It's been a long time since the Oscar race for Best Picture has been this tight.
Director Tom Hooper is coming off of his 2011 win for "The King's Speech" with "Les Mis," while Kathryn Bigelow is looking for another Academy Award after "The Hurt Locker" in 2008.
Then there's Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" and Ben Affleck's awards-sweeping "Argo." However, after foreign film "The Artist" won the top award last year, "Amour" could swoop in and take the trophy.
We've gathered together all the best picture nominations to help in selecting the winning pick on your Oscar ballot.
Familiarize yourself with the nominations, and see which one is most likely to take home the Oscar prize Sunday night.
"Les Miserables"
The musical
Anne Hathaway had us mesmerized with her flawless rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" and even went the extra mile by shaving off all of her hair for the film (something director Tom Hooper didn't even ask her to do).
However, no matter how much Hugh Jackman brought the story to life every time he appeared on screen, the adaptation of the hit Broadway play was bogged down by Russell Crowe's vocals—bringing to mind Pierce Brosnan's singing in "Mamma Mia"—and a lengthy script that clocked in at more than two-and-a-half hours on screen.
WINS: Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy and Best Ensemble at both the Satellite Awards and WAFCA Awards
Nominated for 8 Oscars.
"Amour"
The traditional foreign film
Though many weren't familiar with "Amour" when it was nominated, the French film has a story that can resonate with most anyone.
Emmanuelle Riva plays an 80-year old woman, Anne, whose health continues to decline after she's left paralyzed. This leaves her husband Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) with the difficult decision of how to handle his wife's illness.
WINS: European Film Award and NSFC for Best Film, BAFTA, Critics Choice Award, and Golden Globe for Foreign language film
Nominated for 5 Oscars.
"Silver Linings Playbook"
The Cinderella Darling
The film following a mental home outpatient and his road back to normalcy unexpectedly became a big winner for The Weinstein Company.
The chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence is undeniably electrifying every time the two are on screen together.
What's most impressive about the estimated $21 million budget film is its A-list star power and its ability to perform by word of mouth.
Not only did Weinstein manage to pool together Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver, Julia Stiles, and long-gone actor Chris Tucker, but the film also resonated with audiences. In its first eight weeks, the film earned close to $35 million airing in only 745 theaters before receiving Oscar nods.
WINS: Best Ensemble at the Critics Choice Award
Nominated for 8 Oscars.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
