The 2008 Academy Awards: mercifully saved from an ignominious press conference by the end of the Writers Strike: will be announced on Feb. 24. Below, the Pioneer’s resident film critics give their picks and predictions for the big six.

GREYHAVENS: “No Country” won Best Picture among the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle, among many others: but “Atonement” won the Golden Globe. “There Will Be Blood” is the most deserving film of the bunch, a profound, full-spirited odyssey that, I think, will emerge in the coming decades as one of the great American films: but this race will come down to the Coen brothers’ grisly mystery and Joe Wright’s melodrama. “No Country” is the favorite, but Oscar swoons for English grandeur, so “Atonement” could upset. And how in the hell did a cupcake like “Juno” get nominated in the first place?

SALVI: It’s a strange lineup this year, with two period pieces, a comedy, three films adapted from books and not a single biopic among them. (Phew!) Most everyone was surprised by the nomination of “Juno,” but comedies as a rule do not win the top prize. While “Atonement” has been begging for Oscar gold from the get-go, it doesn’t live up to its own hype or the excellent book upon which it is based. So it comes to “No Country For Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood.” I can hardly decide which film I like better. Both are exquisitely made, deftly acted and fascinating. If I’m forced to choose, I’ll pick “Blood”; it is epic and unsentimental and contains arguably one of the best performances ever captured on film. Critics have compared it to “Citizen Kane,” a film many agree is the model to which all other movies should aspire. “No Country,” meanwhile, has been a critical darling and, like “Blood,” is dark, unsentimental, and ends ambiguously: yet there is something slightly more humane about “No Country” that will likely make it more appealing to the Academy.

GREYHAVENS: Schnabel’s film is beloved but too little known: and besides, two (really three) infinitely deserving directors are up this year: Joel and Ethan Coen (thankfully with both names on the ticket; historically Joel alone has taken director credit) and Paul Thomas Anderson, the 37-year-old whiz behind “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia,” both art-house legends. For my part, even though Anderson will likely be back in this spot many more times, his achievement with “Blood” cannot be overlooked. For the Academy, this could fall any number of ways. If “No Country” takes the top prize, the Coens could ride with it; or the Academy could award Anderson but not his film. If “Blood” should somehow win Best Picture, the Coens could be shut out by a wave of Anderson enthusiasm. In all likelihood, though, this will be the Coens’ year; they won neither Picture nor Director in 1997 for “Fargo,” a film which many now consider one of the greatest ever made.

SALVI: As this category tends to align itself with Best Picture, this too will be a close call between Anderson and the Coens. Anderson, who has never been nominated before, should take away this statue for his impressive command of “Blood.” Visually, the film is incredible, and it moves at a pace that is gripping but easy to follow. The Coens, however, have consistently created intriguing and challenging films throughout their career, and “No Country” might be their finest achievement yet.

GREYHAVENS: Every race needs one sure thing, and in 2008 we have Daniel Day-Lewis. Mortensen was little seen, Depp is too bizarre and Clooney too glam. Even Jones, who many want to honor dually for his supporting role in “No Country” as well as his beautiful work in “Elah,” cannot stand next to Day-Lewis’ towering, billowing, unholy performance as Daniel Plainview, an incarnation of greed that by the outlandish end of “There Will Be Blood” becomes a nearly abstract being: the wailing, drooling downfall of mankind made flesh.

SALVI: Four words: “I. Drink. Your. Milkshake!” Unless the Academy loses its mind, this one should be a shoo-in for Day-Lewis. Though he has won before, this performance cannot be ignored. Day-Lewis doesn’t act often, and when he does, there is hardly another actor on Earth who can hope to compare. His performance in “Blood” is electric: larger-than-life, but wholly believable. Clooney, Depp, Jones and Mortensen should be glad just to sit in the same room when he accepts his award.

GREYHAVENS: Aside from Ellen Page’s barrage of witticisms that stick in your ears like cotton candy, I have not seen any of the performances. Popular consensus, however, gives the prize to Mrs. Christie in a walk-away race. This is not Blanchett’s best work, and she plays Bob Dylan elsewhere; Linney’s performance was little seen and the same goes for Cotillard’s, though the latter has had critics gushing and could pull a foreign-language upset.

SALVI: This is much more of a guessing game than the actor category this year. It is one of two nominations for Cate Blanchett, and though she has a good chance of taking away the statue for Supporting Actress, she probably won’t here. Laura Linney is superb, but her performance in “The Savages” isn’t showy enough for the Academy, and the same is probably true for Ellen Page. I would put my vote in for Marion Cotillard’s magnificent portrayal of Edith Piaf. Her performance has been praised as an embodiment rather than an impression of the famous singer. The Academy, however, is not fond of giving acting awards to foreigners, so this one will likely go to Christie for her portrayal of a woman with Alzheimer’s in “Away From Her.”

GREYHAVENS: While it would be a delight to see Bird win given his work on other intricate animated films like “The Incredibles” and “The Iron Giant,” this race comes down to Cody and Gilroy. I am sad to say, in a category that often goes to the wittiest and the wordiest, Cody has the edge. It’s only a shame that the Academy doesn’t realize that what seems like a heartfelt coming-of-age story in “Juno” is actually a pretentious, piddling hack job culled from Indie blogs and “Garden State” leftovers. French rats never smelled so good.

SALVI: “Lars and the Real Girl” and “Ratatouille” will get the snub here, despite their inventiveness. “The Savages” was too inconsistently received to cinch this one. It’s a toss-up between “Juno” and “Michael Clayton,” if only because the Academy will feel guilty that they couldn’t award either movie with Best Picture. I’d put my money on “Juno” for its daring subject matter, witty dialogue and strong female character.