hopefuls, with Joe Wright's Anna Karenina and Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby following the trend). The budget isn't as jaw-dropping (lack of commercial interest is rumored to have caused GK Studios to file for bankruptcy), and Life of Pi has a bigger fan-base than Hugo did, so it'll likely be a moderate success, with it's real legs showing come Oscar season. Similarly, Silver Linings Playbook premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to great reviews, but it won't make its real smash until the November release. It benefits from its later release date, as well as the presence of Jennifer Lawrence (whom the Academy looks to be gearing up to add to their collection of favorites) and Jacki Weaver. David O. Rusell made a surprising splash in 2010 for The Fighter , so it definitely looks like it'll receive an inclusion. On to Lincoln , Steven Spielberg's third film in two years. War Horse wasn't as big as a contender as it was anticipated to be last year- Steven Spielberg didn't even get a Best Director nomination. It did, however, float comfortably along the circuit, receiving all of the expected Best Picture nominations. If War Horse can do it Lincoln certainly can, featuring, if possible, an even higher- caliber crew than the aforementioned. Daniel Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones are getting great reviews- a first look at the trailer made it look like another fluff piece, but reviews are better than expected, shaping it up to be both Oscar bait