Of all the Oscar buzz fall films, Lincoln is the one I am looking forward to most. I was an American History major, I have a crush on Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Day-Lewis looks freakishly perfect as Lincoln himself. Yes it's Spielberg so it's pretty much a lock to get award notice, add to that a classic figure in American history, and it would be hard for this film not to generate crazy Oscar hype. What's really attractive to me about this film is the amazing supporting cast behind Daniel Day-Lewis who is sure to steal every scene he is in. I'd easily rank this as the best cast of any film this year, with industry heavyweights, quirky indie darlings, obscure career character actors, and up and coming new stars.
Industry heavyweights: Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens, Sally Field as crazy Mary Todd Lincoln, Hal Holbrook as Francis Preston Blair.
Quirky indie darlings: Tim Blake Nelson as Richard Schell, James Spader as WN Bilbo, Jackie Earle Haley as Alexander Stephens, John Hawkes as Robert Latham, David Strathairn as William Seward,
Career character actors: S. Epatha Merkerson as Lydia Smith, Bruce McGill as Edward Stanton, Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant.
Up and coming new stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Todd Lincoln, Lee Pace as Fernando Wood, Joseph Cross as John Hay.
I'm sure I'm leaving out some other actors but how do you look at that list and not say WOW, particularly after Spielberg's 2011 War Horse was noticeably short on recognizable actors. Hopefully the films lives up to the hype. Obviously the Kearns Goodwin book is about the best plce you could possibly start when making a historic bio-pic. Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay, his first since the 2005 Munich, also by Spielberg, and a pretty good film (how can it not be with Daniel Craig in it).
The film has all the makings of a powerhouse Oscar season winner, I'll guess we'll find out November 16th.
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