Of all the films featured on the Oscars shortlist for the much-coveted Best Picture statuette, none have featured more prominently during the rest of awards season than the Ben Affleck-directed Argo. We don’t need to tell you that the pre-nomination announcement favorite for Best Director, Affleck, was overlooked by the Academy panel completely, and since then it seems that the rest of the industry has done its upper most to make them feel foolish for doing so.

Affleck took the Best Director gong at The Golden Globes, whilst Argo itself has taken the Best Picture category at the Globes and the Producers Guild Awards – as well as taking a surprise win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards at the weekend for Best Ensemble Performance. So what does this mean when February 24 comes round and the big night itself? Is Argo the favorite now?

Well, let’s not get carried away, because there are many still tipping Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln to take the honor, whilst it’s worth remembering that no film has taken the Best Picture at the awards without an accompanying Best Director nomination since 1989 – which was Driving Miss Daisy. That the Academy would bestow the Best Picture on Argo would be an admission of mistake concerning Affleck’s snub, and as we well know, the Academy are a proud and fusty bunch. Nevertheless, whatever happens next month, Affleck can find solace in fact that the decision to overlook him has been one shared by very few people, whilst Argo can be considered a huge success in its own right.

What did we think of Argo?

Check out the Argo Trailer