The long, embarrassing, slightly painful awards season is finally nearing a close with these, the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards. We’ve got a full list of the films and talent for you right here, and… they’re basically what you’d expect. Only a couple of surprises — a Melissa McCarthy and screenplay nod for Bridesmaids, a Tintin snub, no Fassbender or Brooks — hit us, but most of these selections are ones we’ve seen time and time again since December or so.

Because I like to indulge myself, just some quick thoughts: The inclusion of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close made me cackle; good for Asghar Farhadi on the screenplay notice; Malick and Scorsese are the only directing nominees who should even be allowed to look at the statue; The Tree of Life would just have the award thrown at it if there was any acknowledgement of quality; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is better than seven of the Best Picture nominees; leaving out Cars 2 is bolder than many realize; poor Andy Serkis; and an Oscar is, at the end of the day, merely a piece of metal that stains film as an art form.

You can read a full list of the nominees below:

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

War Horse

The Descendants

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

Midnight in Paris

The Help

Hugo

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius — The Artist

Alexander Payne — The Descendants

Martin Scorsese — Hugo

Woody Allen — Midnight in Paris

Terrence Malick — The Tree of Life

BEST ACTOR

Demian Bichir — A Better Life

George Clooney — The Descendants

Jean Dujardin — The Artist

Gary Oldman — Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Brad Pitt — Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close– Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis — The Help

Rooney Mara — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep — The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams — My Week with Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jonah Hill — Moneyball

Kenneth Branagh — My Week with Marilyn

Max von Sydow — Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Nick Nolte — Warrior

Christopher Plummer — Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo — The Artist

Jessica Chastain — The Help

Melissa McCarthy — Bridesmaids

Janet McTeer — Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer — The Help

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Artist — Michel Hazanavicius

Bridesmaids — Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig

Margin Call — J.C. Chandor

Midnight in Paris — Woody Allen

A Separation — Asghar Farhadi

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants — Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

Hugo — John Logan

The Ides of March — George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon

Moneyball — Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

A Cat in Paris

Chico & Rita

Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss in Boots

Rango

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A Separation

Footnote

In Darkness

Bullhead

Monsieur Lahzar

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Pina

Hell and Back Again

If A Tree Falls: The Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Paradise Lost 3

Undefeated

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Artist

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

The Tree of Life

War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Adventures of Tintin

The Artist

Hugo

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Man or Muppet” from The Muppets

“Real in Rio” from Rio

BEST EDITING

The Artist

The Descendants

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Moneyball

BEST ART DIRECTION

The Artist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

War Horse

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Anonymous

The Artist

Hugo

Jane Eyre

W.E.

BEST MAKEUP

Albert Nobbs

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The Iron Lady

BEST 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

BEST SOUND MIXING

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Moneyball

Hugo

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

War Horse

BEST SOUND EDITING

Drive

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

War Horse

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Dimanche/Sunday

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

La Luna

A Morning Stroll

Wild Life

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Pentecost

Raju

The Shore

Time Freak

Tuba Atlantic

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement

God Is the Bigger Elvis

Incident in New Baghdad

Saving Face

The Academy Awards will air on February 26th.

What are your thoughts on the nominees?

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Tags: Alexander Payne, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Hugo, Martin Scorsese, Michel Hazanavicius, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, Spotlight, Terrence Malick, The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, The Tree of Life, War Horse, Woody Allen