In the days leading up to the 84th Academy Awards, FilmBuffOnline will be offering profiles on all the nominees in the major categories. Some may be well know, others might be new to you, but if you need a refresher on these talented nominees, here it is.

Michel Hazanavicius

Nominated for: directing that loving ode to Hollywood’s past, The Artist.

Other honors for this film:

Nominated, Best Director, Washington DC Film Critics Association.

Won, Best Director, New York Film Critics Circle.

Won, Best Director, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Nominated, Best Director-Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Won, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, 2012 Directors Guild Awards.

Won, David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction, 2012 BAFTA Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Where you might know him from:

Hazanavicius is known in Europe for his work on the OSS 117 franchise.

History with Oscar:

This is Michel Hazanavicius’ first Oscar nomination, although he is also nominated this year for Best Writing, Original Screenplay and with Anne-Sophie Bion for Best Achievement in Film Editing.

Alexander Payne

Nominated for: directing George Clooney as a man trying to reconnect with his daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident in The Descendants.

Other honors for this film:

Nominated, Best Director, Washington DC Film Critics Association.

Won, Best Actor, National Board of Review.

Nominated, Best Director, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Nominated, Best Director-Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, 2012 Directors Guild Awards.

Nominated, Best Director, 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Where you might know him from:

Payne also directed Sideways, About Schmidt, and Election.

History with Oscar:

Alexander Payne has been nominated for an Oscar three times in the past, winning once, and is nominated for another two awards this year–with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published and with Jim Burke and Jim Taylor for Best Motion Picture of the Year, both for The Descendants.

2000: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (with Jim Taylor), Election (Lost to John Irving, The Cider House Rules).

2005: Best Achievement in Directing, Sideways (lost to Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby).

2005: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (with Jim Taylor),  Sideways (Won).

Martin Scorsese

Nominated for: adapting “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” to the big screen in Hugo.

Other honors for this role:

Won, Best Director, Washington DC Film Critics Association.

Won, Best Director, National Board of Review.

Runner-Up, Best Director, 37th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Awards.

Won, Best Director, Boston Society of Film Critics.

Nominated, Best Director, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Won, Best Director-Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, 2012 Directors Guild Awards.

Nominated, David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction, 2012 BAFTA Awards.

Where you might know him from:

Scorsese is one of the honored and reknown directors in film today, with a resume that includes Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed and many others.

History with Oscar:

Martin Scorcese has been nominated for an Oscar eight times in the past, winning once, and is nominated for another award this year–with Graham King for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Hugo.

1981: Best Director, Raging Bull (Lost to Robert Redford, Ordinary People).

1989: Best Director, The Last Temptation of Christ (Lost to Barry Levinson, Rain Man).

1991: Best Director, Goodfellas (Lost to Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves).

1991: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (with Nicholas Pileggi), Goodfellas (Lost to Michael Blake, Dances with Wolves).

1994: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (with Jay Cocks), The Age of Innocence (Lost to Steve Zaillian, Schindler’s List).

2003: Best Director, Gangs of New York (Lost to Roman Polanski, The Pianist).

2005: Best Achievement in Directing, The Aviator (lost to Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby).

2007: Best Achievement in Directing, The Departed (Won).

Woody Allen

Nominated for: directing a business trip to Paris that results in a trip through time in Midnight in Paris.

Other honors for this role:

Nominated, Best Director, Washington DC Film Critics Association.

Nominated, Best Director-Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, 2012 Directors Guild Awards.

Where you might know him from:

Woody Allen has had a long and productive career both behind and in front of the cameras. Notable films include Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Match Point.

History with Oscar:

Woody Allen has been nominated for an Oscar an impressive twenty-one times in the past, winning three times, and is nominated for another award this year–Best Writing, Original Screenplay, Midnight in Paris.

1978: Best Director, Annie Hall (Won).

1978: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (with Marshall Brickman), Annie Hall (Won).

1978: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Annie Hall (Lost to Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl).

1979: Best Director, Interiors (Lost to Michael Cimino, The Deer Hunter).

1979: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Interiors (Lost to Nancy Dowd, Waldo Salt, Robert C. Jones, Coming Home).

1980: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (with Marshall Brickman), Manhattan (Lost to Steve Tesich, Breaking Away).

1985: Best Director, Broadway Danny Rose (lost to Milos Foreman, Amadeus).

1985: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Broadway Danny Rose (lost to Robert Benton, Places in the Heart).

