Hugo – 4 stars – Based on a children’s book about a boy working to finish what his late father started. The story is captivating; wondrous discoveries are made as Hugo tries to solve the mystery of an automaton. Sacha Baron Cohen does a fine turn as the station inspector. Fantastic visuals of a train station in wintry Paris, only enhanced more by 3D. A pleasant surprise, and one I look forward to watching again with my daughter.

The Help – 5 stars – Powerful film about the African-American women who served as maids to white families in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s, and the aspiring novelist who collaborated with them to tell their stories from their point of view. Memorable performances all around, including that of Viola Davis (Best Actress nominee), Octavia Spencer (Best Supporting Actress winner), Jessica Chastain (Best Supporting Actress nominee), and Bryce Dallas Howard. No movie has made me think twice about pie since, well, American Pie.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close – 4 stars – The story about a boy on an exhausting search through post-9/11 New York City. Oskar tries to solve the mystery he believes was left by his late father, whom he lost when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center fell the year before. Thomas Horn is spectacular as Oskar, and it’s any wonder why the boy was not nominated for his amazing performance. This movie is filled with emotion, and I found it very difficult to relive what Oskar will only refer to as “the worst day”.

The Artist – 4 stars – A silent film about a silent film star struggling with the rise of “talkies” in late 1920s Hollywood. Best Director winner Michel Hazanavicius does a fine job of bringing the audience back to an era long forgotten. Presented in black and white, made in the 1.33:1 screen ratio (like those from the golden age of cinema), and combined with a great score, the winner of Best Picture had the look and feel of a classic silent film. “Full” credits were even displayed at the beginning of the movie, another common trait of older films (note the word “full” is in quotes, as not all credits these days can be displayed before the movie begins, hence the reason they were moved to the end). Several “rules” were “broken”, which I thought helped the story along (you must see the movie to understand). Entertaining and a nice change of pace.

Midnight In Paris – 3.5 stars – A writer visits Paris with family, and thanks to some midnight encounters in the City of Light, he has to come to terms with the divergent paths he and his fiancée are taking. Wonderful dialogue from Best Original Screenplay winner (and Best Director nominee) Woody Allen. I referred to this as Woody’s stab at “sci-fi”, but it’s more “Fantasy Island” in France. Funny film, and an enjoyable end to a long day.

Since I’m late, it’s senseless to predict what the Academy would select as Best Picture (I honestly would have predicted “The Artist”). But MY choice would have been “The Help”.

War Horse – 3.5 stars – Sweeping epic from Steven Spielberg about a bond between a young man and his horse during the First World War. Break out the tissues (an AMC employee actually offered tissues to moviegoers when it was done). Think “Lassie Come Home” but with a horse instead of a collie. This tearjerker may have been too sappy for my friend, but it certainly tugged at the heartstrings of animal lovers, including my own.

Moneyball – 4 stars – Based on Michael Lewis’ book about the Oakland A’s and GM Billy Beane’s sabermetric approach to building a competetive team with limited payroll. Brad Pitt (Best Actor nominee) is pitch perfect as Billy Beane, and Jonah Hill (Best Supporting Actor nominee) complements him as the assistant GM. Fascinating look at the numbers game and how it impacted baseball in 2002.

The Tree of Life – 2 stars – Wikipedia describes this film as a drama with “experimental elements”. Sometime in the 1960′s, Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien (Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain) receive news of their 19-year-old son’s death. Their eldest son Jack is then seen modern day, just having had an argument with his father about his brother’s death. I don’t think anyone in the theater expected what happens next. A lot of ethereal imagery appears on the screen: galaxies, volcanoes, microbes, dinosaurs, earth, water, fire (not necessarily in that order). We are then transported back to 1950′s Texas where we see Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien live, witness the birth of their 3 sons, and the boys’ childhood seen mostly through Jack’s eyes. I could relate to this part of the film where a story was being told: fearing one’s father, minding my manners, respecting my elders, learning to be a man yet trying to be a kid at the same time. But then director Terence Malick’s screenplay had to go trippy on me again. I have to say his experiment on life, evolution, religion, and what not just didn’t work for me.

