If you haven’t started seeing them already, be prepared because as we hit the halfway mark to the holiday season, all the Oscar critics will begin weighing in on which films they think have the best shot at taking home the gold. So, in honor of “that time of year”, I’m going to put forth the first ever version of The Ten! Yup, I’ve done “The Five” and “Your Five”, but never have I attempted to extend the list to ten. But since the Academy has expanded their Best Picture race to 10 films (beginning with last year’s ceremony), they’ve kinda forced my hand.
That being said, here now are the films I think have the best shot at being nominated for Best Picture this year (in no particular order): 
1. Inception – Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending film kept us searching for clues while dazzling us with its brilliant special effects. We still may not know what, exactly, that film is about, but it definitely has us convinced that it’s among the best of the year.
2. Toy Story 3 – While a spot for Pixar on this list is all but a given each and every year, ‘Toy Story 3’ was perhaps their greatest achievement yet and could become the first animated film to ever win best picture.
3. The King’s Speech – Here’s your obligatory period piece that’s actually pretty enjoyable and worth watching. Colin Firth stars as the man who would be King George VI, and the film follows the journey he took to rid himself of a stuttering problem.
4. True Grit – Last time the Coen Bros. made a Western (albeit a contemporary Western), they won the Oscar for Best Picture (‘No Country for Old Men’). Now they have a real-deal Western that’s also a remake of a beloved film starring John Wayne. The trailers look brilliant, and it’s not hard to predict this one being among the elite 10 come Oscar time.
5. The Kids Are All Right – This film about a lesbian couple whose children decide to bring their birth father back into their lives (they were conceived by artificial insemination) is just bursting with energy, humor and fantastic, award-worthy performances from Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. Look for it to be on that final list. 
6. The Social Network – The film that is said to define a generation may also define this year’s Oscar ceremony. Clearly a favorite for its quick-witted script and expert direction, ‘The Social Network’ is easily digestible and compulsively likable. Definitely a shoe-in for multiple nominations.
7. 127 Hours – Sure, it’s just a movie about a hiker who gets trapped in the mountains and then cuts his own arm off in order to survive (boring!), but it’s also a movie that comes to us from the energetic (and electric) Danny Boyle, who won multiple Oscars for his last film, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Toss in a performance from James Franco that’s not to be missed, and you’ve got yourself a shot at Mr. Oscar.
8. Black Swan – Darren Aronofsky gave Mickey Rourke his shot at Oscar, and now he’s back and about to do the same thing for Natalie Portman, who brings more than her A-game to the role of a ballerina under intense amounts of pressure in both her personal and professional lives. A freaky little film, yes, but one that probably won’t escape Academy voters. 
9. Love and Other Drugs – Somewhat of a wild card right now, this romantic dramedy starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway seems more relatable and easier to swallow than, say, ‘Blue Valentine’, which is another buzzed-about relationship movie that’s due to hit this fall. Jake and Anne look fun and alive, and the fact that they’re two great actors may help a script that, at first glance, seems a little clichéd. So file this one in the “Wait and See” pile.
10. Winter’s Bone – This year’s little engine that could may come in the form of ‘Winter’s Bone’, which won the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and seems poised to surprise everyone with a Best Picture nomination. Rising star Jennifer Lawrence stars as a backwoods-y type of girl who hits the tough terrain in search of her drug-dealing father while trying desperately to keep her family intact. It’s one of those films you don’t really see coming, and Oscar tends to love a dark horse.
What did I miss? Are there any films I left off that you think will be nominated for Best Picture?
