Last year only three of the films up for best picture scored in the top 20 of Metacritic for 2007: "There Will Be Blood" (92), "No Country for Old Men" (91) and "Atonement" (85). The other two nominees — "Juno" (81) and "Michael Clayton" (82) — had lower scores than some flicks not even considered to be in the running — "Knocked Up" (85) and "The Bourne Ultimatum" (85), for example. "Ratatouille" had the highest score of all films last year (96).

Technically, the best-scoring pic of this year is a foreign film in derby competition last year, but delayed due to staggered U.S. distribution: "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" (97). After that, the most critically praised pic of 2008 is, just like last year, an animated flick: "Wall-E" (93). Of course, that makes it a cinch to win the Oscar for best animated feature just like "Ratatouille" last year.

Of the films with Oscar buzz, here are the top scores of pix already in release: "The Dark Knight" (83), "Frozen River" (82), "Happy-Go-Lucky" (82), "Rachel Getting Married" (82). Here are some other scores of interest: "Kung Fu Panda" (73), "Tropic Thunder" (71) and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (70).

(Photo credit: Disney)

Click on the film titles below to learn more about each Oscars contender. Obviously, things will change. There are rumors, for example, that "The Reader" may move to 2009 so that two Kate Winslet flicks don't compete against each other. Also, some of these films don't have a distributor yet, including "Two Lovers," "Grey Gardens," "Synecdoche, New York" and "The Argentine." Many thanks to my Envelope colleague and pal Pete Hammond for his input to this list.

BEST PICTURE
"Appaloosa"
"Australia"
"Body of Lies"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Defiance"
"Doubt"
"Gran Torino"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"Miracle at St. Anna"
"Mamma Mia!"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Secret Life of Bees"
"Seven Pounds"
"The Soloist"
"Vicki Cristina Barcelona"
"The Visitor"
"Wall-E"
"W"

BEST ACTOR
Eric Bana, "The Time Traveler's Wife"
Josh Brolin, "W"
Benicio del Toro, "The Argentine" or "Guerrilla" *
Leo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road" or "Body of Lies"
Robert Downey Jr., "The Soloist," "Iron Man"
Clint Eastwood, "Gran Torino"
Harrison Ford, "Crossing Over"
Jamie Foxx, "The Soloist" (supporting role?)
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, " Synecdoche, New York" * or "Doubt"
Hugh Jackman, "Australia"
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Electric Mist"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" (supporting role?)
Derek Luke, "Miracle at St. Anna" (supporting role?)
Viggo Mortensen, "Appaloosa," "The Road"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Two Lovers" *
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" or "Burn After Reading"
Michael Sheen, "Frost/Nixon"
Will Smith, "Seven Pounds"

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