Of the lineup so far, it is easy to cherry pick the Oscar favorites. Herewith, AwardsDaily’s top ten of what seems most likely to go to the Big Show sight unseen (for most of them).
1. 12 Years a Slave – Picture, directing, acting, writing
2. The Fifth Estate – Picture, directing, acting, writing
3. Gravity – Picture, directing, acting, writing
4. Labor Day – Picture, directing, acting, writing
5. Rush – Picture, directing, writing
6. August: Osage County – acting, writing
7. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – acting, writing
8. Devil’s Knot – acting, writing (maybe picture, directing)
9. Dallas Buyers Club – acting, writing
10. The Invisible Woman – acting
And the jury is still out on Blue is the Warmest Colour, whether it could land acting nods for one of the two leads or not. There may be others lurking in the pile but these are the ones that stand out in this, the earliest stage.