[Sparkle]

I saw "My Week with Marilyn" last night; it was a beautiful quiet film. I really liked it. Well written, fantastic casting, and a truly great performance by Michelle Williams. She doesn't just impersonate Marilyn, she plays Norma Jean. I think she deserves her nomination and I think it would be great if she won the Oscar. And though I normally detest the wankery-self-important Kenneth Brannaugh - he couldn't have been better cast as the completely pompous, posturing, aging Sir Laurence Olivier.

I saw "The Descendants" a few weeks ago and loved it. I'd love to see Alexander Payne win Best Director for this picture. I also think the Screenplay deserves awards. Clooney and the three young actors all turned in really wonderful performances. I thought it was such a tender, funny, bittersweet and heartwarming story, it is a film I'd like to own on dvd.

This afternoon I'm going to get downtown to see "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" because I love Gary Oldman, and it is so my kinda genre (love a good suspenseful british spy flick). I've been meaning to see it for ages.

I saw "Hugo" and thought it was exceptional and deserves almost every art award - art direction, cinematography, sets, costumes, make up etc. Maybe score too.

I haven't seen either "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" or "The Help" though I'm interested in both; I've resisted watching htem because I'd prefer to read the books first. But from all the Oscar buzz and pre-award trends it seems Viola Davis could have a shot at the Best Actress.

I might watch "Iron Lady" on dvd later on, but Mags was such an evil bitch from hell I've not been even a little bit inclined to get to the cinema to see it. And though I love Meryl Streep I hope they don't give her the Best Actress award for this film.

"The Artist" seems to have a lot of momentum behind it in the Best Film/Best Direction category...Its been playing around here forever but I'm not sure I'll like it. *shrug*