The Descendants – 3 stars – I have to admit that I have a man crush on George Clooney. I pretty much enjoy everything he’s in. With that said, I had high expectations for this film. This is a bittersweet dramedy about a lawyer reconnecting with his daughters after his wife ends up comatose from a boating accident. Some hilarity ensues as he deals with greedy family members, a bitter father-in-law, his own daughters, and the notion of infidelity within his marriage. Humorous and sad with fine performances by Clooney (Best Actor nominee) and Shailene Woodley as his eldest daughter Alexandra. I believe this film was nominated for Best Picture on the merit of Clooney’s performance alone (like Black Swan in 2011); that is why I gave it 3 stars.

Day 2 of the Best Picture Showcase is next Saturday. Follow me on Twitter, GetGlue, or follow the Twitter hashtag #amcbps as moviegoers tweet during the showcase. I’ll have another post a week from today to review the last five films, and I’ll also give my prediction. After four films in, Moneyball is atop my leaderboard.

Winter’s Bone – *** – This movie started out slowly for me, but the lead performances helped drive the story of a teenage girl’s search for her meth-making father after he put up the family house as collateral for bail. Jennifer Lawrence (Best Actress nominee) is great as Ree, a strong-willed girl left to raise her younger siblings and care for her ailing mother. John Hawkes (Best Supporting Actor nominee) is excellent as her father’s brother Teardrop.

Black Swan – *** – Like with 127 Hours, Black Swan is all about the lead actor’s performance. Natalie Portman (Best Actress nominee) plays Nina, a ballet dancer who lands the lead in Swan Lake. Her obsession with perfection causes her to lose her mind as the big opening nears. Darren Aronofsky (Best Director nominee) does an excellent job of making the audience see, feel, and hear what Nina experiences as she heads into a downward spiral; he did it effectively with drug addicts in Requiem for a Dream. Because of this, I was disturbed by what I was witnessing and confused as to what was really happening. This movie drained me.

Inception – ***** – WOW! This movie was AWESOME, and it was well worth the wait. You have to see it to believe it, and you must give it your full attention to understand it. I had no problem understanding the idea and method of extracting information from one’s mind while the target is asleep and dreaming (but like my friend said, it’s so complex, I couldn’t tell it to you). A fantastic story by Best Director nominee Christopher Nolan (also nominated for Best Original Screenplay) and amazing visuals (nominated for Visual Effects and Cinematography) all executed to near perfection.

The Social Network – **** – The story of how Facebook came to be. Jesse Eisenberg (Best Actor nominee) is outstanding as Mark Zuckerberg, and his delivery of Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay (Best Adapted Screenplay nominee) is flawless as we watch his rise from Harvard nerd to billionaire. I am not a fan of Facebook, but I do use it to connect with other people. To see its conception, its development and growth, and the legal battles that ensue is absolutely fascinating.

The King’s Speech – **** – This is the period piece that most people expect to win Best Picture. Colin Firth (Best Actor nominee) plays Prince Albert, the Duke of York, who struggles with a stutter when speaking publicly. He’s introduced to Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush, Best Supporting Actor nominee), a speech therapist who helps him through to his eventual, albeit reluctant, ascension to the throne at the beginning of World War II. Firth will most likely win the Oscar for his moving performance as King George VI. Rush is excellent as Lionel, loose and relaxed to Firth’s stiff and tempered “Bertie”.

