fun to works to the bene!it of see them compete and that character.” against each other at in “Argo” Philip Seymour the Oscars or the SAG Hoffman is a likely Awards, too?” candidate for “The One more front- Master,” but Beachum runner for support- says voters might re- ing roles remains a spond negatively to the mystery. “My col- perceived “category leagues all think that fraud” of calling him a is supporting actor rather the one who’s going than a co-lead. And in to win for sure, for !ilms that the critics ‘Les Miz,’ ” Stone hadn’t seen, all agreed says. “But no one’s that and seen the movie.” If Leonardo DiCaprio the !ilm lives up to could get credit for early hype, Rosen playing the villains in says the role of Philip Seymour “Les Misérables” and Fantine “gives her a Hoffman in Quentin Tarantino’s lot of opportunity. “The Master” “Django Unchained,” Spoiler alert: She respectively. dies, so she’s going to Three decades after have that big death winning his second scene, and she gets Academy Award, for to sing ‘I Dreamed a “Raging Bull,” Robert Dream.’ It feels like De Niro has a chance people really want to be at least nomi- that to happen.” nated by both SAG Beachum says, “I and the Academy this think everything is year for his supporting laid out for her to turn as Cooper’s fa- Y

AN win. You’ll almost ther in “Silver Linings

MP get sick of seeing Playbook.” Says Rosen, O her onstage, because “He’s actually very EIN C EIN

T she’s going to be at good in it, and he the Globes, and the SAG Awards, and the Oscars. But I’ve said that hasn’t done a lot of movies in the past decade that people thought since June.” were very good. He hasn’t really stretched himself as a performer E WEINS H The SAG Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in that much. And I think everybody likes that comeback narrative.” a supporting role may be this year’s most crowded category and Except for Maltin, all of the critics call Matthew McConaughey a ER”: T ER”: T therefore the most dif!icult for our critics to predict. Large ensem- “wild card” who could earn a nod for the well-received work he did ble !ilms like “Lincoln” and “Argo” could each produce multiple in multiple !ilms in 2012. “He’s had a renaissance-type year, where nominees. “Alan Arkin and John Goodman are just so good [in he was in a lot of different things,” Rosen says. “So that could be a ‘Argo’], and they play those characters with such apparent ease,” guy that sneaks in.” But he’ll be competing with his own support- Maltin says. “That’s something that only comes from years of expe- ing roles in four !ilms—“Bernie,” “Killer Joe,” “The Paperboy,” and rience and extraordinary skill. They nail every last line. Both have “Magic Mike”—and has to gain enough support for one of them to a good shot at supporting actor, even though they may be com- be recognized. “If they have to choose one performance,” Beachum peting against each other.” Beachum adds to that says, “the one I think they’d focus on is ‘Magic Mike.’ He really does conversation. chew up the scenery.” “ARGO”; CLAIRE FOLGER; “THE MAS CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE 12 backstage.com