Big names, newcomers alike can be overlooked

PICTURE

Last year, the main contest seemed to center on

The King’s Speech vs. The Social Network. This year’s race is more wide open, though terrific movies from late in 2011 such as The Artist and The

Descendants will surely figure into the mix. Here’s hoping that academy members also remember these smaller films:

-Win Win. This cleverly written and superbly acted gem sadly wasn’t seen by enough people, making just $10 million. A deceptively modest chronicle of a family told with humor and tenderness, it may not center on a startling tragedy like

The Descendants does, but it is no less moving in its incisive portrayal of complex human behavior. Anchored by Paul Giamatti as a cash-strapped lawyer who makes questionable decisions, the film, written and directed by Tom Mccarthy, avoids predictability.

-Beginners. Writer/director Mike Mills weaves an inventively structured, semi-autobiographical tale of a thirtysomething son (Ewan Mcgregor) whose 75-year-old widowed father (Christopher Plummer) reveals he is gay and has terminal cancer. While the film is wistful and melancholy, it also has a sense of wonder, celebration and wit as the son comes to terms with love’s possibilities after his father joyously embraces his final years of life.

-50/ 50. This film addresses the humor in a cancer diagnosis with surprising finesse and heart, bringing to life characters who feel authentic and in whom we easily invest our emotions. The sweetly funny story is based on writer Will Reiser’s own experiences of an illness transformed by friendship. Joseph Gordon-levitt and Seth Rogen are terrific, funny and believable as best friends.