Hugh Jackman has been confirmed as the only lead campaign for the film.

Credit: Universal Pictures

When Warner Bros. shuffled "The Great Gatsby" on to 2013, there was an opportunity for another holiday bow on December 25 opposite "Django Unchained." I had been wondering if any of the big latter-year films were going to jump on it but it started to seem like everyone was comfortable, until today, when Universal announced that it would be pushing Tom Hooper's "Les Misérables" two weeks to that date.

Meanwhile, one wonders whether the film could end up with the date all to itself (at least as far as films of this sort go). I keep wondering whether "Django Unchained," which was still shooting up until last month, will be ready in time. It surely has to be, given the revenue potential (and necessity) for The Weinstein Company. But with Quentin Tarantino working with a new editor -- Fred Raskin -- after the untimely passing of long-time collaborator Sally Menke, it might not be as fluid as usual. Of course, Raskin worked alongside Menke on the "Kill Bill" films, so he's not totally fresh, but you never can tell how these things will go.

Paul Thomas Anderson at a Toronto Film Festival press conference for "The Master"

Credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Michelle Siu

The pre-release strategy for "The Master" was interesting. Unique, I guess is the word. The marketing side of this business is driven by the typical, but sometimes filmmakers chafe at having their work pitched in the usual ways. So you get someone like David Fincher or Paul Thomas Anderson who says, "Nope, we're gonna do THIS."

As far as screenings have been concerned, Anderson has clearly been all about getting it to fans first. We broke the news last month about the film's first public screening following a special showing of "The Shining" in Santa Monica, and that tactic was employed multiple times thereafter with pop-ups in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Austin, etc. And in most cases, fans were getting a look at the movie before the press.

Well, Anderson's love affair with his flock stretches even further than that and their connection with "The Master" might be deeper than they even realize. It turns out, Paul Thomas Anderson's fans may have had a significant hand in giving the film its title.

Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood in "Trouble with the Curve"

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

I guess I'm a little bit confused. After being told up one side and down the other to beware Robert Lorenz's "Trouble with the Curve," I found myself liking it just fine. It's a bit unruly in spots and amateurly conceived in others, but never to detriment. And even Clint Eastwood's grizzled performance, threatening to make good on the promise of "Gran Torino" (i.e. that he'll be in the self-parody business from here on out) didn't strike the sour chord I expected it to.

Then as the movie went along, I realized the framing -- my framing -- was all wrong. This isn't Clint Eastwood's movie. This is Amy Adams's movie. And she's great. Coupled with "The Master," her work here further shows a dynamic range for the actress, who by the way landed three Oscar nominations in just six years, for those keeping score at home. And if you're still not convinced, have a look at "On the Road," where she shows up out of nowhere and gives a unique if brief take opposite Viggo Mortensen.

Tahar Rahim and Emilie Dequenne in "Our Children," Belgium's official Oscar submission.

Credit: Peccadillo Pictures

It's been a few days since I've updated the longlist of submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar -- and, with the deadline exactly two weeks away, a few days amounts to a tall pile of new entries. I haven't yet had time to investigate the finer points of such exotic-sounding submissions as Croatia's "Cannibal Vegetarian" -- cursory research tells me it's less about cannibals than junkie gynaecologists -- but a few higher-profile possibilities have entered along with the probable filler.

Before I get to those, however: I figured that with the submissions count up to 28 (expect that to double in the next fortnight), we have enough films to begin playing with some predictions. So you'll find a highly malleable top five on the right-hand sidebar, drawn the pool of entries so far, with further rankings on the relevant Contenders page. None of it is to be taken too seriously, of course -- least of all in this eternally confounding category. 

(l-r) Ben Affleck in "Argo," Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master" and Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook"

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/The Weinstein Company

Ben Affleck's "Argo," Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" and David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook." With Venice, Telluride and Toronto in the rear view, those are the three films with the early stranglehold on the 2012-2013 Oscar season.