Recap of the 10 nominees and what I think will happen:
Toy Story 3 – **** – It will not win Best Picture because it will win Best Animated Feature.
127 Hours – *** – James Franco may win Best Actor, but that’s all that this movie would get.
The Kids Are All Right – **** – I’d like to see Annette Bening win Best Actress for this because she was great.
True Grit – **** – Hailee Steinfeld should win Best Supporting Actress. She is the driving force in this film.
The Fighter – ***** – The “Rocky” of this generation? Possibly, given it’s a true story. Look for this to pull an upset.
Winter’s Bone – *** – Another sleeper. Don’t know that it can win the big prize.
Black Swan – *** – Too freakishly disturbing to win Best Picture. But Natalie Portman should get Best Actress.
Inception – ***** – My favorite of the bunch. But most successful blockbusters don’t win Best Picture, unless you’re Lord of the Rings.
The Social Network – **** – This could very well win. Best Adapted Screenplay, if not Best Picture.
The King’s Speech – **** – The heavy favorite, and deservedly so. It’s got a lead who struggles to become triumphant in the end, it’s a period piece, and it’s won a bunch of awards already: traits of Best Picture.

Toy Story 3 – **** – Everyone’s favorite toys return in this third go-round from Disney and Pixar. Andy’s getting ready for college, and Woody, Buzz and the gang contemplate life without their owner. This one tugs at the heartstrings. This is the only film I saw prior to the showcase (Sophia got the blu-ray for Christmas). I’d be surprised if this didn’t win Best Animated Feature.

127 Hours – *** – The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco, Best Actor nominee) near-death experience while climbing Blue John Canyon in Utah. Outstanding performance by Franco, but the graphic details of Ralston’s extrication was too much for most of us in the theater (especially me).

The Kids Are All Right – **** – Dramedy about a lesbian couple, their two teenagers, and the sperm donor who is the father of the kids. Funny and sad as this motley crew tries to figure things out. Fine performances all around from this ensemble cast (including Best Actress nominee Annette Bening and Best Supporting Actor nominee Mark Ruffalo).

True Grit – **** – The Coen Brothers adaptation of the novel by Charles Portis (as opposed to a “remake” of the 1969 film that won John Wayne an Oscar for Best Actor). This western follows Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld, Best Supporting Actress nominee) on a quest for justice for the killing of her father. Jeff Bridges (Best Actor nominee) is great, but this show belongs to Steinfeld. Probably the most surprising thing about this movie was how straight it was; it was very un-Coen-like. Except for maybe the mountain man and his bearskin rug.

The Fighter – ***** – Based on the true story of Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his struggles to make it in professional boxing while keeping his family together. Christian Bale (Best Supporting Actor nominee) is outstanding as Micky’s older brother and trainer Dicky Eklund, and the other nominees (Melissa Leo as the mother/manager, Amy Adams as Micky’s girlfriend, both for Best Supporting Actress) are great as well. A great film to end a long day.

Day 2 of the Best Picture Showcase is next Saturday. Follow me on Twitter or follow the Twitter hashtag #amcbps as moviegoers tweet during the showcase. I’ll have another post a week from today to review the last five films, and I’ll also give my prediction.

We were very early, with more than an hour to go before showtime. We got ourselves a larger theater this week, and to everyone’s delight, there was no need to switch theaters. It was a smaller crowd, probably the smallest we’ve ever seen; not sure if the selection of movies had anything to do with it.

Up – ***** – Of all 10 nominees, this is the only one I have already seen since Daniel got the Blu-Ray for Christmas. In fact, thanks to Sophia, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. Despite repeated viewings, I still love the film. The Carl/Ellie sequence still moves me, and as crazy as the situations and characters may be, the story works as Carl embarks on his adventure. I’d like to note, however, that there were a handful of lines and pieces of dialogue that I’d never heard in the video release (yet another reason to watch it again). The film was preceded by the Pixar short Partly Cloudy.

A Serious Man – *** – This black comedy had “weird” written on it from the start of the opening scene (typical of a movie written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen). This is about Larry Gopnik, a professor whose family life begins to unravel before him. Fascinating story lines include a bribe from a student to give him a passing grade, his son’s marijuana habit, and his battle with the neighbor over the property lines; like I said before, “weird”. It probably didn’t help that we kept looking for Colin Firth and Julianne Moore to appear, only to discover after the movie’s ending that they are in the film with a similar title, A Single Man. I honestly felt gypped.

