Oscar Best Picture Rundown #2:

ARGO

Ben Affleck’s third stint behind the camera has proved to be his most acclaimed – no small thing, what with the abounding love for both Gone Baby Gone and The Town – and an Oscar nomination was always going to be a certainty upon its release late last year.  The plot recounts a CIA operative attempting to rescue six U.S. diplomats by leading them out of an increasingly more violent Iran by showcasing them as a film crew on location to shoot their science-fiction film, Argo. Both intense politically-charged drama and witty Hollywood satire (thanks to John Goodman and Oscar-nominated Alan Arkin’s roles as hotshot producers,) Argo - for all of its Sidney Lumet-esque 70s politics - is an immensely enjoyable flick that succeeds at everything Affleck wanted it to.

Will it win?

Following its recent mammoth runaway success this awards season in all the leading categories, Argo has gone from dark horse to serious contender in a matter of weeks. Affleck being snubbed by the Academy for a nomination in the Best Director category initially stunted its chances, (the last time Best Director wasn’t won by a filmmaker behind the Best Picture was in 2006 – Ang Lee reigned supreme for Brokeback Mountain over the victorious Crash,) 2013 is looking likely to re-set that stat. Affleck will be both unofficial king and unsung hero of the Oscars. 

Film: 4.5/5
Chances of Winning: 4.5/5

Read my Argo review here