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Yet "Hugo" is marvelous and beautiful. Its Dickensian atmosphere serves as an even greater tribute to the advent of filmmaking than "The Artist." And not one profane gangster in the whole movie! So I'd like to see Scorsese win for director.

NM: I’ve already sounded off on Terrence Malick but otherwise, I’m having the hardest time with the director category. Certainly, Woody Allen is at his best in “Midnight,” and Alexander Payne turns an unlikely “The Descendants” into a classic family dramedy—a rare genre more often relegated to “Made for TV.” Scorsese’s “Hugo” restores the adjective “brilliant” to his bio, and I would not be surprised to see him carry home the trophy. But I’m even more impressed by the spirited originality Michel Hazanavicius brings to “The Artist.” If this work is a flash-in-the-pan, so be it. He wouldn’t be the first Oscar winner to walk off into the sunset. And it’s been fun just trying to pronounce his name!

JT: Michael Shannon was the year's actual best actor, but the runners-up, these five nominees, are a good group. I'm leaning slightly toward Demián Bichir for his moving role in "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break," otherwise known as "A Better Life." But I could tilt back to Jean Dujardin doing silent dramedy since it's hard to conceive of "The Artist" without him.

The same could be said for Brad Pitt in "Moneyball," but that's a star vehicle _ even Jonah Hill doesn't have much to do _ as opposed to a vehicle that depends on its stars. I admired Gary Oldman, but I remember Alec Guinness in the mini-series of "Tinker Tailor," plus its great promotional campaign of Sir Anthony Blunt being identified as a spy! The best thing about "The Descendants" is the soundtrack. I enjoyed George Clooney's performance, but his character is removed from the burden of remaining smug because the movie is so smug on his behalf. His work in "Ides of March" is bracing by comparison.

JS: George Clooney should and will win. But while Clooney turned in the best performance of the year in this category, sentiment has to go with Demián Bichir, a first-time nominee. If not for his powerful performance in "A Better Life," the movie would have been unbearable. He grounds the film in authenticity.

I love Dujardin's fun with his role in "The Artist," while Oldman is pitch-perfect in "Tinker Tailor," giving one of the most understated (and deceptive) performances of the year. Pitt should have been nominated for "The Tree of Life."

NM: George Clooney’s work in “The Descendants” was remarkable, sort of Clooney-in-disguise. But then I also loved him in this year’s “Ides of March” for which I would have given him a directing nod. Anyway, as good as it was, his work in “Descendants” pales beside his roles in “Up in the Air” (2009) and “The American” (2010). Gary Oldman was perfect in “Tinker Tailor,” but that much restraint is tough to appreciate, and the movie sorely needed a crash course in John LeCarré. (I haven’t seen “A Better Life.”)