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Brad Pitt did a great job in “Moneyball,” but I’m voting for the matinée idol played so engagingly by Jean Dujardin in “The Artist” that I barely noticed he wasn’t speaking!

MR: Among the actors who were nominated, Clooney did a fine job in a role where he was miscast. He's too glamorous, too much of a movie star, to be credible as a workaholic schlub who doesn't know what's going on around him. I appreciated his work but found it ultimately unconvincing, unlike "Up in the Air," where he was perfectly cast and totally believable. I liked his performance more in "Ides of March," another film that uses his glamour effectively.

Of the performances I saw, I liked Jean Dujardin the best, even though his makeup artist deserves a lot of the credit. He did a terrific recreation of an old-fashioned Hollywood movie star.

JT: Last year was exceptional for the number of actresses who did great work in leading roles. While I don't fault any of the nominees in this category, it's not hard to come up with more who were their equals. F'r instance, Rachel Weisz in "The Whistleblower," Kirsten Dunst in "Melancholia," Keira Knightley in "A Dangerous Method" or "Last Night," Jessica Chastain in anything but "The Help," Vera Farmiga in "Higher Ground," Emily Browning in "Sleeping Beauty," Elizabeth Olsen in "Martha Marcy May Marlene," Brit Marling in "Another Earth," whose script she co-wrote. That's without breaking a sweat, or without counting the deserving Bérénice Bejo, bumped to the supporting category.

To her credit, Rooney Mara held her own as Lisbeth Salander but did not overtake Noomi Rapace from the original "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Michelle Williams was enjoyable but lightweight in the sketchy "My Week with Marilyn." Meryl Streep was magnificent, but "The Iron Lady" was still batty. Glenn Close was tragic as "Albert Nobbs," but that movie does not fully explore her character while letting Janet McTeer and Mia Wasikowska carry much of the story.

That leaves the winner, Viola Davis. She is the torchbearer for the great ensemble of "The Help," who demonstrated that at times good acting can elevate a trivial script and presentation.

JS: I'm not crazy about any of these best actress nominations. "My Week with Marilyn" is awful, and I have to include Michelle Williams' performance in that assertion. It's a bad impersonation in a bad movie. Meryl Streep's turn in "The Iron Lady" is a great impersonation in a bad movie. Vera Farmiga should have been nominated, but it looks like Viola Davis wins by default.

MR: I haven't seen most of these performances except Mara, who didn't blow me away.

NM: I loved Marilyn Monroe, but not Michelle Williams’ pale, breathy imitation of her, despite an A for effort. We all know what good work Meryl Streep and Glenn Close can produce, but “The Iron Lady” strikes me as more of an impersonation than a performance, and I’ve yet to catch the elusive “Albert Nobbs.” Rooney Mara was a striking “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” but the role itself isn’t my idea of Oscar-worthy…and I devoured all three books! I’m voting for Viola Davis, who brings such warmth and dignity to her role in “The Help” that you easily forget it’s hardly more than a stereotype.

MR: The one performance I felt really excited about in the Oscar pool is Christopher Plummer as best supporting actor in "Beginners." Wonderfully generous and open-hearted. I felt he should have been nominated as a lead actor.