Oscars 2012 Nominations Announced

This year's Academy Award ceremony (the 84th, in case you were wondering) promises to be a huge night of praise and appreciation for the film industry, packed with memorable reflections on some of the best features of the past year. As always, the just-announced list of nominees will be divisive, especially with both Drive and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 failing to secure nominations for the 'Best Picture' award, but I'm glad that War Horse recieved a lot of recognition, nominated for six titles, and Hugo and The Artist are looking more and more like a film you and I need to see, each earning over ten accolades. Here's the list in full, with my personal choices for each award highlighted in yellow:
BEST PICTURE: War Horse; The Artist; Moneyball; The Descendants; The Tree of Life; Midnight In Paris; The Help; Hugo; Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
DIRECTOR: Michel Hazanavicus (Artist); Alexander Payne (Descendants); Martin Scorese (Hugo), Woody Allen (Midnight); Terrence Malick (Tree)
BEST ACTOR: Demian Bichir (A Better Life); George Clooney (Descendants); Jean Dujardin (Artist); Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy); Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
BEST ACTRESS: Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs); Viola Davis (Help); Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo); Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady); Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kenneth Branagh (Marilyn); Jonah Hill (Moneyball); Nick Nolte (Warrior); Christopher Plummer (Beginners); Max Von Sydow (Extremely)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Berenice Bejo (Artist); Jessica Chastain/Octavia Spencer (Help); Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids); Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: The Descendants; Hugo; The Ides of March; Moneyball; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Artist; Bridesmaids; Margin Call; Midnight In Paris; A Separation
ANIMATED FEATURE: A Cat In Paris; Chico & Rita; Kung Fu Panda 2; Puss In Boots; Rango
ART DIRECTION: The Artist; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2; Hugo; Midnight In Paris; War Horse
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Artist; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Hugo; The Tree of Life; War Horse
COSTUME DESIGN: Anonymous; The Artist; Hugo; Jane Eyre; W.E.
EDITING: The Artist; The Descendants; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Hugo; Moneyball
MAKEUP: Albert Nobbs; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2; The Iron Lady
ORIGINAL SCORE: The Adventures of Tintin; The Artist; Hugo; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; War Horse
ORIGINAL SONG: Man Or Muppet (The Muppets); Real In Rio (Rio)
SOUND EDITING: Drive; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Hugo; Transformers: Dark of the Moon; War Horse
SOUND MIXING: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo; Hugo; Moneyball; Transformers: Dark of the Moon; War Horse
VISUAL EFFECTS: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2; Hugo; Real Steel; Rise of the Planet of the Apes; Transformers: Dark Of The Moon