Nice job Scott. I definitely want to see Hugo and Moneyball before the ceremony, not so much Tree of Life or War Horse.

And I definitely have no interest in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I think it's a two way race between The Descendants and The Artist anyway.

It's rather unusual for a foreign film to receive a nomination for Best Screenplay. I quess that bodes well for A Separation to win in the Foreign Language category.

After last night's SAG awards it looks like we have a 3-way race for Best Picture with The Help joining The Artist and The Descendents.

I'm starting to think The Help might upset The Artist. No movie about Hollywood has ever won Best Picture. The Help is the biggest box office success of the nominated films. The biggest branch of the academy is the acting branch and The Help has several acting nominations. Hollywood loves to vote for movies that promote Liberal causes.
Against it is the fact that The Artist won the Director's Guild award which almost always goes to the Best Picture, but not always. The last time there was an upset, Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee won the Director's Guild Award, but then the movie lost to Crash for the Best Picture Oscar.

Good points. I remember 2005 well as I was crushed when Crash demolished Brokeback Mountain's hopes for Best Picture. I think you might be right about this year.

Have you noticed that many of this years Oscar noms are for films with nostalgia as its' theme?

Yes, especially for the first half of the 20th Century. The Artist, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, and War Horse are all set in those decades. Eric, you never responded to my comment on your Artist review. You have stated that The Artist and The Help don't deserve to win Best Picture. So if you were a member of the Academy, which of the nominees would get your vote?

And the 1950s-60s. My Week with Marilyn, Chico and Rita, Tree of Life and The Help.

Oh yeah, I hadn't thought of them. Nostalgia reigns at the 84th Oscars!!!

I just re-watched Drive. Great movie. It was unfairly snubbed by the Academy. It deserved noms for Director and Picture but mostly for Albert Brooks as Supporting Actor. Years from now this will be seen as a classic while the majority of the nominees for Best Picture will be forgotten.