Oscar Best Picture Predictions: Is '12 Years A Slave' Still Front-Runner?; 28 Viable Contenders : Entertainment : Latinos Post

By Francisco Salazar (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Nov 01, 2013 12:24 AM EDT

Tags Oscars Best Picture, 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, Captain Phillips, Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue Jasmine

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The Oscar race is finally becoming clearer as studios have finalized their slates for the rest of the year.

After a number of delays announced, including "The Monuments Men," "Foxcatcher" and "Grace of Monaco," studios have finally settled on the films they will be promoting for the upcoming Oscar race. At the top of the race is Steve McQueen's "12 Years A Slave," which continues to gain buzz, especially receiving three nominations at the Gotham Awards and having opened to a strong box office.

Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" continues to perform well at the box office and the buzz and reviews continue to be strong. The film has already made $200 million in North America, which could easily help it snag a Best Picture nomination.

Paul Greengrass' "Captain Phillips" continues to obtain good reviews and has performed well at the box office. With strong reviews and Sony promoting it, the film is a shoe-in for the Best Picture nod.

Joel and Ethan Coen's "Inside Llewyn Davis" recently started to get back into the conversation, especially after getting nominated for the Gotham Awards. Additionally, CBS films has already started campaigning strongly for the Best Picture nomination.

"The Wolf of Wall Street" is back in the race after delays and speculation that the film would not come out in 2013. Paramount recently announced it would be released on Christmas Day, making it a late entry for the Oscar race.

"American Hustle" continues to show promise with a new trailer recently released. However, since it has not been screened, it may be too early to call whether it is a legitimate contender.

The Weinstein Company has four potential Best Picture nominees, but it is unclear which film the awards mogul Harvey Weinstein will promote for the Best Picture. "August: Osage County" has been receiving negative buzz for the film as a whole, but strong word for its performances. Meanwhile, "Lee Daniel's The Butler" was loved when the film was screened for the Academy but received mixed reviews. "Fruitvale Station" and "Philomena" are the films with the best reviews but they may be too small or specialized for the Academy's taste. The last two films that Weinstein is releasing have no buzz. Both "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" and "One Chance" have not been in the early Oscar consideration. However, with TWC behind them, anything is possible.

Then there are some contenders with good word but no buzz. Ron Howard's "Rush" crashed at the box office and quickly dissipated from the memories of most, while Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" is a definite Best Actress contender, but with such a crowded slate the film could be overlooked for Best Picture.

Another questionable contender is Disney's "Saving Mr. Banks." The film received a mixed reception with many critics saying it was tear-jerker with strong performances. What makes it so questionable is because the Academy usually likes this type of film and it can easily garner a nod. However, with such a strong field, it may not get the same attention other similar films have gotten in the past.

"Dallas Buyers Club" is receiving good word for Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto but one question remains: will the Academy be able to look past the actors and consider this for Best Picture?

J.C Chandor's "All is Lost" has garnered a lot of buzz but has not taken off at the box office and that element may affect its chances at an Academy Award nomination.

Then there is "Nebraska," which was loved at Telluride and Cannes. The film is directed by Alexander Payne who is respected by the Academy but the lack of stars could affect the film's chances.

Meanwhile, "Prisoners" may have won the runner-up at the Toronto Film Festival but has failed to garner enough buzz to make its case for the Best Picture.

One film that received universal praise at the New York Film Festival was "Her." However, the film has not received Best Picture buzz thus far and it may be too high concept for the Academy.

A couple of Indies will have to struggle for a spot as they may be considered too small or just forgotten because of their release dates. Those include "The Place Beyond the Pines," "Before Midnight," "Ain't Them Bodies Saints," "Mud," "Short Term 12," "Out of Furance" and "Frances Ha."

Finally, with the number American films in contention, there a couple foreign films that could qualify including "Blue is the Warmest Color," "The Past" and "Wadjda."

Some contenders have already fallen out of the race because of bad reviews. Those include "The Counselor," "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and "Labor Day."

While it is too early to know how many films will be nominated, the race seems clearer, even though it is still crowded.

Second Predictions

1. "12 Years a Slave"

2. "Gravity"

3. "American Hustler"

4. "Captain Phillips"

5. "The Wolf of Wall Street"

6. "Inside Llewyn Davis"

7. "All is Lost"

8. "Lee Daniel's The Butler"

9. "Nebraska"

Possible Contenders