![Right now, "Django Unchained" is another nominee with little to no chance of winning Best Picture. Most of its support will come in the Best Original Screenplay category for writer/director Quentin Tarantino, but this film is way too controversial amongst the traditionally conservative Academy body. Still, I'd rank the film's chances above both "Amour" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild," but all three films are Best Picture longer-than-long shots.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/b9/2c/b92cf96b64ed324c57e33dfc92f81cde.jpg?itok=E6tt7lXJ "Right now, "Django Unchained" is another nominee with little to no chance of winning Best Picture. Most of its support will come in the Best Original Screenplay category for writer/director Quentin Tarantino, but this film is way too controversial amongst the traditionally conservative Academy body. Still, I'd rank the film's chances above both "Amour" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild," but all three films are Best Picture longer-than-long shots.")
![Equally, there is very little chance that "Amour" can win Best Picture, despite a very strong core support among voters. It is nearly a shoe-in to win Best Foreign Language Film, so most voters will feel like they've already recognized the film as an achievement and if Emmanuelle Riva pulls the upset in the Best Actress category, you can forget about "Amour" for Best Picture.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/3f/c5/3fc5a04ea42325b03acb4af4f582529e.jpg?itok=t6hgo9FY "Equally, there is very little chance that "Amour" can win Best Picture, despite a very strong core support among voters. It is nearly a shoe-in to win Best Foreign Language Film, so most voters will feel like they've already recognized the film as an achievement and if Emmanuelle Riva pulls the upset in the Best Actress category, you can forget about "Amour" for Best Picture.")
![Of course, I would have chosen "Cloud Atlas" or "Moonrise Kingdom" as my favorite films of 2012, but of the nine nominees my personal pick would go to the gut-wrenching, powerful independent film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Ironically however, this film has the least chance of winning Best Picture out of all of the films up for the award. There was some backlash against using non-SAG actors and even though the film overcame those issues to land several nominations, I just don't think there is enough love for the film to reward it with the night's top honor.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/38/e8/38e83e21fe4c6d6e592aef4d9301fada.jpg?itok=ZXXM7GLw "Of course, I would have chosen "Cloud Atlas" or "Moonrise Kingdom" as my favorite films of 2012, but of the nine nominees my personal pick would go to the gut-wrenching, powerful independent film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Ironically however, this film has the least chance of winning Best Picture out of all of the films up for the award. There was some backlash against using non-SAG actors and even though the film overcame those issues to land several nominations, I just don't think there is enough love for the film to reward it with the night's top honor."){kind=small}
The 85th annual Academy Awards are coming this Sunday, Feb 24, 2013 and this week leading up to them is known as "Oscar Week," the official build-up towards movie's most prestigious awards show. So who is going to win at this year's Oscars?
Check out the links below to get my picks in all 24 categories. In this final installment of my "Oscar Week Predictions," I'll be looking at the nine films nominated this year for Best Picture. There are several interesting nominations but as we've marched our way through award season, only a handful of them have any real shot at Oscar's top prize. So which film will win Best Picture? Is that the same as which film "should" win?
Click the "List" button below to get started! Be sure to get your ballots ready by reading all of my predictions in all of the other categories at the bottom of this article!
Follow film critic Tom Santilli on Twitter, @tomsantilli.
![Of course, I would have chosen "Cloud Atlas" or "Moonrise Kingdom" as my favorite films of 2012, but of the nine nominees my personal pick would go to the gut-wrenching, powerful independent film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Ironically however, this film has the least chance of winning Best Picture out of all of the films up for the award. There was some backlash against using non-SAG actors and even though the film overcame those issues to land several nominations, I just don't think there is enough love for the film to reward it with the night's top honor.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/6a/3e/6a3ecde1abedef6cbb3b37569a84c823.jpg?itok=f87-z26t "Of course, I would have chosen "Cloud Atlas" or "Moonrise Kingdom" as my favorite films of 2012, but of the nine nominees my personal pick would go to the gut-wrenching, powerful independent film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Ironically however, this film has the least chance of winning Best Picture out of all of the films up for the award. There was some backlash against using non-SAG actors and even though the film overcame those issues to land several nominations, I just don't think there is enough love for the film to reward it with the night's top honor.")
