Happy-Go-Oscar?

Mike Leigh, who's led women like Brenda Blethyn and Imelda Staunton to Best Actress Oscar nominations with his previous films (they would be "Secrets and Lies" and "Vera Drake," respectively), returns this year with "Happy-Go-Lucky" and may just do it again. The film's lead star, Sally Hawkins, won the top actress prize at this year's Berlin Film Festival and many are predicting that she'll take that momentum all the way to the Academy Awards.

As Polly, an impossibly cheerful North London school teacher, Hawkins is said to charm and amaze, a feat that may put her in the company of such possible hopefuls as Angelina Jolie ("Changeling"), Melissa Leo ("Frozen River"), Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road" -- see below), Kristin Scott Thomas ("I've Loved You So Long"), and Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married") - to name a few - come January.

*Apologies: I know I've been posting an abundance of videos lately but just deal with it! This trailer is delightful! I love that it incorporates that splendid Lily Allen track. What a way to get one so genuinely excited for what appears to me a most pleasurable film.