Best Picture Nominees - 84th Annual Academy Awards

Quick reviews of each movie and my opinions on their "Oscar-worthiness" - ranked from best to worst.   

1. Hugo - I loved this and felt it was the perfect use of the 3-D film medium.   It's directed by Martin Scorsese and his love of movies is evident. Loved it, loved it and did I mention I loved it?  (A+)
2. The Artist - in case you hadn't heard, The Artist is a silent movie about silent movies.   It's also black and white.   Normally, this might be a death sentence for me, but I really enjoyed it.   Jean Dujardin, the lead actor in the film, is Gene Kelly reincarnated.  His screen presence, mannerisms and overall looks are so much like Gene Kelly's that it was almost eerie but in a completely delightful way.  In fact, delightful might be a great description of the movie as a whole.   (A+)
3. Midnight in Paris - Owen Wilson plays a young version of Woody Allen in this movie about yearning for the "golden days" of the past.   For Owen Wilson, this is 1920's Paris.   It's fun and quirky and fascinating.  (A+)
4. The Help - excellent, funny, superbly acted.   All around good movie with an uplifting story.  (A)
5. The Descendents - George Clooney gets me every time.   (Is there a movie he has made that I don't like?   Oh yeah - - The Men Who Stare at Goats.)  Anyway, George is incredible in this movie, playing your kind-of-Average-Joe, husband and father who wears pleated khakis and can't relate at all to his daughters.  Such a departure from who George really is and the characters he usually plays.   This is a funny, touching movie.   (A-)
6. Moneyball - It's about baseball and economics.   Very good story with excellent acting.  (B+)
7. War Horse - it's a movie about a horse that goes to war.   The horse is the main character and the leading actor.  This does NOT make a good movie.   While I liked the cinematograhy the rest of it was just plain awful.   (D-)
8. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - stunk.   P. U.  (F)
9. The Tree of Life - Awful.  Choppy. Unsatisfying.  Piece of crap trying to be passed off as a film.   Only redeeming quality was the Mid-Century Modern furniture eye-candy in the first part.   Oh, and it's quite the rip-off of  Koyaanisqatsi which kind of ticks me off.  (F-)