April Foolish Predictions: Best Actor

Every year on the 1st of April we begin consulting our well used crystal ball. It's like "the Oscars, again? Don't you wanna know winning lottery numbers or something?" It's foolish to predict the Oscars before practically any of the contenders have screened but foolish can be fun.

This year the contest might be between two men playing beloved US presidents, Bill Murray as FDR in Hyde Park on Hudson and Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln, and even if it isn't that angle will get media play. Streep's win a month ago reminded us that Oscar has always loved political performances (if not overtly political films) and they literally can't go one year without having one of the four acting winners playing a real life character. (Benjamin Walker is also playing Abraham Lincoln this year but he's playing him as a vampire hunter so he doesn't figure into the chart.) 

Ryan Gosling has a few leading roles again this year but after the past few years it's clear that Oscar just isn't that into him. So we look to people they love nearly without fail like Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master. It's possible that he'll overplay the role of a charismatic cult leader but that might actually help with Oscar. They love Clint Eastwood more as a director than an actor but one last chance to honor him for The Trouble With the Curve, a father/daughter road trip drama might be too much to pass up.

At this point I'm most curious about Hugh Jackman's chances for Les Misérables -- I'm guessing they're very good but I'm also guessing that that opinion won't be shared by all -- and whether John Hawkes can fend off dozens of upcoming contenders and keep the heat from his Sundance success in The Surrogate as a man in an iron lung. 

Numerous leading men are coming but only five of them can win Oscar love. Other possibly interesting lead performances are on the way from Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Oscar Isaac, and of course Jamie Foxx as Django Unchained.

Who will it be? Here's my new guesswork.

How would you shift it?
Whose work are you most curious to see? 

Box Office: The Wrath of the Mirror Games in the Yemen

On Thursday night, Hunger Games became the highest grossing film of 2012 (thus far) so it entered its second weekend having already slain its competition. How much further can this film go? This is a very good year for both Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. Josh is nearing $100 million with his other top ten'er too. But if we're taking votes for EW's  "Entertainer of the Year"... I think it's obvious that Channing Tatum is going to chart, with two 100 million hits already and more films to come.

But if we're taking votes for EW's  "Entertainer of the Year"... I think it's obvious that Channing Tatum is going to chart, with two 100 million hits already and more films to come. Strong holds for Tatum's comedy and Hunger Games squeezed some of the potential life out of the two new mainstream hopefuls.

TOP TEN (Estimates)
01 THE HUNGER GAMES  $61.1 (cum $251) Reviewed
02 WRATH OF THE TITANS  $34.2 new in wide release
03 MIRROR MIRROR  $19 new in wide release
04 21 JUMP STREET  $15 (cum. $93.1) Reviewed
05 THE LORAX  $8 (cum. $189.6)

06 JOHN CARTER  $2  (cum. $66.2) Reviewed
07 SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN $1.2 significant expansion (cum. $3.1)
08 ACT OF VALOR  $1 (cum. $67.7)
09 A THOUSAND WORDS $.9 (cum. $16.5)
10 JOURNEY 2 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND $.8 (cum. $98.4)

What did you see this weekend? I saw Mirror Mirror (review tomorrow) and gave The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo a second spin on DVD. No, I don't know why I haven't seen Salmon Fishing yet. Ewan & Emily? That sounds like a wonderful pairing. What's keeping me. Oh, yes. Constructing the Oscar charts. It's time consuming.

Brunch w/ Nathaniel

We haven't done a live chat in a month. Today at 1 PM EST you can type at me right here.

April Showers Are Coming

It's that time again. The cinematic downpours are coming, sometimes man-made sometimes heaven sent. 

April Showers fall every weeknight (except wednesdays) @ 10 PM EST starting April 5th. We'll write up movie shower scenes. Any suggestions?

March. It's a Wrap

March happened at me. I hope yours was better. The blog has been a bit more tepid than usual in the post Oscar malaise and all around off-blog madness. But here were ten highlights from the month in case you also were caught between rocks and hard places or entire boulders and cliff faces.

Burning Questions: To Read or Not To Read in this age of adaptations, Michael wonders whether it's better to read the book first or see the film.
Cosmopolis + Cronenberg nine favorite images from the f'ed up teaser. 
Ladyhawke the third season of "hit me with your best shot" kicked off with a bird-like Pfeiffer and the wolfen Rutger Hauer 
The Hunger Games reviewed

Carrie Off Broadway the 70s horror classic is a thing again
Stupid News: Chloe as Carrie a terrible casting idea. They're all going to laugh at you, Moretz! 
Divas & Heroes more Film Bitch Awards 
Distant Relatives second season series finale. Thanks, Robert

Most Comments Burning Question: The New Classic Quotes. Everyone had an opinion about which recent film quotes would endure beyond this decade.
Most Popular A Game Change for Julianne Moore come awards time?

Coming in April: First Oscar Predictions of the New Film Year, Easter Parade, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, April Showers, the return of Take Three, Mad Men and 1966, and the Titanic Centennial... that colossal both just keeps sinking. Much more to come if you keep coming back and start commenting again.