Yes, it’s time to catch up with the Oscars. Many movies have been seen, but several haven’t yet– at least by the public. And some no one’s seen– meaning Martin Scorsese’s “Silence.” And some were good to talk about but they weren’t as rich as their elements.

My thoughts for mid November:

BEST PICTURE

La La Land, Manchester by the Sea, 20th Century Women, Sully and Lion all seem like they’re in. Fences has had one great screening in Los Angeles. We’ll see it in New York shortly. That makes six. Now what? Moonlight looks very certain, and its growing box office is helping the cause. Nocturnal Animals is very strong. That’s eight. My guess is Silence has a strong shot. Also out there: Hidden Figures.

That’s a very nice group of films, by the way.

BEST ACTOR

A toss up category. Casey Affleck in “Manchester” is the front runner. Tom Hanks as “Sully” is not far behind. I’m hearing Denzel Washington for “Fences,” which makes sense. And then what? Ryan Gosling could make it in with “La La Land.” I really love Warren Beatty in “Rules Don’t Apply.” We don’t know yet what Liam Neeson does in “Silence.”

BEST ACTRESS

This is the year of the actress! Emma Stone in “La La Land.” Annette Bening in “20th Century Women.” Amy Adams in “Arrival” or “Nocturnal Animals.” And then we have Meryl Streep, so good in “Florence Foster Jenkins,” Helen Mirren rocking “Eye in the Sky” and Taraji P. Henson in “Hidden Figures.” I really think Viola Davis should have stayed in this category. But she went Supporting. For now. Plus Isabelle Huppert is a killer in “Elle.” Lots of choices. Very hard. If it had done better, Woody Allen’s “Cafe Society” might have opened a slot for Kristen Stewart. Excellent work.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Mahershala Ali in “Moonlight” just jumps out at you. Dev Patel — not sure if he’s lead or supporting, but he’s integral to “Lion.” Billy Crudup is terrific in “20th Century Women.” Hugh Grant very strong in “FFJ.” And then who? Lucas Hedges and Kyle Chandler are magnificent in “Manchester.” Hard to choose between them. Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding in “Nocturnal Animals” but so is Michael Shannon. (He may be the surprise of the year.) We’re waiting to see what Andrew Garfield does in “Silence.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Viola Davis is already getting raves for “Fences,” and frankly, you can see this coming from a mile away. But there are other terrific turns. Nicole Kidman has a speech in “Lion” that ensures a spot. Michelle Williams has her own amazing moment in “Manchester.”  Naomie Harris is profound in “Moonlight.” Greta Gerwig and Elle Fanning are each stunning in “20th Century Women.” Margo Martindale is sensational in “The Hollars,” which I hope Academy members will watch on DVD. And then there’s Janelle Monae in both “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures,” and former winner Octavia Spencer in “Hidden Figures.”

So stay tuned, there’s more to come…

Donald Trump? They said he’d never be president. And look what happened.

“Empire”‘s Cookie, wife of Lucious, matriarch of TV’s craziest nighttime family? Her portrayer, Taraji P. Henson, can’t get an Emmy for all that fun. But she could get an Oscar nomination for her lead role in “Hidden Figures.” (The studio is also pushing Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and singer Janelle Monae in Supporting.)

The first screening of this much anticipated drama was held last night in Los Angeles, and the reaction was tremendous, eliciting a rapturous reception from the industry packed crowd. Directed, produced and co-written by the talented director of “St. Vincent” Theodore Melfi, the film tells the untold story of three brilliant African American women, Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) who were an integral part of the NASA team to launch John Glenn into orbit.

The film also stars Kevin Costner as the irascible boss Al Harrison, Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst as their co-workers, Mahershala Ali (a knockout in “Moonlight”), wonderfully elegant as Katherine’s husband, and Glen Powell (who stole Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some” earlier this year) who conveys John Glenn’s appeal and heroism perfectly. 

At the Q&A afterwards, the cast revealed none of them knew this story actually happened.  Octavia noted, “I thought it was fiction, that’s a great idea.  Don’t they know it didn’t happen?”  The project came to Melfi and literally at the last minute he turned the newest “Spider Man” movie down to do this.  Said Ted, “I read it and said, oh shit, I have to do this.”

Kevin Costner, heaping praise on Ted, explained his struggle with the role.  “I was the last person cast.  The scales came off my eyes with this film.  I was ashamed at not knowing this story one minute and thrilled the next that it’s finally being told.  I was having trouble getting a grip on this role.  I called Ted and told him this dude is schizophrenic.  Once Ted told me that he was a compilation of three guys, then it all came together.”

