Devon Constable

On February 24 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, actors, directors, costume designers, screenwriters and everyone in-between will wait with baited breath to see whether or not they’ll go home with that coveted golden statue; that tangible symbol of excellence: the Oscar.

     The nominees for Best Picture (the major award of the night) encompass every genre of film, from historical (Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, Argo, Django Unchained) to fantastical tales (Life of Pi, Beasts of the Southern Wild), adapted movies (Les Miserables, Silver Linings Playbook), and foreign films (Amour).

     Experts such as Dave Karger of Fandango, Betsy Sharkey and Glenn Whip from the L.A. Times, and John Serba of MLive all have bets placed on Steven Spielberg’s epic Lincoln for Best Picture. However, film appreciation teacher Mr. Jason Bowman disagrees. “Although Lincoln had some fine performances, it was ruined by an awkward ending,” he stated.

     Instead, his pick is Ben Affleck’s directorial debut Argo. “Argo, in my opinion, is the most actualized movie. It has a great story and, aside from some hyperbolic chase scenes, was well-executed.” He, however, thinks the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will go a different route. “I do think the Academy is itching to give [director] Quentin Tarantino a Best Picture nod, so I could see Django [Unchained] winning.”

     In the meantime, critics can guess all they want, but only time will tell who will have to clear out a space for their Academy Award.