Believe it or not, the movie awards season is upon us. And that means it's time to start keeping an eye on the movers and shakers... the big movies that are getting all the buzz for Oscar consideration.
Throughout the remainder of the season, by the use our super-secret algorithmic formula* we'll keep this list of Oscar predictions and hopefuls fresh and up-to-date. Keep in mind, this isn't necessarily a list of the ones we hope will win, but we do think these are the heavy hitters. Consider this your one-stop-shop for identifying the 2010 Oscar contenders.
Oh, and be sure to let us know which are your favorites by telling us about it in the comments section at the end of the article. Anyone seen all these yet?
(*OK, the secret formula is watching all the announcements from the major voting film critic groups.
Best Picture
The top five contenders
In the running
- 127 Hours
- The Fighter
- The Town
- Blue Valentine
- Toy Story 3
- Get Low
- True Grit
- The Kids Are All Right
- The Way Back
- Another Year
- Conviction
- Fair Game
- Hereafter
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Never Let Me Go
- Secretariat
- Shutter Island
- Toy Story 3
Best Actor
The top five contenders
- Colin Firth - The King's Speech
- James Franco - 127 Hours
- Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
- Jeff Bridges - True Grit
- Robert Duvall - Get Low
In the running
- Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
- Javier Bardem - Biutiful
- Ben Affleck - The Town
- Matt Damon - Hereafter
- Leonardo DiCaprio - Shutter Island
- Leonardo DiCaprio Inception
- Michael Douglas - Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
- James Franco -127 Hours
- Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter
Best Actress
The top five contenders
- Natalie Portman - Black Swan
- Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
- Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
- Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
- Noomi Rapace - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
In the running
- Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine
- Carey Mulligan - Never Let me Go
- Anne Hathaway - Love & Other Drugs
- Leslie Manville - Another Year
- Naomi Watts - Fair Play
- Sally Hawkins - Cairo Time
- Tilda Swinton - I Am Love
- Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
- Diane Lane - Secretariat
- Patricia Clarkson - Cairo Time
Best Director
The top five contenders
- David Fincher - The Social Network
- Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
- Christopher Nolan - Inception
- Danny Boyle - 127 Hours
- Tom Hooper - The King's Speech
In the running
- Joel and Ethan Coen - True Grit
- Nigel Cole - Made in Dagenham
- Clint Eastwood - Hereafter
- Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu - Biutiful
- Mike Leigh - Another Year
- Derek Cianfrance - Blue Valentine
- Debra Granik - Winter's Bone
- Doug Liman - Fair Game
- Ben Affleck - The Town
- Martin Scorcese - Shutter Island
- Peter Weir - The Way Back
- Edgar Wright - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Best Supporting Actor
The top five contenders
- Christian Bale - The Fighter
- Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech
- John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
- Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
- Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
In the running
- Jeremy Renner - The Town
- Sam Rockwell - Conviction
- Jim Broadbent - Another Year
- Ed Harris - The Way Back
- Matt Damon - True Grit
- Bill Murray - Get Low
- Justin Timberlake - The Social Network
- Sean Penn - Fair Play
Best Supporting Actress
The top five contenders
- Melissa Leo - The Fighter
- Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
- Amy Adams - The Fighter
- Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
- Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom
In the running
- Barbara Hershey - Black Swan
- Rooney Mara - The Social Network
- Miranda Richardson - Made in Dagenham
- Sissy Spacek - Get Low
- Dianne Weist - Rabbit Hole
- Greta Gerwig - Greenberg
- Marion Cotillard - Inception
- Ruth Sheen - Another Year
Best Adapted Screenplay
The top five contenders
In the running
- Shutter Island
- Fair Game
- How to Train Your Dragon
- The Way Back
Best Original Screenplay
The top five contenders
In the running
- The Fighter
- Winter's Bone
- Animal Kingdom
- Blue Valentine
- Black Swan
- Made in Dagenham
- City Island
- Another Year
Best Foreign Language Film
- Biutiful
- I Am Love
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
- Mother
- A Prophet
In the running
- Carlos
- White Material
- Of Gods and Men
- Soul Kitchen
- Life, Above All
- Incendies
Best Documentary
The top five contenders
- Restrepo
- Exit Through the Gift Shop
- Four Lions
- Enemies of the People
- The Tillman Story
In the running
- Precious Life
- Inside Job
- Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spencer
Best Animated Film
The top five contenders
- Toy Story 3
- Despicable Me
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Tangled
- The Illusionist
In the running
- Megamind
- Shrek: Forever After
- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Best Cinematography
The top five contenders
In the running
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Hereafter
- Eat, Pray, Love
- Iron Man 2
- Shutter Island