Politics did come up last night.  Jim Parsons noted, “It’s not fun being on the wrong side of history either on this film or in real life.  So gratifying even to be a part of this story.” Octavia added, “I was really depressed and felt like I was living in an America I didn’t know. I realized that if these women, who lived in a de facto segregated and blatantly sexist and racist time, could help put men in space, then we can vote them out in two years.  This is a call to action, we can galvanize.”

Costner became wistful as he talked about his love of movies. “Movies work at their very best when they become about moments. We learned to kiss from the movies; we were disappointed when we realized we couldn’t be James Bond, moments we’ll never forget.  I’ve had enough attention for a lifetime.  To be able to be a bit of support for this movie are memories I’ll have for the rest of my life.  This is a good moment for me.”

Singer Janelle Monae– who’s also stunning in “Moonlight” this season– summed it up wonderfully by saying, “We all wanted to make those ladies proud, we didn’t want their stories to be hidden anymore.”  Not going to happen. “Hidden Figures,” opens in limited release on December 25th and goes nationwide on January 6th, 2017. The film is a gem, a sure awards contender and truly not to be missed. The music, by Pharrell Williams, is fantastic too. Check out “I See A Victory,” sung by Kim Burrell and Pharrell, and “Running,” sung by Pharrell below.

P.S. from RF– love this song. Love it.

David Yates’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is coming on Friday to save Warner Bros. from a terrible year.

The Harry Potter-esque intro to a series of five J.K. Rowling films premiered Thursday night at Alice Tully Hall to a wildly enthusiastic crowd, then repaired to a big tent in the Central Park Zoo for lavish refreshments. Aside from the cast– Eddie Redmayne, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, and Katherine Waterston– the only other celeb I really saw was comedian Jim Gaffigan with his kids.

There were a lot of kids at this premiere. And why not? Part of the movie reads like “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” with extraordinary graphics and animation. The other part is aimed for a more adult crowd, so parents won’t get itchy and scratchy. J.K. Rowling’s adaptation of her own idea runs from tight to loose depending on how much Yates could rein in. But the overall movie is a big home run for everyone involved, starting with the studio.

Warner Bros. is having an iffy year, like a lot of studios except Disney with its Marvel movies. WB’s two DC Comics films– “Batman v. Superman” and “Suicide Squad” — did well, not great, and didn’t win over the fanboys. Other than those two, WB hasn’t had a stellar year with the exceptions of “Sully” and “Central Intelligence.” So the Rowling series is a gift from the heavens. “Harry Potter” was considered over. But now it’s back, with five stories as prequels to the first “Harry Potter” movie. Hallelujah!

The studio has been low balling expectations with an $80 million opening this coming weekend. I think $100 mil is more like it. “Fantastic Beasts” is simply fantastic. Everyone who sees it will want to see it again, immediately. Even when the plot wobbles, the overall tone is so charming, the actors so lovely, and the production so engaging that it doesn’t matter.

Eddie Redmayne plays Newt Scamander– the nerd who comes to New York from Britain with a suitcase full of magical beasts– like a young Stephen Hawking. This works because Newt is an egghead who will need five films to emerge as a person. For now, he’s blinking a lot. At least he has his magic wand to help him out of jams. Katherine Waterston is fine as Tina, his female counterpart, who may or may not turn into a romantic partner.

But this first movie revolves around a more compelling couple– Newt’s new New York pal Jacob Kowalski (Fogler) and Tina’s sizzling sister Queenie (Sudol). Their little pas de deux is what drives the plot among the humans, and turns this pair into a hot commodity. Sudol is particularly a revelation– she’s 31, a singer from Los Angeles, this is her first film. I do think Queenie is going to be a huge character in the “FB” saga.

I wanted to talk to Rowling on Thursday night, but she refused even to say hello and stayed behind a well guarded barrier. Oh well, you can’t have everything. Eddie Redmayne was upbeat and open as usual. When I mentioned the rapport among the four leads he said, “I’m happy about that. They cast the movie like they were casting for a band.”

So let the band play on. And kudos to all the artists, designers and cinematographer Phillippe Rousselot. Also, I’m wild about the score from James Newton Howard. Many nominations to come….

PS Yes there is a cameo from Johnny Depp. Not sure why. Didn’t bother me, but on the other hand, he’s bad luck at this point.