The Hurt Locker – **** – Kathryn Bigelow’s war film is an intense movie, taut with suspense and filled with action. Best Actor nominee Jeremy Renner is superb as William James, the reckless but battle-tested leader of an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team. As most war films go, the horrors of war are evident here, but there’s nothing new.

An Education – ***1/2 – A girl’s coming-of-age story, based on an autobiographical memoir by Lynn Barber. Carey Mulligan is wonderful as Jenny, the 16-year-old who aspires to “read English” at Oxford, and Peter Sarsgaard is scary good (and I mean that he’s good in a creepy way) as the charming older man who sweeps Jenny off her feet. Loved the soundtrack to this film, especially the track to the opening titles.

I skipped out on the last film, District 9. An Education ended at 7:40 PM, and the last one wasn’t scheduled to start until 8:45 PM. I didn’t like the thought of getting home after 11:30, and Daniel owns the Blu-Ray, so I figured there was no need.

Who will win Best Picture? Based on the hype as of late, I’d say The Hurt Locker. Unless the damage is done thanks to one of their producers, the Academy may give Kathryn Bigelow the Best Director Oscar to make up for it, clearing the way for Avatar.

I’ve seen all but one of the 10 nominees (and I really don’t expect District 9 to win). I rated three of them 5 stars; Up may win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, while The Blind Side‘s Sandra Bullock will most likelly take home the Best Actress Oscar. Based on this, I nix them for Best Picture. I’d like Avatar to win; it’s an epic, filled with action, a decent story line, and great special effects.

However, I started the day with an upset stomach. That unfortunately set the tone for me. It didn’t take us long to get there, thanks to the new I-64. We got to the theater, and with 45 minutes until showtime, the theater was a little more than half full. Fortunately, we found seats in the second row before the divide separating the good seats from the neck-stiffening seats (the ones where you slouch in your seat and look up).

With my upset stomach, I chose to hold off on popcorn, and I bought a large Sprite. I thought the white soda would help, but it didn’t. I couldn’t keep anything down, and I didn’t try to eat or drink much because of it. I was feverish during “Avatar”, ate half a hot dog during “Up in the Air”, took Tylenol during “Precious”, and had a hot tea from Panera for dinner. I probably dozed off in each movie at least once (longest nap was during “Inglourious Basterds”). I contemplated going home, but another part of me felt I needed to be a trooper and try and get my money’s worth; $25 for 5 movies and unlimited popcorn (which I couldn’t eat anyway).

Another issue. AMC decided to show Avatar in 3D, which required a theater with a digital projector. Apparently AMC directed their theaters to relocate their customers after the Avatar showing to a theater with a regular projector to show the prints of the remaining 4 films, so the digital theater would be available for any other showings. The staff informed us that they would begin emptying the theater row by row to keep the transition orderly. It went smoothly until we nearly filled the other theater. It turns out our new location was smaller than the previous one. Not that there were any seats left, but it upset most that they really weren’t getting the same seat as they had before. We ended up in the third row where we had to slouch and look up. There were a handful of people complaining to management about the change; everyone got coupons for a free popcorn and soda for their troubles. This morning, I read that the AMC theaters in Charlotte, NC went above and beyond by moving the group to a theater of the same size, and they even used a numbering system to insure everyone had the same seat after the move. Hint hint, Chesterfield.

On to the movies…

Avatar – ***** – James Cameron’s ambitious sci-fi epic tells of the Na’vi and their fight against the humans on their planet Pandora. To me, it’s “Dances With Wolves”, but with the Na’vi instead of the Sioux; it works. The special effects are tremendous, and it’s spectacular to watch in 3D. I should’ve given the 5th star yesterday when posting an update on Twitter/Facebook, but I was feeling miserable at the time.

Up in the Air – **** – Jason Reitman’s comedy-drama is about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a man who makes a living flying all over the world to fire people. The acting nominees (Clooney for Best Actor, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick each for Best Supporting Actress) are all charming, but I don’t see an Oscar for any of them this year. Fun film nonetheless; nice to notice scenes filmed in St. Louis.

