Poll: What will win best picture at next year’s Oscars?
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Here are some of the leading contenders in the next Oscar derby. Which one is most likely to win?
“A Dangerous Method” -- David Cronenberg tackles the interplay between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), which leads to the creation of psychoanalysis.
“The Descendents” -- A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is in a boating accident. Directed by Alexander Payne (“Sideways”). Stars George Clooney, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer.
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” — Stephen Daldry directs Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock in the tale of a 9-year-old boy who searches for a lock that will connect with a key left by his father, who was killed in the Sept. 11 tragedy.
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” — David Fincher adapts the hit Swedish thriller. Stars Daniel Craig, Robin Wright and Christopher Plummer.
“Hugo Cabret” — Martin Scorsese’s first foray into 3-D. Adventures of an orphan boy who secretly lives behind the walls of a Paris train station in the 1930s. Cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law and Ben Kingsley.
“The Ides of March” — George Clooney directs, writes and stars in this drama about an idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate who gets a crash course in dirty politics. Also stars Marisa Tomei and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
“J. Edgar” — Biopic of FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts. Directed by Clint Eastwood.
“Moneyball” – Bennett Miller (“Capote”) directs Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
“The Tree of Life” – Brad Pitt and Sean Penn star in Terrence Malick’s long-delayed drama. Plot details are sketchy, but Malick says it’s about “the evolution of an 11-year-old boy in the Midwest” during the 1950s.
“War Horse” – Steven Spielberg directs the tale of a boy who risks the dangers of World War I to rescue his horse, which was hauled off to serve in the cavalry.
“Young Adult” – A divorced writer from the Midwest returns to her hometown to reconnect with an old flame, who’s now married with a family. “Juno” director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody team up again. Stars Charlize Theron and Patrick Wilson.
— Tom O’Neil