With a few more days left before the Oscar nominations are revealed, it is time to look at what the non-professionals anticipate will be among those contenders announced Thursday morning. Last Monday, we posted our own predictions for the Academy Award nominees and invited readers to weigh in with their own forecasts. A lot of comments concentrated on what shouldn’t happen, like The Dark Knight shouldn’t be nominated for Best Picture and Dustin Lance Black shouldn’t be nominated for his screenplay for Milk. And apparently The Curious Case of Benjamin Button could be this year’s Dreamgirls. However, there were some interesting trends among the many who chimed in. Check out some highlights after the jump.

GRAN TORINO for Best Picture?

With a strong wide release, Clint Eastwood’s second film of 2008 has been gaining a lot of Oscar buzz in the last minutes before the nominations are announced. JonathonSaia says it might even make the top category: “I would be hard pressed to believe that Gran Torino will not sneak in the Picture or Direction category. Yes, they will give him an actor nod, but the Academy loves his work. I expect either The Dark Knight or Christopher Nolan to be nominated, but not both. The other will be Gran Torino.”

THE WRESTLER for Best Picture?

The other strong major category candidate missing from our predictions for Best Picture is The Wrestler, which may indeed be another possibility, yet not an “upset.” Says Paul DeBenedetto: “No real love for the Wrestler in the Best Picture or Best Director categories? It was my favorite movie of the year and I think Aronofsky in particular really knocked it out of the park. It could really step in and ruin both the Dark Knight and Boyle’s evenings. That being said at the very least I don’t think noms in those categories would be an upset.”

Nuttylichee agrees that the film will make the top five. Her reasoning: “simple story, a fantastic lead, great direction, better than revolutionary road (dear god, please don’t let revolutionary road get a best picture nod).”

ARNAUD DESPLECHIN for Best Director?

Anthony88 thinks David Fincher will be snubbed in favor of a foreign filmmaker, specifically the director of Un Conte de Noel (A Christmas Tale): “I know Desplechin is an out there pick but those few who have seen A Christmas Tale will surely agree. It has topped an impressive amount of critics’ lists. There is usually a room for a great film that is ineligible for best Foreign film (Letters From Iwo Jima, Talk To Her, Amélie, Vera Drake, Pan’s Labyrinth, Diving Bell and the Butterfly, City of God, and Cache).” [editor’s note: both Amelie and Pan’s Labyrinth received nods for Best Foreign Film; neither had a nod for Best Director. And Cache got no Academy love at all. But we get and agree with your point, Anthony.]

JOSH BROLIN for Best Actor?

Brolin’s portrayal of George W. Bush did make my wishlist for the Oscar nominations, but I think he’ll get snubbed in favor of his supporting performance in Milk. Michael disagrees: “Has everyone forgotten about JOSH BROLIN! His performance in W. was fantastic, say what you will about the overall film, he was brilliant and deserves a nod. He was a better Bush, than Langella was as a Nixon.”

THE CLASS for Best Adapted Screenplay?

Anthony88 really does have an argument for the Academy having a greater love for foreign films in the directing and writing categories. Here he foresees Francois Begaudeau and Laurent Cantet being recognized for adapting Begaudeau’s book: “Being a weak category this year there shouldn’t be any surprises here other than Cantet’s The Class, which is a shoe in to win Best Foreign Film. It should garner enough love to go the extra mile.”

TROPIC THUNDER or THE WACKNESS or WALTZ WITH BASHIR for Best Original Screenplay?

Another possible surprise upset could come from one or more of the following nominations in the Original Screenplay category: Tropic Thunder (predicted by jeremy); The Wackness (predicted by Aaron); Waltz with Bashir (predicted by Nic). On the latter idea, though, Anthony88 disagrees; yet he acknowledges that it deserves the honor: “Unfortunately, Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir will be dismissed as a documentary screenplay. IT’S STILL A SCREENPLAY!!”