In the case of Affleck's thrilling true story, an impressive ensemble carries the load and the zeitgeist has been unexpectedly tapped in very direct ways. In the case of Anderson's artful Rorschach, a pair of compelling performances reflects a vibrant thematic treatise that is sure to court the cinephile vote this year. And in the case of Russell's Toronto Audience Award-winning dip back into the world of quirk and comedy, an apparent (it's the one I've yet to see) return to form for a veteran actor matched with a sure-fire Best Actress contender -- and a lead with his fair share of praise -- reflects a filmmaker keeping an impressive stride.

I mention the performances of each because the actors branch -- the largest of the Academy -- is sure to find plenty to appreciate in this trio. And that will be key, as always. This even in the case of "Argo," which doesn't have a single stand-out, though Alan Arkin will surely land his share of votes.

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook."

Credit: The Weinstein Company

The Toronto International Film Festival announced this year's award winners and moviegoers in the Great White North have once again found a way to influence the always competitive Oscar race.

David O. Russell's adaptation of Matthew Quick's novel "The Silver Linings Playbook" won the notable People's Choice Award this year.  Ben Affleck's "Argo" and Eran Rikli's "Zaytoun" were first and second runners up. "Playbook" now joins "Slumdog Millionaire," "The King's Speech" and "Precious" as recent awards season players who were able to snag the festival's most publicity worthy honor. Even if it doesn't lead to Oscar glory, the win certainly is a key indicator that The Weinstein Company may have a much needed box office smash waiting in the wings.

Welcome to Oscar Talk.

In case you're new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar's stage and we're here to address it all as it unfolds.

It's been too long since we last got together. Technical difficulties conspired to keep us away during the Toronto Film Festival, while a bout of a flu-like-thing kept us away while in Telluride. Alas, it's all for the better, as we come to you this weekend with a full, measured slate of material. Let's see what's on the docket...

Chris Evans at the Toronto International Film Festival press conference for "The Iceman."

Credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim

TORONTO – This is pretty close to the best of times for Chris Evans. After years of trying to breakthrough to superstar status he finally hit the A-list as Steve Rodgers in Marvel Studios’ blockbuster “Captain America: The First Avenger” last summer.  Well, to be fair, he likely solidified himself his global popularity after “The Avengers” was released in May.  Over $1.5 million in ticket sales later and you can be sure little boys and girls all over the world will always recognize Evans’ face.

Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master."

Credit: The Weinstein Company

Well, the day has finally come -- for those of you lucky enough to live in New York or Los Angeles, that is. After an enigmatic marketing campaign, and an unorthodox series of pop-up screenings preceding festival appointments at Venice -- where it won Best Director, Best Actor and very nearly the Golden Lion too -- and Toronto, Paul Thomas Anderson's sixth feature film is here to dazzle and perplex the general public. I flipped for it in Venice (the next few months will have to be impossibly astonishing for it not to crack my year-end Top 5), and many top critics are similarly enthused -- for the number-crunchers, its Metacritic score is currently a robust 87. Not everyone's a believer in this gleaming but prickly movie, however: our colleague Drew McWeeny has doubts, and I anticipate some interestingly varied reactions from your good selves. (Awards expectations are similarly scattered, though I think it can go the distance.) Chime in below when you get a chance to see it and feel free to rate it above, as well. 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (left) and Steven Spielberg during Google+ Hangout Q&A, broadcast on the ABC SuperSign in Times Square

Credit: HitFix

NEW YORK -- With much fanfare leading up to the reveal, Disney finally launched the trailer for Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" this evening. The event was part of a Google Play cross-promotion with Spielberg and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt on hand in a Google+ Hangout to take questions from selected fans for 30 minutes after the trailer debuted.

The event was simultaneously broadcast on the ABC SuperSign in Times Square, where a modest group of people stopped to watch and snap photos as rush hour dwindled. Google users' comments scrolled across the sign with exclamations like "Those are all gonna be great performances!" and "Anyone else smell the coming Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis?"

Calling the production "one of the most compelling experiences" he has had making a film, Spielberg noted that it was important to get a penetrating and thorough look at Lincoln as a man, not as a myth. And one way into that was to focus on the final four months of his presidency, rather than the entire width and breadth of it, and his cues were taken from Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Team of Rivals," on which Tony Kushner's screenplay is based.