Tomorrow, the PGA announces its nominees for the Best Picture, Best Animated Feature and Best Documentary of 2009. Our regular contributors have put together our predictions not only for the PGA nominations, but also our thoughts, as they currently stand, on Best Picture. Below is our list of Predictions. They fall into three categories: common films (those which appear on all of our lists), on three lists, on two lists and individual picks (those which appear on only one person’s list. The names in parentheses are the individuals who selected those predictions.

Producers Guild of America Predictions

common films

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The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air

on three lists

Invictus (Peter Patrick, Tripp Burton, Wes Huizar) – (Wesley Lovell: Why did I exclude Invictus? Everyone’s talking about Nine’s departure from the race, but no one seems to think Invictus could be out. What exactly does it have going for it besides Clint Eastwood? It doesn’t have a SAG ensemble nomination or any Best Picture precursor trophies, but it does appear on the BFCA and NBR lists. I just think it may have been a disappointment to more than just critics.)
Star Trek (Wesley Lovell, Peter Patrick, Tripp Burton)
Up (Wesley Lovell, Peter Patrick, Tripp Burton)

on two lists

The Blind Side (Wesley Lovell, Tripp Burton) – (Tripp Burton: I was surprised to see Wesley also pick this, because I thought it was a gutsy selection, but it is one of the biggest hits of the winter and seems like a film producers would embrace. / Wesley Lovell: I chose The Blind Side because of its significant box office success. It looks destined to cross $200 M at the box office and Sandra Bullock’s high profile Oscar potential may well pull the film along as a feel-good, non-art-scene entry.)
Nine (Wesley Lovell, Wes Huizar) – (Wesley Lovell: Two words – Harvey Weinstein. Just like last year when The Reader managed to pull off a surprise Best Picture nomination, I think Harvey still has some pull and he has fewer teeth to pull to get a nomination in a 10-full list.)
A Serious Man (Wesley Lovell, Peter Patrick) – (Peter Patrick: Benefits from a weighted ballot as it’s apt to be on a lot of lists as a runner-up. Wesley Lovell: One of very few films that has been regularly cited in precursor season and it’s the Coens.)

individual picks

(500) Days of Summer (Wes Huizar)
An Education (Wes Huizar)
District 9 (Wes Huizar)
A Single Man (Peter Patrick) – (The PGA likes to occasionally make an art-house selection the Academy won’t – I think this is this year’s.)
Where the Wild Things Are (Tripp Burton) – (This big-budget film was a risky choice to be made, an oddly-personal, expensive adaptation of an “unadaptable” children’s novel that isn’t really for children. It is a film that has its lovers and its haters, but it made good money, proved to be one of the odder hits of the year and the PGA likes those odder choices sometimes.)

Oscar Nomination Predictions

common films

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up
Up in the Air

on three lists

Invictus (Peter Patrick, Tripp Burton, Wes Huizar) – (Wesley Lovell: Same reasoning as above and I’m not saying it won’t get nominated, I just don’t know that it will. If PGA nominates it, then it probably will get the nod. If they don’t, then I’d expect it to have a very rough time earning a nod.)

on two lists

(500) Days of Summer (Tripp Burton, Wes Huizar) – (Tripp Burton: The small indie hit of the summer that seems to keep squeezing in on award lists and is the strongest benefactor of the 10-film list.)
An Education (Tripp Burton, Wes Huizar) – (Tripp Burton: With 10-films to nominate and not a lot of choices, these are the kind of “forgotten” films that will keep sneaking into the list.)
A Serious Man (Wesley Lovell, Peter Patrick) – (Wesley Lovell: My reasons for including it in the PGA list are the same. Peter Patrick: Passionately liked by just enough voters to sneak in.)
A Single Man (Tripp Burton, Wes Huizar) – (Tripp Burton: A film whose supporters are so strong that they can easily carry the film to the final list, especially riding two potential acting nominations.)

individual picks

The Blind Side (Wesley Lovell) – (: Not only do I think the PGA will nominate The Blind Side, but the utter lack of blockbusters in the race seems to suggest this film, which appeals to the voters that put films like Finding Neverland and Seabiscuit into the race, may very well find itself in the final list.)
District 9 (Wesley Lovell) – (: I’m not sure why I didn’t predict this one for PGA since it was a box office success for a minimal budget, but that may very well be the reason it picks up an Oscar nod. It may not have the buzz around it that a film might normally need, but with so many films disappearing from the race, I wonder if it it might not benefit from strong word of mouth and a dedicated handful of voters.)
Nine (Wesley Lovell) – (: As I mentioned above, the reason to include this is Harvey Weinstein. He’s proven very capable at getting nominations, even with his few falters recently. And with The Reader taking a spot last year in a five-picture race with poor critical response, I don’t see a reason why Nine, which bolsters a few actors and several technical artists giving it a boost, shouldn’t still be able to eke out a nomination.)
Star Trek (Peter Patrick) – (Peter Patrick: A wild guess, really, but one to keep an eye on. )
Where the Wild Things Are (Peter Patrick) – (Peter Patrick: Beloved by just enough voters to make the cut.)

And because he joined our discussion a bit late, here’s just a brief look at Wes Huizar’s thoughts: I’m pretty sure that “Up” won’t be in the PGA line-up, even if it is eligible. “WALL-E” was a better received film than “Up,” and they still stuck it in the Animation category. Even with 10 nominees in the line-up, I think they will go with another live-action alternative. I’m torn between “Star Trek” and “District 9,” but I’m going with “District 9” because it feels more like the sort of ambitious but serious film the PGA would appreciate than the franchisey “Star Trek” picture. Plus, “Avatar” is pretty much a lock for a nomination, which could siphon votes away from “Star Trek.”

I haven’t seen “(500) Days of Summer,” but from what I’ve seen it looks like a film that would appeal to PGA voters, much like “Little Miss Sunshine,” which actually won the award, “Sideways,” or “Juno.”

“Nine” may be dead, but I can totally see the PGA going for it, even if the critics and audiences didn’t. They like musicals, as evidenced by “Moulin Rouge!,” “Chicago,” “Walk the Line,” and “Dreamgirls.” It probably wouldn’t get in under the 5 picture lineup, but it seems a pretty safe bet with 10 pictures.