1. Skyfall
Finally shedding the narrative weight brought on by Casino Royale and its underwhelming follow-up Quantum of Solace, James Bond returns in a brand new mission - one that will put him at odds with M (Judi Dench), whose past has come back to haunt her in the form of an old acquaintance (Javier Bardem). When the locations of every M16 agent embedded in terrorist organisations all over the world are mistakenly leaked, Bond must regain his strength and prevent a potentially devastating catastrophe.
Why It Deserves To Be Nominated: Skyfall is arguably the most prestigious James Bond film ever made, and if it's nominated for Best Picture, it'll be the first Bond movie in history to have done so. There's so much to like about Skyfall: be it Sam Mendes' clean, assured direction, or the performance of its lead, Daniel Craig, who so thoroughly inhabits the skin of his character like never before. Skyfall manages to succeed on two accounts that makes it ripe for Best Picture nomination: firstly, it's serious enough to be... well, taken seriously. Secondly, despite that, it's still a roaring great time without an inch of pretentiousness. Most of all, though, Skyfall feels big at its core. The scope is huge and the story is sweeping, and when you factor in things like the witty screenplay, the complexities of its characters, the fact that it alternates so effectively between action and drama, and (spoiler!) the death of a major character, you've got something special. Besides that, Sam Mendes has already done well with the Academy over the years, which absolutely increases his chances of getting Skyfall nominated here. Not that it matters: it's a excellent film through and through.
Why It Doesn't Deserve To Be Nominated: Deep down, maybe Skyfall is just a great James Bond film and that's all. Hear me out: it's definitely one of the best Bond films of all-time, although side-by-side with Casino Royale, I don't think it quite matchs up. Perhaps because Quantum of Solace was so disappointing, we've conjured up a level of excellence for Skyfall that doesn't really fit the picture. The action scenes are great, for example, but were they better than those in Casino Royale? Much of the film just isn't as mind-blowing. The fact that Skyfall is a great James Bond doesn't mean it shouldn't garner Best Picture nominee. But it's arguably just a great action flick and... well, nothing more.