On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the annual Oscar nominations.

The 2014 year has been one of the most unpredictable years in recent times and with no clear front-runner, the morning announcement promises to be unpredictable.

The big question that most pundits want to know is the number of Best Picture nominees there will be. Since the Academy changed their rules, there have been nine in the category for the past three years. So which films are locks and which are still on the border?

There are three locks at this point in the race. The first of the locks is Richard Linklater's "Boyhood," which has been nominated for all four big Guild awards, the Producers Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild and the Directors Guild. The film also won the Golden Globe award and also leads all the other contenders in critics' awards. It also has the best reviews of any film this year and is also admired because it was shot over 12 years.

The second lock is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Birdman," which has led every major award. It has also won a number of awards, including a Gotham award and took home two Golden Globes for Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Like "Boyhood," "Birdman" has also been nominated for every single Guild award and is likely to be nominated for the most Academy Awards. It may no longer be the Best Picture front-runner especially after it lost the Golden Globe, but is likely to be a major player in the Oscar race.

The third lock is Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel." At the beginning of the season, it was questionable whether the film would be a big awards player because it was released in March. However, after being nominated for every major Guild award, leading the BAFTA nominations and beating out "Birdman" for Best Picture at the Golden Globes, Anderson's film has become a big threat for Best Picture.

After these three locks, there are two films that sure to be included in the Best Picture race; "The Imitation Game" and "The Theory of Everything." "The Imitation Game" has been present at every single Guild award, even though it has not been a critics-friendly film. The Weinstein Company has been behind the film's strong campaign and the box office has been outstanding. It was also among the five films nominated at the BAFTAs and many pundits believe it can become the next "The King's Speech."

"The Theory of Everything" has also had a strong showing, even if it missed the Directors Guild and the Writers Guild. However, it was a big hit at the BAFTAs and it won two Golden Globes. It has also had a strong box office and Focus Features is behind the movie, a company that knows how to build a strong awards bid.

Other strong contenders are "Selma" and "Nightcrawler." "Selma" has been a strong contender for a number of months, having obtained rave reviews and was among the Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominees. However, it failed to get BAFTA nominations, even though screeners were available and the Guilds ignored the feature. It has been losing steam for the past few weeks and could end up out of the race. However, Paramount has pushed the film strongly and it has done well at the box office even if it under performed.

On the other hand, "Nightcrawler" has surprised throughout the season with a Producers Guild nomination and a Critics Choice nomination. The film was also a strong player at the BAFTAs and at the Golden Globes, as well as with the Guilds. However, if the Academy is not feeling genre films, it could easily be left out.

"Whiplash" is also likely to get into the Best Picture race especially after getting the Producers Guild nomination and being nominated for Best Director at the BAFTA awards. The film is also likely to win Best Supporting Actor and it is also likely to be among the Best Editing nominees.

If there are eighth spot, then "American Sniper" will likely to be nominated. Even though it missed the SAG nominations, it has reemerged into the race as it was nominated for the DGA, PGA and WGA. It also won the Best Director award at the National Board of Review and it also won a number of critic's prizes. It was also among the AFI Top ten films of the year.

If there is a ninth and tenth spot, it could go to "Foxcatcher" and "Gone Girl." "Foxcatcher" was a Golden Globe nominee but it failed at the BAFTAs and at the Critics' Choice. It has also failed to garner Critics' awards as many thought it was too bleak. The movie's box office has also been weak, even though Sony Pictures Classics has given the film a strong push.

Meanwhile, "Gone Girl" has not received Best Picture nominations at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. It is also the type of movie the Academy generally ignores. However, the popularity of the novel, the box office and the reviews could help the feature end up on the list.

Other major contenders that could surprise include A24's "A Most Violent Year," which won the National Board of Review, "Unbroken," which was nominated for the Critics' Choice and "Ida," which is said to be the front-runner for the Best Foreign Film race.

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