Ian McKellen and Bill Condon Enter Oscar Race With Mr. Holmes

I have kind of been cut off from the film world, as I'm sure pretty much all of us have been, for the last several weeks. We are in the lull now. Eventually Broadway and television will take center stage with the Tonys and the Emmys. And in about two months, we must dust off our Oscar boots as the season kicks off with Cannes and the upcoming summer season. Just because I have been a bit off the map lately doesn't mean that the there haven't been some Oscar updates. First and foremost was the Berlin Film Festival, which produced several potential early Oscar contenders. At the top of the list is probably Ian McKellen as an early Best Actor contender for Mr. Holmes, his version of Sherlock Holmes directed by his Gods and Monsters director Bill Condon. The early footage looks good, and the reviews out of the fest were pretty good, and particularly focused on McKellen's performance. The last few years have been brutal in the Best Actor race, so he may get washed out by bigger contenders. But Condon has a good track record with acting nominations, and McKellen is an overdue legend. As always, we'll have to wait and see...