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Thursday, February 23, 2012 – Daily News By JULIE HINDS Detroit Free Press (MCT) Watch it: 84th Annual Academy Awards" 5:30 p.m. Pacif- ic, Feb. 26, ABC Any year where George Clooney and Brad Pitt are competing against each other for an Oscar, or where gender identity ("Albert Nobbs"), racism ("The Help"), post-9/11 pain ("Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"), the cost of pro sports ("Mon- eyball") and illegal immi- gration ("A Better Life") are prevalent themes can't be described as a quiet one for the Academy Awards. And yet a silent film is the major player at this year's ultimate film event, which airs Sunday on ABC. "The Artist," a win- some look at the rise and fall of a charismatic silent screen star, has become the big talk of the 2012 awards season. It has earned only about $25 million, but it was show- ered with 10 Oscar nomi- nations — including one for best actor front-runner Jean Dujardin, who has the breezy charm of Gene Kelly. By now, a wide audi- ence is familiar with "The Artist," if only as that black-and-white movie with the cute Jack Russell terrier. But can this ulti- mate underdog grab best picture honors? Or will the top prize go to weight- ier fare like "The Descen- dants," a poignant family portrait led by a surpris- ingly vulnerable George Clooney, or "The Help," a box-office hit elevated by the power of its three actress nominees? Will silence be golden? Here are some predictions on what's likely to happen when the envelopes are opened. BEST PICTURE "The Artist" "The Descendants" "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" "The Help" "Hugo" "Midnight in Paris" "Moneyball" "The Tree of Life" "War Horse" Will win: In a year when one nominee that looks good on paper was clobbered by bad reviews (the Tom Hanks-Sandra Bullock-starring "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close") and another was underappreci- ated for its classic style ("War Horse"), the com- petition here is mostly between the fizzy joys of "The Artist," the multi layered drama of "The Descendants" and "The Help" and the lovely pre- cision of "Hugo." Expect "The Artist" to prevail, especially since Oscar voters can't resist a movie that celebrates their own craft. Should win: "The Descendants," another excellent snapshot of the human heart from director Alexander Payne. It con- veys the magnificent, trag- ic messiness of life through the story of a hus- band and father coping with revelations in the wake of his wife's devas- tating coma. BEST ACTOR Demian Bichir, "A Bet- ter Life" George Clooney, "The Descendants" Artist" Jean Dujardin, "The Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Brad Pitt, "Moneyball" Will win: George Clooney has never been better. And goodness knows that Gary Oldman deserves to be recognized for decades of superb act- ing. But when a performer commands a movie with such throwaway grace, the Oscars tend to give him the gold. Jean Dujardin, prepare to be honored for displaying world-class style, delivering sweet dance moves and making silent films cool again. Should win: Clooney, who succeeded by scrap- ping his debonair confi- dence and digging deep to find the place where sor- row, jealousy and wisdom meet in an average man struggling to do his best in an impossible situation. BEST ACTRESS Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs" Viola Davis, "The Help" Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tat- too" Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady" Michelle Williams, "My Week with Marilyn" Will win: Although Meryl Streep is technical- ly superb and emotionally on target as Margaret Thatcher, she is burdened with a movie that feels more like a series of quick pencil sketches than a fin- ished portrait. Viola Davis, on the other hand, takes viewers on a journey into the soul of her charac- ter, showing us both the guarded outward compo- sure of an African-Ameri- can maid in the 1960s South and the strength, anger, tenderness and complexity that define her inner life. For such an epic turn, Davis is bound to take home the statuette. Should win: Davis, a phenomenal actress who finally is getting a chance to show what she can do with a starring role. She conveyed the struggles of a woman in a specific time and place in history, yet made her character's voice speak for the timeless, universal search for equal- ity and acknowledgment. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Kenneth Branagh, "My Week with Marilyn" Jonah Hill, "Money- ball" Nick Nolte, "Warrior" Christopher Plummer, "Beginners" Max von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Will win: Christopher Plummer is on an award- season winning streak. The veteran actor is final- ly being acknowledged by Hollywood with a rush of appreciation for a lifetime of achievement, as well as his understated portrayal of a senior citizen who comes out as a gay man in order to live his final years with grace and honesty. All these years later, Cap- tain Von Trapp is still an imposing presence. Should win: Plummer is a fine choice, but if it's time to single out a legend who's never won , why not the venerable Max von Sydow, who is downright amazing as a man swad- dled in a grief that's ren- dered him mute. It would be an extreme, incredible upset by an actor in a flawed movie, but he deserves it. ACTRESS Artist" Help" BEST SUPPORTING Berenice Bejo, "The Jessica Chastain, "The Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids" Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs" Octavia Spencer, "The Help" Will win: Octavia Spencer, for her captivat- ing blend of humor and suppressed fury as a maid with an unforgettable recipe for those who've wronged her. It's the sort of breakthrough perfor- mance that makes Oscar voters sit up and pay attention. Should win: Janet McTeer, who quietly steals her movie from star Glenn Close. As a woman impersonating a man in late 19th-century Ireland in order to earn a living wage, McTeer's immer- sion in male facial expres- sions and body move- ments is beyond impres- sive. Every time she's on screen, she brings to life what's essentially a depressing character study. BEST DIRECTOR Woody Allen, "Mid- night in Paris" Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist" Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life" Alexander Payne, "The Descendants" Martin Scorsese, "Hugo" Will win: Michel Haz- anavicius. By relying on the silent treatment, the French director created a visual treat and a splendid reminder of how movies seduced the world back in the days before sound, much less computers, ruled the industry. It's filmmaking stripped down to its essentials, and yet it's sprinkled with the flair of a cinematic maestro. Should win: Alexander Payne, who's become a bard of contemporary American life. No other director has populated so many movies with such a rich tapestry of characters and such respect for the earth-shaking dramas of ordinary lives. Payne has a Shakespearean appetite for the complicated nature of human behavior and an internal GPS for locating the truth of a situation. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY "The Descendants," Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash "Hugo," John Logan 5B Who'll win on Oscar night — and who should "The Ides of March," George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon "Moneyball," Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, story by Stan Chervin "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan Will win: Somebody turned a saga of pro- sports financing into a meditation on mid-life ambition, stunted dreams and the pursuit of happi- ness? You just hit a grand slam, "Moneyball" guys. Should win: As much as we'd like to tout "The Ides of March," a made- partly-in-Michigan movie with snappy dialogue and bold cynicism, "Money- ball" is the clear MVP. It's a throwback to the 1970s brand of filmmaking that took its time to tell a story and immersed itself in the language of real situa- tions, in this instance, a Major League Baseball organization. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY "The Artist," Michel Hazanavicius "Bridesmaids," Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig "Margin Call," J.C. Chandor Woody Allen "Midnight in Paris," "A Separation," Asghar Farhadi Will win: "Midnight in Paris," Woody Allen's humorous rumination on the intellectual implica- tions of the grass always being greener in another era. Hollywood admires Allen's ability to dream up a minor masterpiece every 10 years or so, like this time-traveling truffle that allows the Allen sub- stitute, Owen Wilson, to rub shoulders with Fitzgerald and Heming- way. Should win: "Brides- maids." With deceptive ease, Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig created female characters who were believable and out- rageous. They deftly illus- trate why the best come- dies are grounded in real- life responses to envy, insecurity, self-delusion, self-loathing and , eventu- ally, acceptance — the five stages of hilarity. Julie Hinds: jhinds@freepress.com. HOME SERVICES DIRECTORY $9900 Blinds Need Blinds? 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