It’s (almost) Oscar season

Ah, mid-November.

Halloween has passed, making it acceptable for Christmas music to be blaring from department stores’ stereos, despite the fact that the holiday is more than six weeks away. It’s time now for winter coats, ugly boots and turkey. And Oscar buzz.

Sure, it’s early. But honestly, it’s never too early for a good Oscar prediction session. Almost none of the movies have been released yet, and many people haven’t even heard about many of the movies that will receive the greatest honor in film. Oh well, here’s a crash course of what to expect in the coming months. Official nominations will be revealed Jan. 22, with the ceremony airing Feb. 22.

The film receiving the earliest, strongest buzz is the big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Brad Pitt plays a man born old who ages in reverse, making his case very curious indeed.
Cate Blanchett plays his love interest in a film that looks exactly like the haunting type of epic Academy voters usually love.

Expect “Revolutionary Road” to also be a strong contender.

The film is a study of a 1950s suburban marriage that starts well and ends badly. The couple see themselves as the atypical married pair that moves to Connecticut, only to see themselves dissolve into a cycle of arguments and jealousy.
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio team up as the stars of the adaptation of Richard Yates’ novel of the same name, and we all know how it turned out the last time these two were on screen together. I smell Oscar gold with this one.

Clint Eastwood’s latest surefire Oscar favorite, “Changeling,” has also been getting early attention. After three of Eastwood’s last four movies were nominated for Best Picture Oscars, with “Million Dollar Baby” coming away with the big prize in 2005, the former John Wayne’s movies are sure to be taken seriously.

Angelina Jolie stars as a woman in 1920s and 30s Los Angeles who realizes the boy returned to her after her son’s kidnapping is not, in fact, her son. And I sure can’t wait for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to attend the ceremony in honor of their attention-grabbing epics. Someone make sure Jennifer Aniston is not invited: It would be so “uncool” if she showed up.

Anyway, Oscar time is a long way away. Expect other films to jump in and out of contention for the biggest prizes. And tune in to the Golden Globes if you really want to get a good read as to what the Oscar outcomes will be. The Globes are normally a pretty good indicator of who the front-runners are.

I know I am a huge dork for being excited about this already, but I do love the Oscars. The dresses, the speeches, the surprise wins or losses. I enjoy it all.

Happy Oscar season, everyone, and may the media blitzes begin!