![Equally, there is very little chance that "Amour" can win Best Picture, despite a very strong core support among voters. It is nearly a shoe-in to win Best Foreign Language Film, so most voters will feel like they've already recognized the film as an achievement and if Emmanuelle Riva pulls the upset in the Best Actress category, you can forget about "Amour" for Best Picture.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/51/3d/513d7d99bea53587f04de9aaf610f07b.jpg?itok=INwKzkN6 "Equally, there is very little chance that "Amour" can win Best Picture, despite a very strong core support among voters. It is nearly a shoe-in to win Best Foreign Language Film, so most voters will feel like they've already recognized the film as an achievement and if Emmanuelle Riva pulls the upset in the Best Actress category, you can forget about "Amour" for Best Picture.")
![Right now, "Django Unchained" is another nominee with little to no chance of winning Best Picture. Most of its support will come in the Best Original Screenplay category for writer/director Quentin Tarantino, but this film is way too controversial amongst the traditionally conservative Academy body. Still, I'd rank the film's chances above both "Amour" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild," but all three films are Best Picture longer-than-long shots.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/51/a6/51a619bb78600ddfcbc1f2dadcd6cd94.jpg?itok=qTKuG_Ra "Right now, "Django Unchained" is another nominee with little to no chance of winning Best Picture. Most of its support will come in the Best Original Screenplay category for writer/director Quentin Tarantino, but this film is way too controversial amongst the traditionally conservative Academy body. Still, I'd rank the film's chances above both "Amour" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild," but all three films are Best Picture longer-than-long shots.")
!["Zero Dark Thirty" did not have gain the same boost of support that "Argo" did, after both films' directors (Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck, respectively) were snubbed by the Academy for Best Director. Where Affleck backlash has boosted "Argo's" chances in all of the categories, "Zero Dark Thirty" has seemed to have plateaued as of late. Early on, it was considered one of, if not the, favorite for Best Picture. But now, there is very little chance that "Zero Dark Thirty" will win here.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/14/5a/145a912b546826b1ebbc2b7a7ab6140b.jpg?itok=_gF6dt1H ""Zero Dark Thirty" did not have gain the same boost of support that "Argo" did, after both films' directors (Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck, respectively) were snubbed by the Academy for Best Director. Where Affleck backlash has boosted "Argo's" chances in all of the categories, "Zero Dark Thirty" has seemed to have plateaued as of late. Early on, it was considered one of, if not the, favorite for Best Picture. But now, there is very little chance that "Zero Dark Thirty" will win here.")
![It was a tremendous achievement to translate the popular stage play to the big screen in the way that director Tom Hooper adapted "Les Miserables." Still, it seems to be stuck in the mud when it comes to Oscar buzz. It hasn't really gained any major awards thus far, other than in the acting categories, and recognizing Anne Hathaway seems to be the way voters are going when it comes to "Les Mis." Another fine film, with little chance of actually winning Best Picture.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/b6/3b/b63b8420a14d1b91734e4bf4c89bb431.jpg?itok=tkbf8gi_ "It was a tremendous achievement to translate the popular stage play to the big screen in the way that director Tom Hooper adapted "Les Miserables." Still, it seems to be stuck in the mud when it comes to Oscar buzz. It hasn't really gained any major awards thus far, other than in the acting categories, and recognizing Anne Hathaway seems to be the way voters are going when it comes to "Les Mis." Another fine film, with little chance of actually winning Best Picture.")
!["Life of Pi" may walk away with the most overall Oscar wins, without winning for either Best Director (Ang Lee) or Best Picture. The technical bravado of the film will definitely be recognized on Sunday and there is very little chance that "Life of Pi" will walk away empty-handed. In a pre-Ben-Affleck-being-snubbed-world, "Life of Pi" was "Lincoln's" best competition for Best Picture, but with the rise of "Argo," "Life of Pi" will probably have to settle for the boat-load of minor awards that it is slated to rake in come Oscar Sunday.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/ee/e3/eee3dcab8084fecf6d57c1838453a03f.jpg?itok=Qgq-8RnJ ""Life of Pi" may walk away with the most overall Oscar wins, without winning for either Best Director (Ang Lee) or Best Picture. The technical bravado of the film will definitely be recognized on Sunday and there is very little chance that "Life of Pi" will walk away empty-handed. In a pre-Ben-Affleck-being-snubbed-world, "Life of Pi" was "Lincoln's" best competition for Best Picture, but with the rise of "Argo," "Life of Pi" will probably have to settle for the boat-load of minor awards that it is slated to rake in come Oscar Sunday.")
