From Simon Dillon

This isn't really a year for a vintage Oscar rant in the main categories. True, I would have preferred Hugo to win Best Film and Best Director, but The Artist was wonderful too, and I only preferred Hugo by a tiny bit. The Academy seems to have gone for the comfort of warm nostalgia amid turbulent times in the world, but that isn't a criticism as far as I'm concerned, since Hugo and The Artist were clearly the best films of the year.

However, there are some rants to be had in some of the technical categories, as well as the obvious elephant in the room: the criminal omission of Senna in the documentary category. One of my pet peeves is that once a clear favourite is established (in this case The Artist), said film often cleans up in the smaller categories when more deserving winners are nominated. For example, as a film War Horse had its flaws, but John Williams ought to have been a no-brainer for best original score.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on the categories I wish to comment on.

Best Picture - The Artist. As above really. I love The Artist, but I love Hugo a tiny bit more so would have preferred that to win.

Best Director - Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist. Again, see above. Of the two major awards, I would have preferred Scorsese to win this one, but to reiterate I did think The Artist was wonderful too.

Best Actor - Jean Durjardin, The Artist. A great performance certainly, but I think I'd have split it between him and Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Best Actress - Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady. It's the predictable great Streep performance in an otherwise very mediocre film. I actually wanted Berenice Bejo to win this (bizarrely she was nominated in the supporting category), or perhaps Olivia Colman for her astonishing turn in Tyrannosaur.

Best Supporting Actor - Christopher Plummer, Beginners. I've not seen Beginners so can't comment on that performance, but I still really enjoyed Nick Nolte's chew-the-scenery-to-within-an-inch-of-it's-life role in Warrior (a hugely underrated piece of work, by the way).

Best Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer, The Help. Jessica Chastain would have got my vote, but not for The Help. She'd have won for her astonishing, mesmerising performance in The Tree of Life.

Best Original Screenplay - Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen. I'd have gone for The Artist.

Best Adapted Screenplay - The Descendants, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. The Descendants was good but not great. I'd have chosen Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Best Foreign Film - A Separation. I am yet to catch up with this film (it's high on my to-view list), but by all accounts it is a most deserving win.

Best Animation - Rango. Of the nominated films this was the strongest, so I agree. I think it is correct that Tintin wasn't nominated (fabulous though it was) as that was a motion capture performance film, not a pure animation.

Art Direction - Hugo, Dante Ferretti and Franchesca Lo Schiavo. As predicted and thoroughly deserved.