My Oscar night plan of attack has worked. With 4 days to go until the Oscars, I've watched 17 of the 18 Movies to See before Oscar night. So here is my ranking so far (minus The Help which I plan to see tomorrow night) along with a Twitter-sized review for each. What are your favorites? I would love to hear in the comments below.

THE DESCENDANTS > Sad. Wonderfully sad. Clooney expresses emotional struggles with just 43 muscles. Sid gets cold cocked.
THE ARTIST > Dance scene retakes = pure chemistry. I would watch this again and again, "With pleasure."
A BETTER LIFE > Didactic title aside, Demián Bichir's performance as an undocumented immigrant father who keeps moving forward is brilliant.
WARRIOR > Best movie nobody is seeing. Rocky with two heroes and way better more intense fight scenes and Nick Nolte as Nick Nolte.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO > Tried not to like it. Original had Mikael’s generous awe; Hollywood's Lisbeth is deeper, more compelling.
HUGO 3D > Stunningly beautiful, although charmingly predictable, and still wonderfully magical.
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE > In this modern-day, cloying, epic quest, Odysseus is an 11 yo NYer with Aspergers. I sobbed at that damn answering machine.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS > Classic Woody Allen, although these days he looks much younger, has blond hair, and wears contacts.
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY > Would knew such slow pacing could move so quickly. Methodical spy thriller.
MONEYBALL > Best sports business movie since Jerry Maguire. Flips the focus from "Show me the money," to player results - "He gets on base."
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN > Love the acting style contrasts highlighted between Marilyn and Sir Laurence Olivier, yet both prefer younger romances.
IRON LADY > A wonderfully told love story dressed up in pearls to look like a world leader bio pic. Touching, warm, and inspiring.
BEGINNERS > The costume party scene = most romantic pick-up ever. Arthur, the sub-title talking dog, as funny as Jon Hamm's uncredited Ted.
BRIDESMAIDS > Start with a base of raunchiness, add a dash of physical comedy, and warm until your heart says, "Ahhh."
WAR HORSE > If you get it on DVD, fast forward to the horse running through barbed wire. Watch the next 7 minutes of soldiers cutting him free. Eject DVD and return.
ALBERT NOBBS > Is a pathetic, unlikeable, genderless shell of human being which holds little entertainment value because we never connect with him... err, her.
TREE OF LIFE > Planet Earth with creepy voice overs and a dickweed dad as the apex predator.