In a nutshell: The true story of how Harvey Milk became the first openly gay man elected to U.S. public office + his fight for civil rights in 1970s San Francisco.

Why it could win: In addition to stellar acting by everyone in the cast, gay rights are still a hot button issue (Prop 8, anyone?) and Oscar loves films that tackle important social issues.

Why it could lose: Competition with Frost/Nixon could split votes among biopic-loving voters -- plus no matter how great the movie, it’s still a controversial topic and even a lovable Sean Penn will have a hard time triumphing over the attention being heaped Slumdog’s rags-to-riches way.

More on Milk:

• Movie review
• Image gallery
• Trailer and video clips

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