With Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt and George Clooney playing lead roles in three of the nine Best Picture nominations this year, the 84th Annual Academy Awards may prove predictable as always. Will the 2012 Best Picture Oscar winner, the climax of the night, be a surprise?

The 2012 Best Picture nominees encompass a range of movies. The films this year are The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life and War Horse. While the films come in different colors and take place in varied times, each film carries a well-known director, lead actor or lead actress, if not all three. However, while the nominations for Best Picture may be easy and predictable, the films themselves are filled with surprises.

In preparation for the 2012 Oscars, watch the trailers of the films nominated for Best Picture.

Which film do you think will win the Oscar for Best Picture?

The Artist
Thomas Langmann, Producer

The Artist is a black-and-white silent film starring French actors Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. Taking place in the 1920s, the film tells the story of the struggles of one silent film actor (Dujardin) as silent film fell out of fashion, replaced by the more popular talkies. The film has received wide acclaim and praise from critics with a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Descendants
Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers

The Descendants is an American comedy-drama directed by Alexander Payne and starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Judy Greer, Matthew Lilliard and Beau Bridges. The film tells the story of a Honolulu-based lawyer (Clooney) who has to help his two daughters by keeping his family together after the death of his wife and the subsequent discovery that she had been unfaithful in their marriage. The film has a 90 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Scott Rudin, Producer

Based on Jonathan Safran Foer's novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is an American drama starring Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max Von Sydow, Viola Davis, John Goodman, and other acclaimed actors. The film was directed by Stephen Daldry with adapted screenplay by Eric Roth. The film takes place in post-9/11 New York City as one young boy faces the death of his father in the World Trade Center by discovering truths about himself and his family. The film received mixed reviews from critics with a 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Help
Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers

Based on Kathryn Stockett's novel of the same name, The Help stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, and other acclaimed actors. The film tells the story of a young white woman, Eugenia Skeeter Phelan, (Stone) who writes a controversial book unveiling the perspective of maids (known as The Help) in Jackson, Miss. In the book, Skeeter exposes the racism and poor treatment maids received from white families in the early 1960s. The film received a 76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hugo
Graham Kind and Martin Scorsese, Producers

Hugo is a 3D family mystery film based on a novel by Brian Selznick. The film tells the story of a 12-year-old boy, Hugo Cabret, who lives alone in a Paris railway station. In his time at the station, Hugo meets a toy shop owner, Georges Melies, who unveils a magical world to the young boy. The film is Martin Scorsese's first film in 3D. The film received a 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Midnight in Paris
Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers

Midnight in Paris is a romantic comedy directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni and Kathy Bates. The film tells the story of a screenwriter, Gil (Wilson), who confronts his differences with his fiancé (McAdams) on a trip to Paris. Gil falls into a magical world of Paris each night as the clock strikes midnight. The film received a 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Moneyball
Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers

Moneyball is a biographical sports drama directed by Bennett Miller and starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film based on Michael Lew's 2003 book tells the story of the Oakland Athletics baseball team and the attempts of their general manager, Billy Beane (Pitt), to build a competitive team by taking a new approach to scouting and analyzing players. The film received a 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Tree of Life
Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill, Producers

The Tree of Life is a drama written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. The film mixes experimental clips of the origins of the universe and inception of life on Earth with the story of a middle-aged man's (Penn) memories of his childhood in 1950s Texas. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and has received widespread acclaim. The film received an 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

War Horse
Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

War Horse is the English war epic direction by Steven Spielberg and starring David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, and other acclaimed actors. The film tells the story of a horse, Joey, who is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France during World War I. The horse's previous owner, a boy named Albert, embarks on a mission to find his horse and bring him home. The film received a 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Oscars 2012 Watch the Trailers Here
The 2012 "Best Picture" nominees encompass a range of movies. The films this year include "The Artist," "The Descendants," "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," "The Help," "Hugo," "Midnight in Paris," "Moneyball," "The Tree of Life" and "War Horse." In preparation for the 2012 Oscars, watch videos of the nine trailers of the films nominated for "Best Picture." Twitter
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