In 2010, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to change their traditional format for the Academy Award nominations. Instead of five contenders in each category, the Best Picture category will now feature ten films. This increase is supposed to give exposure to films that deserve it, and will also add more drama since the potential for an upset has increased tremendously. But which films truly do have the best chances of winning? What will need to go right for some of these underdogs to come out on top?

Avatar

The clear favorite to take down many awards this year, the most publicized movie of the year it will be hard for the Academy to ignore. One thing that could hold Avatar back from having the same Oscar success as Titanic is the mixed critical response.

While the visuals in Avatar are universally agreed upon as being without par, the film has drawn a lot of criticism for the storyline which has been labeled as predictable and called a rehashing of films such as Dances With Wolves and Ferngully. This did not stop the film from winning Best Picture at the Golden Globes however, many critics have since expressed their displeasure with the achievement, saying that while Avatar was good, it does not deserve such commendation.