Hollywood enters the last quarter of the year with its eyes on the Academy Awards, but summer films may finally have something to say to Oscar.

The doubling of best-picture nominations to 10 might open the door to comedies, science-fiction and action films, typically marginalized by the crush of fall dramas and biographies.

And honoring the popular fare that dominates the other nine months of the year could give a needed boost to the Oscar telecast, analysts say.

"The academy is doing anything it can to reach out to the masses," says Scott Mantz, a film critic for Access Hollywood. "A lot of people feel that Oscar is an exclusive club that needs to get into the mainstream. And it's not like we didn't have some very good movies so far."

Indeed, spring and summer produced hits with critics and audiences alike. "Star Trek," "Inglourious Basterds" and "District 9" got good reviews from at least 80 percent of U.S. critics, according to www.RottenTomatoes.com, and each earned at least $100 million.

"There have been a few movies that were just as popular with critics as fans, and that doesn't happen that often," says Paul Dergarabedian of www.Hollywood.com. "This will be a real test of whether the academy has a populist streak."

Early films will face tough competition from the Oscar hopefuls emerging from film festivals in Venice, Toronto and Telluride, including the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" and Clint Eastwood's Nelson Mandela drama "Invictus."

But 2009's spring and summer films shouldn't be penalized because of the calendar, says Steve Mason, a columnist for the Reelz network and www.HollywoodWiretap.com. He said "Up" is "Pixar's best movie."

And he and others single out films such as "The Hurt Locker" as an example of summer's pedigree.

"Just when I thought I'd seen enough of Iraq war movies, along comes ... ('Hurt Locker')," Mantz says. "If any movie about Iraq is going to break through to the academy, this is it."

But will the academy, which has seen declining TV ratings over the past decade, embrace fan favorites?

"I'm not holding my breath," Mantz says. "I'd love to see "Star Trek" nominated for best picture, but I worry we'll see 10 art-house and foreign movies."

6 FAVORED FILMS

Sure, the Oscars aren't until March 7. But the Academy Awards are notoriously stingy when it comes to movies that open in the spring and summer. Here are six films that have some moviegoers and critics hoping Oscar isn't all art-house and foreign fare:

'THE HURT LOCKER'

Few films saw the critical acclaim of this war drama about an Army bomb squad. According to www.RottenTomatoes.com, 98 percent of critics gave it thumbs-up. "History will show that this is the definitive movie about the Iraq war," says Steve Mason of the Reelz network.

'STAR TREK'

It may have been the 11th film of the franchise, but the J.J. Abrams film earned recommendations from 95 percent of critics and raked in $258 million. "This isn't a great Star Trek movie, it's a great movie, period," says Scott Mantz of "Access Hollywood."

'UP'

You'd think an animated film about a crotchety old geezer who abandons society in a balloon-harnessed house would have broken Pixar's streak of critical and commercial success. Instead, it collected $292 million and raves from 97 percent of critics.

'HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE'

Even after six films, the boy wizard is still plugging along.

"Prince" took in $300 million and earned the praise of 83 percent of critics.

'THE HANGOVER'

The $274 million box- office haul was a shocker, but perhaps more surprising was that 78 percent of critics found the raunchy comedy hilarious. "The way they tied the film together at the end isn't only clever, it's impressive filmmaking," Dergarabedian says.

'JULIE & JULIA'

Meryl Streep usually gets instant Oscar consideration, and since "The Devil Wears Prada," she's been a box-office titan. This comedy about the lives of Julia Child (Streep) and a struggling foodie raked in $91 million.