1986: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, The Purple Rose of Cairo (lost to Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, Witness).

1987: Best Director, Hannah and Her Sisters (Lost to Oliver Stone, Platoon).

1987: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen , Hannah and Her Sisters (Won).

1988: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen , Radio Days (Lost to John Patrick Shanley, Moonstruck).

1990: Best Director, Crimes and Misdemeanors (Lost to Oliver Stone, Born on the Fourth of July).

1990: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Crimes and Misdemeanors (Lost to Tom Schulman, Dead Poets Society).

1991: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Alice (Lost to Bruce Joel Rubin, Ghost).

1993: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Husbands and Wives (Lost to Neil Jordan, The Crying Game).

1995: Best Director, Bullets Over Broadway (Lost to Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump).

1995: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (with Douglas McGrath), Bullets Over Broadway (Lost to Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction).

1996: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen , Mighty Aphrodite(Lost to Christopher McQuarrie, The Usual Suspects).

1998: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen , Deconstructing Harry (Lost to Matt Damon & Ben Affleck, Good Will Hunting).

2006: Best Writing, Original Screenplay, Match Point (lost to Paul Haggis & Robert Moresco, Crash).

Terrence Malick

Nominated for: directing the esoteric coming of age film, The Tree of Life.

Other honors for this film:

Won, Best Director, 37th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Awards.

Won, Best Director, San Francisco Critics Circle Awards.

Where you might know him from:

Malick has directed films such as Badlands, The Thin Red Line, and The New World.

History with Oscar:

Terrence Malick has been nominated for an Oscar two times in the past.

1999: Best Director, A Thin Red Line (Lost to Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan).

1999: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, A Thin Red Line (Lost to Bill Condon, Gods and Monsters).

It’s that time of year again. Tomorrow, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the nominees for the 84st Annual Academy Awards.

Every year there are snubs and surprises, thrills and controversies. There is no way of knowing who will be nominated, especially in a year when the Best Picture nominees could be 5 films, or ten films, or any number in between.  We here at FilmBuffOnLine, who believe the day nominations are announced should be a National holiday, are going to try and handicap the process for you.

We will try to tell you, in the most non-committal way possible, who we think are Almost Certain to get a nomination, who Definite May Be nominated, and whose nomination is a Outside Shot in the major categories (the four acting categories, Best Director, and Best Picture). We are trying to cover all bases, but don’t come to us if you lose money on your Oscar Nomination pool.

Best Actor:

Almost Certain:

George Clooney, The Descendants; Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Definite Maybe:

Michael Fassbender, Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class, A Dangerous Method or Shame; Leonardo DiCaprio, J Edgar; Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Outside Shot:

Demián Bichir, A Better Life; Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid Love, Drive, or The Ides of March; Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Clooney and Dujardin have won the most hardware this year, which not only make them a lock to be nominated, but also likely one of them will be taking home the award.

Fassbender has been great in a lot of films (listing X-Men: First Class was a bit of a joke, he’ll most likely get the nod for Shame, but I think he gave an Oscar worthy performance in that film) so he is practically a lock for a nomination. The next two are about 50/50 of getting in. The Academy seems to have something against DiCaprio, and his performance as J. Edgar Hoover while not horrible (he got a lot of nods for other awards for it), was not amazing enough to overcome that film’s lackluster performance critically or financially. Brad Pitt eked out a couple of wins along the way (most notably, the New York and Boston critics), and while Moneyball was well received, I don’t see it as 100% Oscar material.

If DiCaprio and Pitt don’t get nominated, there are worthy choices waiting to take a spot. Bichir was great in a small film with a limited release that opened over the summer. These all work against him, but he is deserving of a nod. Gosling, like Fassbender, was great in a lot of films this year, and has been nominated before, but none of the films he was in seem to pass Oscar muster. Oldman was flat out amazing in Tinker Tailor, but his subtle performance might be lost on Oscar voters.

Best Actress

Almost Certain:

Viola Davis, The Help;  Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady; Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin; Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Definite Maybe:

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Outside Shot:

Bérénice Bejo, The Artist; Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene; Charlize Theron, Young Adult

On paper, this seems to be the category that seems to have the least wiggle room. Davis, Streep, Close, Swinton and Williams are all in the type of roles that Oscar voters seem to trip over giving nominations to. But in every round of nominations, there are bound to be surprises, and this category is ripe for one.

