By BOB GARVER / Special to The Herald-Mail
For the first time since the 1940s, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has elected to nominate 10 films for Best Picture of the Year.
With the field more crowded than ever, here is a quick breakdown of the nominees, ordered from least likely to most likely to win:
Very basic plot: Dark comedy about a college professor dealing with his financial woes and dysfunctional family.
For it: Directors Joel and Ethan Coen took "No Country For Old Men" to a Best Picture win two years ago.
Against it: It has no best director nomination, no acting nominations and its release back in October is a distant memory.
Odds: 100 to 1
Very basic plot: A young female student falls for a married older gentleman.
For it: Lead actress Carey Mulligan has scored an actress Oscar nomination.
Against it: There's no best-director nomination, and some are uneasy with the film's subject matter.
Odds: 99 to 1
Very basic plot: Space aliens deal with imprisonment, segregation and xenophobia in South Africa.
For it: The film enjoyed surprising critical and commercial success.
Against it: No nominations for its director or cast, and its opening was half a year ago.
Odds:50 to 1
Very basic plot: A well-to-do family takes in a down-on-his-luck football prodigy.
For it: Sandra Bullock is all but guaranteed the award for Best Actress. The film was financially successful and well-received by a wide audience.
Against it: There's no best-director nomination, and many (including myself) see the film as too sappy.
Odds: 25 to 1
Very basic plot: An elderly man and a young companion travel to South America in a house lifted up by balloons.
For it: Just about everybody loves it, and we are long overdue for an animated best-picture winner.
Against it: The Academy has a history of not taking animated films seriously, and once again the lack of a best-director nomination is telling.
Odds: 20 to 1
Very basic plot: A man who lives his life on the road may soon be permanently stuck in an office.
For it: It has more acting nominations than any other film, with a best-actor nomination for George Clooney and best-supporting-actress nominations for Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.
Against it: The film is basically a lighthearted comedy, hard to take seriously for an award with the status of the best-picture Oscar.
Odds: 5 to 1
Very basic plot: A teenager with nothing going for her finds emotional support in social servants.
For it: Mo'Nique is the frontrunner for the best-supporting-actress award. Best-actress nominee Gabourey Sidibe isn't out of the question in her category, either.
Against it: Some have rolled their eyes at the film's tear-jerking ways. Even more roll their eyes at the wordy title.
Odds: 4 to 1
Very basic plot: American and French forces try to end World War II in a single night.
For it: Christolph Waltz is the frontrunner for the best-supporting-actor award. It's my personal choice for best film of the year, so I can easily see people voting for it.
Against it: Director Quentin Tarantino's style will always have its critics and detractors.
Odds: 3 to 1
Very basic plot: A team of bomb defusers tries to make it through a tour of Iraq alive.
For it: The film has been christened as one of those "Little Films That Could," winning other best-picture wwards left and right.
Against it: It's still a "little film" up against tough competition that did better at the box office.
Odds: 2 to 1
Very basic plot: A human wears an organic robot suit to disguise himself as an alien.
For it: The film looks amazing, and its box office has been the biggest in the History of Ever.
Against it: It may be a feast for the eyes, but its plot is actually quite basic.
Odds: 3 to 2
• The Academy Awards air Sunday, March 7, at 8 p.m. on ABC.
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