Road to the Oscars: Best Picture

          Amour -- I loved every minute of this French-language film by Michael Haneke. It shows the rapidness of deterioration of life and the strong love that keeps people together through rough times. Mainly shot in one apartment, the limited space shows the isolation of the elderly couple from the swiftly-moving outside world. Mesmerizing to watch even with English subtitles, this picture deserves a chance at the biggest award of the night.

          Argo -- This historical drama was directly smartly by Ben Affleck, using vintage clips to add to the biopic mood. The story held its audience's interest with quick bits of humor and complications of plot. Although the ending was known, suspense was still lurking in the air. This is the best bet for tonight's winner due to the appeal it has to Hollywood as a movie that makes it a hero.

          Beasts of the Southern Wild -- This amateur piece has nonprofessional actors and less-than-average film quality, but it is the massive, beating heart it has that makes it special. As director Benh Zeitlin's first feature, it has swept audiences off their feet with the charming Quvenzhané Wallis in the lead role as Hushpuppy. Told as a philosophical story from six-year-old Hushpuppy's perspective, it makes you ponder over life's major questions no matter where you are from.

          Django Unchained -- Quentin Tarantino's newest epic about a slave turned bounty hunter is fantastic. With superb acting, notably from Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson, slavery from the antebellum South just before the Civil War is chronicled with honest brutality. This was my personal favorite movie of 2012, so in a fantasy world I would want it to win, but not against its competition in reality.

          Les Misérables -- Victor Hugo's story about a group of people in rebellious France during the 19th century was re-adapted by Tom Hooper. He got a lot of buzz for choosing to have the actors sing live while they were shooting the movie. Featuring a flawless Anne Hathaway, it was a musical experience not to be missed. It will not win tonight, but it was a crowd-pleaser for fans of the Broadway musical.

          Life of Pi -- Another adaptation, Ang Lee's 3D adventure is breathtaking. The visuals enhance rather than distract from the story, and the editing was clean-cut. With that said, the dialogue was often awkward in deliverance. It doesn't deserve to win the top prize, but it had some great elements, including great direction from Lee.

          Lincoln -- Steven Spielberg's latest movie depicts the difficulties in passing the Thirteenth Amendment, President Lincoln's attempt to abolish slavery. With a cinematographic pallet of blues and grays, this drama shows off Lincoln's famous storytelling talent to help get his points across. Daniel Day-Lewis is perfect with an excellent hair and makeup team. An early front-runner, but not my pick.

          Silver Linings Playbook -- A milestone for traditional rom-coms, this movie got more critical acclaim than anyone could have predicted. The first film in roughly thirty years to have nominations in all four acting categories, the audience gets an intimate look inside the characters' lives by the attention to character detail director David O. Russell and editors Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers allow for. Although it is getting a lot of buzz, I would still be pretty surprised to see it win Best Picture.

          Zero Dark Thirty -- Kathryn Bigelow's movie of the manhunt for Osama bin Laden was absolutely thrilling. Fascinating from the start until the actual event of killing the al-Qaeda leader, watching the U.S. government keep tabs on him for years and years kept everyone in the theaters biting their nails long before the intense killing at bin Laden's house. Bigelow's Directing snub fuels my desire even further for Zero Dark Thirty to win Best Picture tonight.