2013 Golden Globes Best Picture Nominees

Remember when the Best Screenplay Oscar went to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and it all seemed like some kind of bizarre fluke? These two handsome twenty-somethings had written and co-starred in a heartfelt and often humorous drama at a time when “indie” was all the rage. But had you laid a bet that the tall one from Reindeer Games would prove to be a phenomenally talented, consistently Oscar-caliber writer/director in his own right, Vegas bookies would likely not have given you the odds. Flash forward past the emotionally gripping Gone Baby Gone, past the intense and character-driven heist film The Town, and settle on the true story of Argo. A tale of several diplomats stranded in Iran during a time of fiery revolution, Argo is also the story of the fake Hollywood movie that was imagined as a cover to facilitate their escape. Expertly crafted and finely performed, Argo proves that Affleck is three-for-three in award-caliber filmmaking. Chances of winning: Strong.