Bejo and Olsen have the best chance of breaking in, in my opinion. But Bejo is getting pushed for Best Supporting Actress instead of Lead, even though she essentially had a lead role. Olsen got good notices in her role, but suffers from the same “too early/too small handicap” that Bichir has. Theron has received nods for Best Actress in the Golden Globes (where there are nominations for comedy and drama) and the Critic’ Choice Awards (where there are six nominees). She has an Oscar pedigree, but Young Adult could very well be seen as less than Oscar worthy.

Best Supporting Actor:

Almost Certain:

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn; Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Definite Maybe:

Albert Brooks, Drive; Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Outside Shot:

Nick Nolte, Warrior; Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method; Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes or The Adventures of Tintin; Armie Hammer, J Edgar; Tom Hardy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Plummer has won the Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice award Supporting Actor, making him a lock for an  Oscar nomination, if not the actual award. Branagh has been consistently nominated for his apt portrayal of Laurence Olivier, so he could get the nod as well. Slightly less certain but highly possible are nomination of two actors best known for comedy, Brooks and Hill, for playing against type. After that, place your bets. Will Nolte’s “sports mentor” role make the grade? Will Mortensen’s change of pace role as Sigmund Freud catch the Academy’s attention? Will the Academy make a statement and move towards the future by giving Serkis the nod for his superior motion-capture work? Does the Academy like J Edgar more than the critics and the general public do, thereby swing the nod to Hammer? Will Hardy represent Tinker Tailor‘s stellar cast with a nomination? Will it be another cast member? Or will the film be ignored?

Best Supporting Actress

Almost Certain:

Octavia Spencer, The Help; Bérénice Bejo, The Artist

Definite Maybe:

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Outside Shot:

Jessica Chastain, The Help or Take Shelter; Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs; Carey Mulligan, Shame; Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

What I said for Christopher Plummer above also applies to Spencer. The only chance Bejo doesn’t get nominated here is if she gets nominated for Best Actress. But that race is crowded so I think she’ll land here. She is deserving.

The only thing keeping me from making McCarthy almost certain is the Academy’s apparent hatred of the comedy. They do not like to give nominations from comedies, no matter how good the role or film is. This time, though, I think they’ll make an exception.

After that, pick two. Chastain and Woodley might have a slight advantage, but McTeer has a good chance and Mulligan could sneak in.

Best Director:

Almost Certain:

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Definite Maybe:

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris;  Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Outside Shot:

David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life; Bennett Miller, Moneyball; Steven Spielberg, War Horse or The Adventures of Tintin; Tate Taylor, The Help

Hazanavicius is definitely most deserving and Scorsese won the Golden Globe, so they should both be nominated. After that, Payne is almost a lock, as is Allen, due to the number of nominations they received. After that, well, ot depends. Fincher got a Directors Guild nomination, Malick has been on a lot of west coast critics awards list, which might be a barometer of how the Academy will go. Miller might ride the surprising accolades Moneyball is getting this award season with a nomination. And months ago, it looked like it wouldn’t be a question if Spielberg would be nominated, but for which film. Now, here he is, a long shot for any nomination at all. Weird. And Taylor has to be consider taking into account the number of great performance that came from that film.

Best Picture:

Almost Certain:

The Artist; The Descendants

Definite Maybe:

Hugo; The Help ; Midnight in Paris

Outside Chance:

The Tree of Life; War Horse; Moneyball; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; The Adventures of Tintin; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or just about any other film out there that has a miniscule amount of buzz.

Not having a definite number of nominees beforehand really plays havoc with the prognosticating business. I tried to pick out the five most likely films to get nominated, but with the possibility of five more, well, it could be any film of a certain stature.

So, what do you think? Am I on to something, or totally wrong? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

It seems that Michael Bay isn’t the only director to be sending out special instructions to theater projectionists concerning the exhibition of their film. Fox Searchlight has sent out a letter signed by Terrence Malick with directions for the proper assembly of the film reels onto platter-driven projectors of his new film Tree Of Life. Click on it for a larger view to read.

As he doesn’t make many, a new film from Terence Malick is always something to look forward to and the fact that the auteur has a new feature coming next spring is one of the things that has us excited about the new year. Fox Searchlight has just released the first two views of that film The Tree Of Life, which stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. The studio’s official descpition of the film is as follows -

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950′s.  The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt).  Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.  Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

Click on each picture for a larger version.

The Tree Of Life is scheduled to open on May 27, 2011.