It's mid-November _ let the Oscar scramble begin!
At least three American movies seem to be leading the race for best picture: Martin Scorsese's gangster epic "The Irishman," Quentin Tarantino's cinematic love-letter "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" and Noah Baumbach's modern-day divorce drama "Marriage Story." Recently, an unusual dark horse, the South Korean thriller "Parasite" _ a critical hit and an art-house success _ has gained momentum.
Over the next six weeks, though, more films will start jockeying for position. "Bombshell," an expose of the Fox News sexual misconduct scandal that features Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, strikes a number of topical notes, as does Clint Eastwood's "Richard Jewell," the true story of a heroic security guard who was painted as a villain in the media. "Cats," a musical extravaganza, could fill a nominee slot taken by "Les Miserables" and "La La Land" in past years. Perhaps the most promising title is Greta Gerwig's "Little Women," a lavish-looking period piece with two currently hot stars, Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet, that could put Gerwig in Oscar competition against Baumbach, her partner.
