Angelina Jolie Could Sing Her Way to Second Oscar Win Playing a Legendary Diva in Pablo Larrain’s ‘Maria’

variety.com:

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor As I sat through the North American premiere of Pablo Larraín’s biopic of Maria Callas at the Telluride Film Festival, which stars Angelina Jolie as the famed opera singer, I couldn’t help but recall a line from Al Pacino in “The Godfather Part III” (1990): “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” It’s been an awfully long time since Jolie was contending for a statuette — her last acting nomination was for 2008’s “Changeling” and she’s spent the time since then starring in popcorn movies like”Salt” and “Maleficent” or directing films like “Unbroken.” But if you needed a reminder of what a formidable acting talent Jolie is, it’s on display in her transformative portrayal of one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century.

It’s a chameleonic turn that can best be described as a a kind of cinematic possession. Larraín’s film, which follows Callas in her final days should earn Jolie another invitation to the Oscars—and place her among the frontrunners to take home a second prize to go along with the one she won for 1999’s “Girl Interrupted.” This is the kind of role Jolie has been waiting for over 25 years, one that fully utilizes her undeniable commitment to a character.

In the film’s final moments, her craft becomes physically evident: veins pulsate from her temple, and her hands arch like she’s summoning the thespian warlords to carry her through the anguish Callas may have felt in her last moments.

It’s a bona fide “Oscar clip,” if ever there was one. Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on the Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars.