Yidio Oscars 2012 Predictions: Who Will Win Best Picture?

In the Yidio Oscars Spotlight, we take a look at the key races at this year's Academy Awards. The biggest prize of the night is undoubtedly Best Picture, but which of the nine nominees will take home the statue?

Past Winners

"The Godfather." "All About Eve." "Casablanca". This category is the biggest of the night and is filled with legendary winners, from dramas to the occasional comedy.

Recently, we have seen a mix of big movies and indies take home the prize, as winners like "Slumdog Millionaire," "The King's Speech" and "The Hurt Locker" balance out with the likes of "Gladiator" and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

Two years ago, we saw the list of nominees expand to ten. This year, the rules are slightly different: the number of nominees could be anywhere from five to ten, depending on the voting. Thus, we ended up with the odd number of nine nominees (with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" noticeably absent).

The Nominees

"The Descendants"

"Midnight in Paris"

"The Artist"

"The Help"

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

"The Tree of Life"

"Moneyball"

"War Horse"

"Hugo"

What Critics are Saying

The list of nominees is an interesting one this year, as "The Tree of Life" was not exactly universally liked, and "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" was downright controversial, getting about a 50/50 split of good and bad reviews. Nonetheless, the made the list.

However, while we will most likely see "The Descendants" win Best Adapted Screenplay and "Midnight in Paris" win Best Original Screenplay, the race here comes down to two films: "The Artist" and "The Descendants." After all, at the Golden Globes we saw "The Artist" win for Comedy and "The Descendants" win for Drama out of a similar field.

Prediction

"The Artist" won the BAFTA award for Best Film and has been building momentum ever since the Golden Globes, so it's likely to take the top spot again here. "The Artist" is the safe bet, but if you're looking for an upset you could go for "The Descendants." Just don't be surprised when you see a bunch of French people on stage at the end of the night.