Who will win the Oscar for Best Picture this year? Here’s our reviews of the main contenders for this award:

“The Descendants”, Alexander Payne
Set in Hawaii, “The Descendants” follows Matt King (George Clooney) – a middle class property lawyer and father-of-two. We join him at a turning point in the lives of the Kings – as his wife (Elizabeth) lies comatose after a boating accident. The plot unfolds to reveals Elizabeth was entangled in an extra-marital affair and planned to leave her husband. Simultaneously, Matt – who holds a majority stake in a large parcel of land owned by the family – must make a decision about the 25,000 acres of unspoiled land on Kauai that his relatives are pushing him to sell. “The Descendants” finds unexpected humour in grim circumstances, with a startling ensemble that treads the fraught line between comedy and tragedy with tact. Director Alexander Payne has filmed an understated Hawaii that has all the makings of a classic. (By Jad Salfiti)

“The Artist”, Michel Hazanavicius
This little comedy began 2012 by winning a host of international film awards,. At the Oscars, it will compete head on with Martin Scorsese’s big studio hit “Hugo” A black and white silent film set in Hollywood in 1927, “The Artist” stars George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) as a silent movie superstar facing the decline of his fame with the advent of talkies. But for the young Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) discovered by Valentin, this is the beginning of her stardom. Both bond over the trajectory of their opposing careers. “The Artist” is a pure delight to watch. This is a scenic tribute to the history of cinema and the black and white era in particular. (Reem Saleh)

“Hugo”, Martin Scorsese
This merger between genius and technology is set in 1930s Paris. Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is an orphan living behind the walls of a train station with his drunken uncle. Hugo has a talent for fixing clocks, just like his father used to, and the only connection to his late parent is an automaton that doesn’t work because it’s lacking a heart-shaped key. Hugo meets Isabelle (Chloe Horetz), who triggers a fascinating adventure led by fate. Scorsese’s film is a tribute to the beginnings of European cinema. And, working with 3D for the first time, Scorsese’s joy at discovering a new toy is apparent. He uses it here to accentuate the story’s enchantment, feeding our imagination with the best tools cinema can offer. (Reem Saleh)

“The Tree of Life”, Terrence Malick
The American director’s fifth film in 40 years is an open and rewarding philosophical question about life, death, grief and the origins of life. Brad Pitt plays Mr O\Brien, who dominates his three sons with his own insecurities; Jessica Chastain plays their angelic mother. Tragedy strikes the family when one of the sons is killed, aged 19. Malick, increasingly experimental in his film making, uses the death to visually frame the birth of the universe, switching timelines between the 1950s and the present day. The film is a beguiling, meditative joy, sparse in dialogue, both profound and touching – at once both intimate and epic. (Burhan Wazir)

“Moneyball”, Bennett Miller
For a film which looks at the cold statistics of baseball, “Moneyball” is surprisingly soulful. Bennett Miller’s movie, based on a book by Michael Lewis, stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics. After a dismal loss in 2001, and facing the loss of three key players, Beane takes on young Yale graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) – together, they reinvent the team using sabremetrics. The result is a revolution in sport. Out goes the traditional model of scouting for new talent. Instead, Beane and Brand pick undervalued players with a high on base percentage. “Moneyball”, written by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, concerns itself with the modernisation of a uniquely American sport, At the same time, the film expertly induces the joy of winning and the anguish of losing. (Burhan Wazir)

“The Help”, Tate Taylor
Based on the best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett and directed by first time filmmaker Tate Taylor, ‘The Help’ is a rousing civil-rights era drama that was the feel-good hit of summer 2011. Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s, ‘The Help’ follows graduate Skeeter (Emma Stone) as she tries to break her way into the competitive world of newspaper journalism. Offered a column writing about domestic work, Skeeter begins to talk to the many black maids in her community for information. Hearing their stories and moved by their suffering, Skeeter decides that theirs is the story she wants to tell. As well as being nominated for Best Picture, ‘The Help’ has also garnered a Best Actress nomination for Viola Davis, and Best Supporting Actress nods for Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. (James Rawson)

“Midnight in Paris”, Woody Allen
While holidaying in Paris, frustrated novelist Gil (Owen Wilson) unexpectedly finds himself transported back to literature’s golden age: the 1920s. Meeting his personal heroes F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and many more, Gil has to balance his new life in the past with his present day fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) who he thinks may be having an affair. Featuring a much celebrated cameo by French first lady Carla Bruni, ‘Midnight in Paris’ was the opening film at Cannes 2011. It has won over critics and audiences worldwide making it the most financially successful film of Woody Allen’s extensive career. (James Rawson)

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”, Stephen Daldry
One of the strangest members of the “Best Film” category, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”, begins a year after the attacks on New York. Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn), a lonely 11-year-old is clinging to the memory of his father Thomas (Tom Hanks), who died in the World Trade Center. When he finds a key in his father’s closet, he ventures across New York to find the lock – and connect with his late father one last time. None of this is plausible, of course. But “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” is the kind of manipulative tearjerker that often proves popular with Academy members. (Burhan Wazir)

“War Horse”, Steven Spielberg
Described by Spielberg as his “first truly British film”, War Horse is an idyllic look of pastoral England from the point of view of Joey, a thoroughbred horse who finds himself transported from the moors of Devon to the brutal battlefields of World War I. Shot on an epic scale, the film contains some truly original war sequences in the form of two cavalry charges. But the brutality of war in Europe is blighted somewhat by Spielberg’s sweet-toothed view of the United Kingdom, which is often reminiscent of “Oh, What a Lovely War”. (Burhan Wazir)