Precious – **** – Lee Daniels’ film based on the novel “Push” focuses on an overweight, illiterate 16-yr-old girl dealing with the daily abuse handed to her by her parents, and her struggle to make her life better. Depressing at times. Mo’Nique (Best Supporting Actress nominee) is perfect as Mary, Precious’ abusive mother; she makes Joan Crawford look like mother of the year. I was also shocked to see fine supporting performances from Lenny Kravitz (as a male nurse) and Mariah Carey (as a welfare caseworker).

The Blind Side – ***** – This film from John Lee Hancock is based on the novel “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game”. I did not know until afterwards that it’s a true story about Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. I feel this one is a lightweight of the bunch, but the story is heartwarming; you can’t help but cheer Michael on. Best Actress nominee Sandra Bullock shines as Oher’s adoptive mother Leigh Anne Tuohy.

Inglourious Basterds – *** – Quentin Tarantino’s movie is set during World War II in German-controlled France. The Basterds are a group of Jewish-American soldiers recruited to “bring fear” to the Nazis. Christoph Waltz is fantastic as the “Jew Hunter” Col. Hans Landa.

March 6, the day before the Oscars, AMC will have Day 2 of the Showcase: Up, A Serious Man, The Hurt Locker, An Education, and District 9. I hope my experience next week will be better than yesterday’s. Afterwards, I can pick my Best Picture. So far, my vote is for Avatar.

The marathon started a half hour earlier this year and would end nearly an hour after last year’s ended. Surprisingly enough, the average runtime for this year’s nominees is shorter than last year’s. So why the long day? Longer breaks. They’ve accommodated at least a half hour between films to allow us moviegoers time to use the restrooms and get more food and drinks. Scott and I felt this was a mistake that would make for a very long day. But with nearly double the size of last year’s group, the lines during the breaks were lengthy. So I can see the need for the change. Scott and Tracey came very prepared this year; they packed a cooler of drinks, sandwiches, and snacks. Although I did buy a soda and a hot dog (total: $8.75), Scott was kind enough to split his gigantic sub sandwich with me (more than enough food).

Now about the films …

Milk – ***** – Gus Van Sant (Best Director nominee) tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office, and his fight for the civil rights of homosexuals in the mid to late 1970′s. Sean Penn (Best Actor nominee) is spectacular as Milk, and the supporting cast, including Josh Brolin (Best Supporting Actor nominee), Emile Hirsch, and James Franco, were phenomenal.

The Reader – **** – Set in post-WWII Germany, a teenager gets involved with and falls for an older woman (Kate Winslet, Best Actress nominee). Their affair ends suddenly, but years later at law school, the young man finds his former lover as the defendant in a war-crime trial. Fascinating story (although my proclamation on Twitter has prompted CL to ask me if Winslet’s naked in this film), but a lack of decisiveness, albeit vital to the story, cost it the final star.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – **** – Fantasy told in the same vein as “Forrest Gump”, with Brad Pitt (Best Actor nominee) in the title role. Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it tells the tale of Button, a man who is born old and ages backward. Fine performances by Pitt, Taraji P. Henson (Best Supporting Actress nominee) as his adoptive mother, Cate Blanchett, and Tilda Swinton. Ironically, this was the longest film of the bunch, and a tad bit too long.

Slumdog Millionaire – **** – inspirational film about a teen from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” with success, only to end up arrested on the suspicion of cheating. I enjoyed the storytelling, and the film’s soundtrack was loud and catchy. But for me, it didn’t live up to all the buzz.

Frost/Nixon – **** – Ron Howard’s retelling of the interviews David Frost did with Richard Nixon and the behind-the-scenes work that went into them. Frank Langella (Best Actor nominee) is superb as Nixon, and when he goes toe-to-toe with Michael Sheen’s Frost, it’s great to watch.

This year’s batch of films was somewhat a disappointment compared to the last few years. After having seen them, I felt 2 films were better than these and could easily have been on the list: WALL·E and The Dark Knight.

Having said that, who will win? Slumdog Millionaire.

Who do I think should win? Milk.