Based on conversations with Oscar voters, Indiewire‘s Anne Thompson suspects that Manchester By The Sea might be the stronger Best Picture contender than La La Land. She also believes that La La Land‘s failure to win a Best Ensemble SAG nomination might turn out to be a significant uh-oh. (She’s not the only one.) She also sees Natalie Portman‘s BFCA Best Actress as possible cause for concern among Emma Stone‘s handlers. (On the other hand Stone has lately been surging with critics groups, not just winning a Best Actress award from the Utah critics but also from critics in Detroit and Phoenix, which also indicates that the Isabelle Huppert steamroller effect has come to a halt.) At the same time Thompson believes that 20th Century Women‘s Annette Bening is pretty much locked for a Best Actress nomination.