The 84th Annual Academy Awards are this Sunday and Hollywood's biggest stars--Brad, Angelina and George--will be there in full force.
Although we won’t be there in person (I think our Patch ticket got lost in the mail), we’ll be watching the actors—and silently judging their fashion choices—from the comfort of our own homes.
Just because we aren't part of the elite Oscar team that selects this year's winners, that doesn't mean it isn't fun to guess.
Of the films up for Best Picture, we want to know which ones you enjoyed the most.
The Best Picture Nominees Are:
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
I sent an email to the other Washington Patch editors to find out their picks for this year's big Best Picture win, and while all of them didn't respond (it is Friday afternoon and they all snuck out the back door to catch happy hour), I caught up with a few editors to get their vote.
Lauren Padgett (Bonney Lake-Sumner Patch): I only saw The Help, and I loved it. Skeeter was awesome! The others are on my must-see movie queue.
Akiko Oda (Gig Harbor Patch): The Artist. Two words: Jean Dujardin. Need I say more?
Caitlin Moran (Redmond Patch): I really liked The Descendants. Director Alexander Payne is known for films that somehow manage to be hilarious one moment and heartbreaking the next. The Descendants is no different.
Brian Soergel (Edmonds Patch): I think The Artist will win, and here's why. It's a black-and-white silent film filmed today, which makes it stand out. Plus, it's already won at the Golden Globes. Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo give amazing performances, and there's this dog you may have heard about who almost steals the show. Movie critics love this movie, including my (nepotism alert) brother, who writes for the Florida-Times Union in Jacksonville. He sees a lot of movies, and says it's the best of the year. That's good enough for me.
Jeanne Gustafson (Sammamish Patch): My pick for Best Picture: Midnight in Paris (though I think it will be a runoff with the wildly popular The Artist).
Robert Baldino, guest editor, (Woodinville Patch): I unfortunately didn't see a single one of the best picture nominees. My personal favorite was Warrior, which managed to be both a gripping family drama and inspiring sports movie. Nick Nolte, who played the father of the two main characters, was nominated for best supporting actor, so I hope he wins and earns the film some recognition.
Margaret Santjer, associate regional editor: It's tough to pick Best Picture when you've only seen the trailers (I blame my toddler; a full-length feature these days is anything that's about 20 minutes). But I think I'd have to choose The Help because it's such a powerful story. (And now, having watched all the trailers, I have a long list of movies to rent.)
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What about you? Which picture would you like to see take home an Oscar? Is there a movie you think should have been nominated but wasn’t? Leave your opinion in the comments section.
While you’re at it, share your picks for who should win the Best Actor and Best Actress categories. To help you along, here are the nominees.
Best Actor
- Demian Bichir: A Better Life
- George Clooney: The Descendants
- Jean Dujardin: The Artist
- Gary Oldman: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Brad Pitt: Moneyball
Best Actress:
- Glenn Close: Albert Nobbs
- Viola Davis: The Help
- Rooney Mara: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Meryl Streep: Iron Lady
- Michelle Williams: My Week with Marilyn