![There was lots of love for "Silver Linings Playbook," gaining a nomination in all of the major categories (Screenplay, Picture, Director, Supporting Actor and Actress, Actor and Actress). That in and of itself is a fine achievement for the film. In reality, it will likely win several awards, with Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro probably bringing the best of chances to the film for a win. Despite all of the other nominations though, there is a definite outside shot. The Weinstein Company has a great track record at promoting films and campaigning through Oscar season and the film was likeable enough to really stand a shot at winning if "Lincoln" supporters wain, as expected, and if there isn't enough steam under "Argo" to carry it to victory. So basically, yes, there is still a silver lining for "Silver Linings Playbook."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/0d/5f/0d5fd12f2803e717ad304f158afbba57.jpg?itok=mQoa2AQa "There was lots of love for "Silver Linings Playbook," gaining a nomination in all of the major categories (Screenplay, Picture, Director, Supporting Actor and Actress, Actor and Actress). That in and of itself is a fine achievement for the film. In reality, it will likely win several awards, with Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro probably bringing the best of chances to the film for a win. Despite all of the other nominations though, there is a definite outside shot. The Weinstein Company has a great track record at promoting films and campaigning through Oscar season and the film was likeable enough to really stand a shot at winning if "Lincoln" supporters wain, as expected, and if there isn't enough steam under "Argo" to carry it to victory. So basically, yes, there is still a silver lining for "Silver Linings Playbook."")
!["Lincoln" was built for the Oscars. It was an epic biography featuring amazing performances, helmed by a legendary director (Steven Spielberg). It was well-received and for months, had been considered the front-runner for Oscar gold. And then Ben Affleck was snubbed for Best Director. Suddenly, "Argo" took off and gained what may end up being unstoppable momentum. Is "Argo" a lock? Definitely not. And if there is any chance of that film losing, it would be to "Lincoln." Even if Steven Spielberg wins Best Director, there is a chance that his film may end up being upset down the home stretch. It should be an impressive finish.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/8b/e6/8be665a7010402631414e7cecaef0de8.jpg?itok=iX7kkIiM ""Lincoln" was built for the Oscars. It was an epic biography featuring amazing performances, helmed by a legendary director (Steven Spielberg). It was well-received and for months, had been considered the front-runner for Oscar gold. And then Ben Affleck was snubbed for Best Director. Suddenly, "Argo" took off and gained what may end up being unstoppable momentum. Is "Argo" a lock? Definitely not. And if there is any chance of that film losing, it would be to "Lincoln." Even if Steven Spielberg wins Best Director, there is a chance that his film may end up being upset down the home stretch. It should be an impressive finish.")
![Never has an Oscar snub led to such a crazy last-minute rush of support. "Argo" is the little film that can, suddenly, following Ben Affleck's exclusion from the rank of Best Director nominees. Did it gain enough steam to take Best Picture? Well, look at what it has recently accomplished, winning the highest marks at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and perhaps most notably, the Producers Guild Awards, which has determined the Best Picture Oscar winner 16 of the last 23 years (including last year's winner "The Artist.") If "Argo" is able to ride the wave to victory, it would be only the fourth time in Oscar history (and only the second since the 1930s) where Best Picture was won by a film where the director wasn't even nominated (it happened in Oscar's first year, 1927/1928, with "Wings," again in 1931/1932 with "Grand Hotel" and then in 1989 with "Driving Miss Daisy.") It would be one heck of a story, nearly as unbelievable as the subject matter of the film itself. Winning Best Picture after getting snubbed by the Oscars? What a perfect way for Affleck to tell the Acacemy to "Argo, f-- themselves!"](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/cf/f2/cff20a7e458f8ab637415c316a2596be.jpg?itok=AANjnGB_ "Never has an Oscar snub led to such a crazy last-minute rush of support. "Argo" is the little film that can, suddenly, following Ben Affleck's exclusion from the rank of Best Director nominees. Did it gain enough steam to take Best Picture? Well, look at what it has recently accomplished, winning the highest marks at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and perhaps most notably, the Producers Guild Awards, which has determined the Best Picture Oscar winner 16 of the last 23 years (including last year's winner "The Artist.") If "Argo" is able to ride the wave to victory, it would be only the fourth time in Oscar history (and only the second since the 1930s) where Best Picture was won by a film where the director wasn't even nominated (it happened in Oscar's first year, 1927/1928, with "Wings," again in 1931/1932 with "Grand Hotel" and then in 1989 with "Driving Miss Daisy.") It would be one heck of a story, nearly as unbelievable as the subject matter of the film itself. Winning Best Picture after getting snubbed by the Oscars? What a perfect way for Affleck to tell the Acacemy to "Argo, f-- themselves!"")
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