Oscar Volley: Can Penelope Cruz or Kristen Stewart land in Best Actress?

Our Oscar Volley series is almost at an end. Here are Matt St Clair, Josh Bierman, and Baby Clyde to talk Best Actress

Matt St Clair: Even though Best Actress has a pretty clear frontrunner, the rest of the category seems mostly up for grabs. Do you guys agree and also, besides Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter, do you think there's hope for another non-biopic performance to make the cut?

Josh Bierman: Interesting. I don’t agree that there's a clear frontrunner! I assume you mean Nicole Kidman who is the most solid lock for a nomination. This is a category where I think I have to wait to see who’s nominated before I can declare a winner...

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Punditry Madness! Team Experience joins in...

So dear readers, I've been having meetings with the team and they all wanted to join in on the Oscar prediction fun. So before the traditional charts on the Picture, Director, Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, and Best International Feature Film pages you can see what each participating team member is predicting. It's fascinating to note the variety of opinions despite the fact that we're now late in the season. 

BEST PICTURE / BEST DIRECTOR
Though Power of the Dog is leading with 11/13 #1 placements (and all #1 placements in Best Director), there are still Belfast holdouts. Ben & Chris think Branagh's personal passion project still has some Oscar oomph in it...

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Who is now in the lead for Best Actress?

by Nathaniel R and Team Experience!

The morning after and we're still reeling from the SAG nominations. But in particular what it's done to presumptions about the Best Actress category. I've updated the Oscar chart but after a brief flirtation with Nicole Kidman as #1, I suddenly felt the urge to give that spot to Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter. Is this insane? Not exactly though it is probably the common pundit psychosis of "overthinking it". My pundit brain began imagining that all the biopic ladies are getting in each other's way with their elaborate makeovers and mimicry (or lack thereof) and through the chaos emerges the true stealth battle of all along: superstar Lady Gaga vs revered thespian Olivia Colman.

Lady Gaga is also playing a real person, like the biopic ladies, but Patrizia Reggiani isn't a famous celebrity being recreated by another famous celebrity as is the usual draw of these things. So the traditional biopic advantage (aka default love for "what a transformation!") doesn't quite apply in Gaga's case. In the end given Olivia Colman mania and Gaga's film having more detractors, is it so outlandish to presume a quick second win could very well happen. So I polled the team, hoping that a crystal clear hive mind pundit choice would emerge. Whoops! Though there is a hesistant "consensus choice" opinions are truly all over the place.

Here's how the team responded to the big question of the moment...

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SAG Nominations - Movies

We'll have a separate post for the TV nominations a little later today but first, the MOVIE nominations. 

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS

• Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
• Lady Gaga, House of Gucci
• Jennifer Hudson, Respect
• Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos

Instant Impression: The morning's biggest shock -- no Kristen Stewart in Spencer. I'm okay with this but the internet won't be...

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Almost There: Jessica Chastain in "Molly's Game"

by Cláudio Alves

Nicole Kidman just won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama for her work in Aaron Sorkin's third feature as a director, Being the Ricardos. In truth, most of the writer turned writer/director's projects have garnered awards attention, so this win shouldn't be surprising. The first two movies he directed Trial of the Chicago 7 and Molly's Game earned Sorkin Oscar nominations for writing. His 2017 directorial debut, Molly's Game has another connection to the current awards season. Since Zero Dark Thirty earned her a Best Actress nod, Jessica Chastain has tried to return to the Academy's good graces but it hasn't yet happened. This year, The Eyes of Tammy Faye could end her Oscar dry spell.

As we wait for nomination morning, let's look back at Chastain's performance in Sorkin's gambling drama as the real-life character, Molly Bloom…

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