Oscar Race: Turning Up the Heat

The end of the summer is upon us, and with the Venice Film Festival just around the corner (starting on the 27th and ending on the 6th of September), we're really about to get in the thick of Oscar season.

Of course, the summer has been dominated (mainly) by buzz; none of the films that are being predicted to be heavyweights in the season have premiered to the masses yet, except for Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" (more on that later). Of the films predicted to do well this season, even fewer have had premieres at all ("Whiplash" had Sundance, "Foxcatcher" had Cannes, "Birdman" will open Venice in a week's time); we've mainly been restricted to pictures, hearsay and trailers.

So, where does that leave us now?

Meryl Streep's Song Reportedly "Cut" From Into the Woods & Unbroken Test Screens

Meryl Streep as The Witch and Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel in Disney's "Into the Woods".

Remember that wonderful news that composer Stephen Soundheim wrote a new song just for Meryl Streep for the onscreen adaptation of "Into the Woods"? Remember how excited she was? Remember how excited we were? Well unfortunately, director Rob Marshall ("Chicago") tells us that the song has been cut from the film.

The Rest of Our Acting Contenders: Old and New Faces

Emma Stone and Michael Keaton could receive their first Oscar nominations for "Birdman"

A few days ago, I ran through our long list of Best Actress contenders (a list that doesn't even really encompass all of the hopefuls this season has to offer, just those with the best chances at even being recognized). Though Best Actor is even more stacked than last year's massive pool, the Supporting categories are as weak as ever (at least they are right now), especially Supporting Actor.

"Birdman" has 3 contenders hoping for a nomination; leading man Michael Keaton, best known for his role in Tim Burton's "Batman" films, along with co-stars Ed Norton (a previous 2 time nominee) and Emma Stone (it would be her first Oscar nomination. She also will be seen in Woody Allen's "Magic in the Moonlight"), while the men of "Foxcatcher" all seem like safe bets in their respective categories; at this point, Leading Actor is between Steve Carrell and Channing Tatum, with Carrell having a slight edge (he has goodwill from being left out for "Little Miss Sunshine" a few years ago).

But enough yammering on, let's go through the rest of the acting categories. Take a look at my FULL list of nominations here

Angelina Jolie's Unbroken Leaps Ahead to Become Our Oscar Frontrunner

Any project Angelina Jolie committed herself to as director would receive an instant laurel of prestige. Throw in WWII, sweeping music, epic cinematography and being based on a true story and you have a film that seems destined for Oscar glory.

We've already discussed why Jolie's adaptation of real life Olympic winner/WW II vet Louis Zamperini is as buzzy as it sounds. But with the recent passing of Mr. Zamperini, one can't deny there is a timeliness in telling this incredible true story, and while Jolie isn't the most seasoned director (this is only her second time behind the camera), the results look astounding in this new trailer.

Handsomely mounted, and (from the looks of it) acted masterfully by Skins alum Jack O'Connell, "Unbroken" is sure to be a hit, and Oscar heavyweight.

Watch the new trailer below. Unbroken will be released everywhere on Christmas Day.

Early Oscar Predictions

With this year's Cannes Film Festival finished, we have (un)officially began the 2014 Oscar season... which makes my brain hurt because it doesn't even seem like that long ago that I was watching Lupit Nyong'o and Jennifer Lawrence duke it out for Best Supporting Actress. But as it does every year, Oscar season seems to start just as it ends.

New Trailer for Unbroken, Directed by Angelina Jolie

It's been quite awhile since we've had an Angelina Jolie; she'll headline this year's Maleficent in the titular role, her first live action role in almost 4 years.

In 2011, Jolie stepped into the director's chair, directing the foreign language film "In The Land of Blood and Honey". The film received tepid reviews and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language film.

Jolie, however, is back in the director's chair, however with a brand new film, guns blazing. It's called Unbroken, and though we haven't truly put an end to 2013's award season, it's stirring up 2014 awards chatter.

Not only is Jolie's name reason to pay attention, but Oscar nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins is shooting it, and boy does it look gorgeous. Universal is promoting it, and it managed to nab a huge TV spot during the Olympics; you couldn't buy better publicity. The fact it's being released in the Oscar friendly month of December (on Christmas Day) doesn't hurt either.

Is Unbroken on your "One to watch" list? Take a look below, watch the trailer, and see for yourself.