This might be the trickiest category of the night. There are two films vying for the win, and another dil in a good spoiler position. Let’s see if we can make some sense out of this.

First, we have American Hustle. The film came in like a lion and went out like a lamb when it came to awards season. The question is whether or not the film will leave the Oscars empty handed or not. The film’s flashy editing could give it a win here, but I believe that the film’s slow pacing will be it’s drawback.

Our next nominee is Captain Phillips. Now if there’s on thing this category has shown, it’s that when a movie has flashy editing, it gets in even when it’s not a contender for the top award. That’s how we got winners like The Bourne Identity and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. And so, a lot of people are predicting that this will win. But somehow, I think there’s another film on this list with better odds.

One of the most surprising nominations was Dallas Buyers Club in this category. While the editing in the film is good, I don’t think it will pull off a win here. It’s already winning in three other categories. It doesn’t need anything else.

And then there’s Gravity. Now I know that being the likely Best Picture winner doesn’t immediately guarantee a in here. But i’ve noticed that whenever a film is outright sweeping the Oscars, it always seems to take this award with it. It’s like, “You’re winning eight academy awards? Do you want Best Film Editing with that?” For that reason, I expect Gravity will win.

Our final nominee is 12 Years A Slave. As i’ll discuss in tomorrow’s post, this film is in a tight battle with Gravity to win the big award. However, even if it does win, I think it’ll have a hard time picking this award up. While the editing in the film is good, it doesn’t seem flashy enough to win.

WILL WIN: Gravity
RUNNER UP: Captain Phillips
SHOULD WIN: Gravity