Argo (2012) - 3 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: The based-on-a-true-story of a CIA plot to save six US diplomats from Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis by pretending to shoot a sci-fi film.

Cast: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin.

Best of: A fun ride with plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments (many of which were added by Hollywood).

Worst of: Doesn't really stand up against other great films like you want a Best Picture winner to.

Notable: The fake studio that the CIA set up in real life received a script from Steven Spielberg in hopes that they would produce the film with him.

Also nominated: Lincoln.

The Artist (2011) - 2 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: This silent film tells the story of a 1920s silent film star watching helplessly as the movie world embraces sound.

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell

Best of: There are plenty of cute moments that work well among the many "look how cute we are, we made a silent film" moments.

Worst of: Ultimately, it is a very gimmicky flick. The emotional highlights fall flat.  It should take more than cute to win an academy award.

Notable quote: "          "

The King's Speech (2010) - 4 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: King George VI struggles to overcome a strong stutter with the help of a quirky speech therapist.

Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter.

Best of: Rush and Firth are thrilling to watch with fantastic chemistry.

Worst of: Helena Bonham Carter has never done much for me and that doesn't change with this role.

Notable: The writer of the screenplay, David Seidler, suffered from a stammer as a child.

Also nominated: Inception, The Social Network.

The Hurt Locker (2009) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: The life of an army bomb squad in 2004 Iraq.

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Christian Camargo, David Morse, Guy Pearce, Evangeline Lilly

Best of: Maybe the most intense movie ever to win the Oscar.

Worst of: It sometimes sways from serious drama into just an action movie. The action-hero heavy metal ending dumbs down the whole movie for me.

Notable: Adjusted for inflation, it is the lowest grossing Oscar winner ever.

Also Nominated: Avatar.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A young man who grew up in the slums of Mumbai does well on a trivia game show and we learn about the life circumstances that allowed him to know each answer.

Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Madhur Mittal, Saurabh Shukla

Best of: It's rare that Oscar rewards such an all around feel-good movie. The soundtrack is superb...and you can't beat a movie that ends with a random elaborate dance number.

Worst of: Freida Pinto has yet to propose to me.

Notable: He's actually not a millionaire. $20 million rupees is worth a little more than $400,000. Slumdog Thousandaire is a dumb title though.

No Country for Old Men (2007) - 5 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: If you find $2 million in the arms of a dead drug lord in the middle of the desert - leave it alone.

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen Root, Beth Grant

Best of: Flawless performances from nearly every actor on the screen.

Worst of: I'm still not a huge fan of the ending.

Notable: The Coen Brothers were nominated for 4 Oscars for the film - as producers, directors, editors and writers.

The Departed (2006) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: An undercover cop serving as a mole in the Irish Mafia clashes with an Irish Mafia member serving as a mole in the state police department.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, James Badge Dale, Kevin Corrigan, David O'Hara

Best of: A stellar cast led by Jack Nicholson at his best.

Worst of: I find most of the musical choices distracting.

Notable: Despite being set in Boston, Jack Nicholson refused to wear a Red Sox cap and wore his New York Yankees hat instead.

Also nominated: Letters from Iwo Jima

Crash (2005) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A look at the ways in which race affects the lives of modern day Americans living in LA.

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Ludacris, Thandie Newton, Michael Peña, Ryan Philippe, Shaun Toub, Larenz Tate, Keith David, William Fichtner, Bahar Soomekh, Nona Gaye, Marina Sirtis, Loretta Devine, Tony Danza, Daniel Dae Kim

Best of: Some truly tense moments mixed with some moments that really make you think lead to an ultimately pleasurable experience.

Worst of: Race is a tough topic to handle. The film makes many statements in small ways at the expense of making any larger statement. And, as is always the case when working in snapshots and stereotypes, I'm not sure they always get it right.

Notable: The film had such a small budget that the director's own car and home were used as sets.

Also nominated: Brokeback Mountain

Million Dollar Baby (2004) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A grisled old boxing manager reluctantly agrees to train a determined female fighter.

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter, Lucia Rijker, Brian F. O'Byrne, Anthony Mackie, Margo Martindale, Riki Lindhome, Michael Peña

Best of: Actually, very well done on every level, except...

Worst of: The single most depressing ending in film. When the first 3/4 of a movie feels like Rocky, you have to end it like Rocky...not like Schindler's List.

Notable: At 74, Clint Eastwood became the oldest Best Director winner ever.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - 5 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm, Sean Bean, Sala Baker, Bruce Hopkins, John Bach, Paul Norell, Marton Csokas, Lawrence Makoare, Sarah McLeod

Best of: Everything. Also,the awesomeness.

Worst of: Nothing. Why would you bring this up, jerk?

Notable: Widely considered an award for all three parts of the trilogy.