Uh-oh, maybe some bloggers should not have, literally, crossed off the Oscars hope of "Frost/Nixon" so quickly. Its fate is turning into one of those election cliffhangers as more and more votes stream in from distant reaches.

On top of the mixed first batch of reviews that came out the other day, there are more (mostly upbeat)ones just out from London where it debuted at the film festival:

LONDON TIMES (four out of five stars): "Ron Howard turns this contest between Michael Sheen’s  playboy and Frank Langella’s marvellous old creep into one of the most  compelling cinema waltzes I've yet seen . . . . The build-up to the final confrontation is an absolutely electric piece of cinema." READ MORE

LONDON EVENING STANDARD (four out of five stars): "Ron Howard's film is surprisingly gripping . . . . 'Frost/Nixon' weaves into a compelling drama of two very different men locked into a  gladiatorial combat for the limelight. For this we have not only Howard to thank, but also the writers and the stars." READ MORE

EMPIRE (four out of five stars): "Stirring stuff that works thrillingly as drama, and should make Sheen a star, even if it compromises on historical insight."

LONDON INDEPENDENT (three out of five stars): "In one way, film is the perfect  medium for a drama that ultimately hinges on a single close-up when, after all  his evasions and self-deceptions, Nixon finally accepts guilt for his role in  the Watergate scandal . . . . Seen on a big screen, this moment has a power that would be hard to match either on stage or TV. However, the rest of the film rarely matches this sequence in either its intensity or its simplicity." READ MORE

(Universal)