'Lincoln,' 'Playbook' look strong with Oscar potential

• SAG and Globes nominations portend good Oscar chances for 'Playbook' and 'Lincoln'

A month away from Oscar nominations, Hollywood is already circling its favorites.

Who's feeling the love? Abraham Lincoln, a pair of quirky Philadelphia lovebirds, a tune-filled French Revolution and political thrillers.

Lincoln's looking presidential for sure: It led the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Movie Award nominations this week, and tied with the comedy-leaning Silver Linings Playbook for the most Screen Actors Guild Award nods.

Those two appear to lead the pack in the Academy Awards' best-picture field, along with the musical Les Miserables: All three snagged Golden Globe and Critics' Choice nominations and SAG honors for cast performance (that ceremony's equivalent).

With SAG cast and Golden Globe nods, Judi Dench and her fellow veteran actors in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel are building momentum for that film as well, and it could be a dark horse when Oscar nominations are announced Jan. 10.

The earliest Oscar buzz pegged two-time winner Daniel Day-Lewis as the man to beat in the lead-actor field, and that's holding true to form as he collected numerous accolades this week for his performance as Abraham Lincoln. But Bradley Cooper is sticking with him, nomination-for-nomination, as one-half of the Philly couple in Silver Linings Playbook. So is Hugh Jackman as the dynamic Jean Valjean of Les Miserables.

Jennifer Lawrence, Cooper's partner in Silver Linings Playbook, is lining up for an Oscar run for lead actress, and Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Naomi Watts (The Impossible) and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) all join her with SAG, Golden Globe and Critics' Choice nominations. A surprise could still come from 9-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis of the acclaimed indie Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Oscar's supporting-actress competition has become much more interesting in the past two days as Nicole Kidman snared SAG and Golden Globe nominations for her sexy-sassy role in The Paperboy. Her sudden appearance in awards season is a bit of a surprise, as is Ann Dowd's, who plays a fast-food manager in a disturbing situation in the indie drama Compliance.

Those two add intrigue to the list of other potential contenders such as Sally Field as the first lady in Lincoln, a tragic Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables, Helen Hunt as a sex surrogate in The Sessions, Amy Adams in The Master and Skyfall's Dench (whom the academy may honor for seven turns as James Bond's M).

The academy's supporting-actor category could sport a killer lineup — quite literally, if it includes Javier Bardem, fresh off a SAG nomination for his turn as Skyfallvillain Silva.

Tommy Lee Jones, as abolition advocate Thaddeus Stevens in Lincoln, also looks strong in that field. So do Alan Arkin as Argo's movie exec, Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Master's cult leader, Leonardo DiCaprio as Django Unchained's Southern villain, and Robert De Niro as Silver Lining Playbook's father figure. All of them picked up at least two nominations this week. And if anybody crashes this field, it will be Matthew McConaughey as Magic Mike's Yoda of male stripping.