Judi Dench for J. Edgar
Dame Judi Dench is one of the best actresses working today, so having her among the cast of a Clint Eastwood movie wasn't a surprise and it created a lot of Oscar buzz around her performance as J. Edgar Hoover's mother (last year, there were two mums in competition in this category: Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom and Melissa Leo for The Fighter). She's always magnificent and she already has Oscar love, so it seems easy to her to get a nod, but this category was a little bit unpredictable last year and this year the competition seems as strong as the previous one, so Dame Dench needs to be remarkable, which may not be easy once her part may be too short. Plus, Judi may compete against herself due to her promising role in My Week With Marilyn, in spite of J. Edgar being a more Oscar-looking movie. Judi Dench needs a bit more than her respectful name and Eastwood's signature in the movie in order to get a Best Supporting Actress nomination this year for J. Edgar.
Scarlett Johansson for We Bought a Zoo
She was seen as the most promising actress of her generation in mid's of last decade, then she became Woody Allen's latest muse and then she became a sex symbol and she didn't get interesting roles and her performances weren't far from "only nice", but Johansson may have a critical comeback this year with Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo. We only know that's an adaptation of a memoir about a father who moves with his family to a zoo after a family tragedy (his wife died) and that Johansson's role is a zookeeper who becomes a mother figure. While the plot seems interesting, the movie may be full of cliches and it will suck, but it may also be a warming comedy movie with heart and it will rule. So, Scarlett may get the AMPAS recognition if the movie will be any good and her performance will be something like Kate Hudson's or Frances McDormand's in Almost Famous, but she may have some problems: internal competition (Elle Fanning and Stephanie Szostak), being placed in the leading category (which is much more competitive than the supporting) or just not being taken seriously again by the same Oscar voters who already snubed her for great performances in Lost In Translation, Girl With Pearl Earring, A Love Song for Bobby Long and Match Point.
Chloë Moretz for Hugo Cabret
After screaming to the world "I exist and I do have a lot of talent!", Moretz may have good Oscar chances this year for her performance in the upcoming Martin Scorcese's Hugo Cabret. She was a scene-stealer in Kick-Ass and simply magnetic in Let Me In, which gave her a lot of critical recognition and popular between the audiences, so it wouldn't be surprising seeing her nominated this her for Hugo Cabret. I don't know if her part may be considered a leading character, but children actors are pushed to the supporting categories in order to get an Oscar nod in a easier way and it seems that the AMPAS has no problem in nominate a child ACTRESS. So, after her last performances, with Scorcese's directing talent (which gave Jodie Foster a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Taxi Driver, who was a child actress at the time) and with all the Oscar buzz around the movie, an Oscar nomination for Chloë is possible, that's sure, but there are other young actresses who must be taken seriously in consideration in this race (Shailene Woodley for The Descendants and even Elle Fanning for We Bought a Zoo). So, Moretz must be beyond wonderful in order to get the "young actress" spot between the Best Supporting Actresses Oscar 2012 nominees.
Vanessa Redgrave for Coriolanus
Redgrave have been away from Oscar nods too much time and it seems that people want to see such a star getting recognition from the Academy again and it may happen this year for her raved performance in Coriolanus. She plays the mother of an evil man and she got a lot of critical praise, with a big couple of critics saying something like "She delivers the best performance" or "It seems that Shakespeare wrote the part with her on his mind". The movie was part of the Berlin Film Festival and has some Oscar buzz, so it won't be impossible to Redgrave to be nominated after almost 20 years without figuring out in the Oscar nominees list (1992's Howards End was the movie who gave her the last nod).
Kate Winslet for Carnage
While there aren't a release date and the movie can come to the theaters next year, Carnage stills having chances for a 2011 release in order to compete for the Oscars. The cast is composed by John C. Rilley, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet and while their characters are all leads in the play, Polanski's adaptation suffered some alterations from the original play (God of Carnage) and it may be an excuse to campaign Waltz and Winslet in the supporting categories (like Portman and Owen for 2004's Closer). Kate Winslet is one of the best actresses alive and she's an AMPAS darling, being fresh from an Oscar win in 2008. Her character in the play is the less complex of all of the characters, but the movie's details describe her role as a woman who loves shoes (materialist), which may be a good part and Winslet is always more than amazing, so she may be seen as a serious contender for the Oscar race just in case if Carnage gets a 2011 release. She's Kate Winslet, that's all said!
in consideration: Viola Davis (The Help); Carey Mulligan (Shame); Stephanie Szostak (We Bought a Zoo); Shailene Woodley (The Descendants);
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