The movie “12 Years a Slave,” from British director Steve McQueen appears to be the frontrunner for film’s highest honor at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony. But the biggest obstacle it faces may be high-quality, groundbreaking movie called “Gravity.” The outer-space thriller starring Sandra Bullock, for which director Alfonso Cuaron pushed the technical and visual effects boundaries, has brought in $270 million in North America and $703 million worldwide.
