S.T. VanAirsdale drafts Movieline's Oscar Index

S.T. VanAirsdale has kicked off Movieline’s coverage of this year’s Academy Awards race with a broad view of top contenders on the horizon. “And They’re (Almost) Off: The Preliminary 2011-12 Oscar Index”

Stu runs down the Best Picture, Director and Acting categories. Here is the list for possible directors:

George Clooney, The Ides of March
· David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
· Gavin O’Connor, Warrior
· Bennett Miller, Moneyball
· Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar
· David Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method
· Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
· Steven Spielberg, War Horse
· Phyllida Lloyd, The Iron Lady
· Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
· Alexander Payne, The Descendants
· Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Things can shift at any moment — or perhaps a better way to say that is PERCEPTIONS can shift. The race itself doesn’t shift because it always depends on what voters like best. But general perceptions can shift, especially now with the festival season taking off and more and more early reviews coming out than ever before.