Jason Reitman‘s Up In The Air “certainly deserves a best-picture nomination, and Oscar voters will know it,” says The Wrap‘s Steve Pond in a 10.8 posting. “At the moment I’d say it’s the closest thing we’ve got to The One to Beat.”

“When Juno was up for the top prize, Reitman also got a nod for best director; this time around, he should easily do the same. (It won’t hurt that he may be the nicest guy on the awards circuit these days.) George Clooney‘s an obvious best-actor contender, and on the supporting-actress front the only real question is whether the nominations will go to Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, or both of them. (I’d opt for the pitch-perfect Farmiga, though Kendrick has the flashier role.) And you might as well throw in music and a few other categories.”