"The Artist" and "Hugo" led the pack with 10 nominations apiece when Academy Awards contenders were announced last week.

There's still plenty of time before the Feb. 26 Oscars telecast to catch "The Artist" and "Hugo" – movies that not coincidentally celebrate the magic of cinema – and other best-picture nominees on the big screen. Other best-picture contenders are available for home viewing.

Here's where to see the nine (rather than 10, due to a complex voting system instituted this year) movies up for best picture:

"The Artist": Director Michel Hazanavicius' love letter to silent Hollywood earned nominations for best picture, director, actor (Jean Dujardin) and supporting actress (Berenice Bejo). Tower Theatre, Century (Stadium, Laguna, Folsom), Regal El Dorado Hills, United Artists Olympus Pointe, Palladio in Folsom, Blue Oaks in Rocklin.

"The Descendants": Alexander Payne's Hawaii-set drama-comedy, in which a husband, father and attorney (George Clooney) must sort out some heavy-duty family issues, received five nominations, all biggies: picture, director, editor, actor and screenplay. Century (Stadium, Roseville), Regal (Natomas, El Dorado Hills), Palladio, Davis Varsity, Blue Oaks.

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close": A 9-year-old boy struggles with grief after the death of his father (Tom Hanks) on Sept. 11, 2001. "Incredibly Close" actor Max von Sydow will vie against Christopher Plummer ("Beginners") for best supporting actor, proving conclusively they are not the same person. Century (Downtown, Stadium 14, Laguna, Greenback, Folsom), UA Olympus Pointe, Regal (Natomas, Davis Stadium, Auburn, Placerville, El Dorado Hills), Palladio, Blue Oaks.

"The Help": The summer box-office hit, based on the best-seller about relations between African American housekeepers and their white employers in 1960s Mississippi, also drew nominations for lead actress Viola Davis and supporting players Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. DVD, Blu-ray, cable on demand, streaming on Amazon and iTunes.

"Hugo": Among its 10 nominations are director (Martin Scorsese), cinematography, editing and screenplay. The film also should be rewarded for its graceful, understated use of 3-D in following a likable orphan and train station clock minder as he discovers the magic of early cinematic technology. UA Arden Fair, Century Roseville, Regal Natomas, Palladio.

"Midnight in Paris": Woody Allen's celebration of 1920s Paris offers the most natural stand-in Woody performance ever, by Owen Wilson. Allen, 75, also received nominations for screenplay and director. DVD, Blu-ray, cable on demand, streaming on Amazon and iTunes.

"Moneyball": Best actor nominee Brad Pitt charms as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, and supporting actor nominee Jonah Hill finds an interesting naive/savvy tone as the stats man behind a new way of picking players. DVD, Blu-ray, cable on demand, streaming on Amazon and iTunes.

"The Tree of Life": With the other best-picture nominees that already left theaters, it's no big screen, no problem. Not so with this Terrence Malick film exploring family and the origins of life.

Best director nominee Terrence Malick's every shot is meticulously composed, so if you didn't catch it in a theater last summer, watch it on the biggest home screen available. No iPads. DVD, Blu-ray, cable on demand, streaming on Amazon and iTunes.

"War Horse": Steven Spielberg's sweeping tale of a boy and his headstrong horse crosses the English countryside into World War I. Only audience members who text instead of watching the screen will leave with dry eyes. Century (Stadium 14, Laguna, Greenback, Folsom), Regal (El Dorado, Auburn), Palladio, United Artists Olympus Pointe, Blue Oaks.

Where to see some other nominees

It's like the 1980s again, when blond, patrician actresses Glenn Close and Meryl Streep – one, the other, both – always seemed to be up for Oscars.

Close, who received her sixth nomination last week for playing a 19th-century woman living as a man, in "Albert Nobbs," has yet to win. Streep, nominated 17 times, this year for playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," has won a supporting Oscar, for "Kramer vs. Kramer," and a lead one, for "Sophie's Choice."

Sacramento's Crest Theatre is showing "Albert Nobbs" and "Iron Lady." "Albert" also is showing at Century Roseville, and because the sun never sets on the British Empire, "Iron Lady" also is playing at Century Stadium, Greenback, Roseville, and the Varsity in Davis.

Streep's closest competition in the lead-actress field comes not from Close, but Viola Davis ("The Help") and Michelle Williams ("My Week With Marilyn"). "The Help" is the most-seen of all Oscar films, especially by your mom. "My Week With Marilyn," is no longer showing anywhere locally.

No wonder Monroe felt so isolated.

The least-known nominee in any category, apart from the sound guys, is Demian Bichir, up for lead actor for the small, emotion-packed "A Better Life." Bichir plays an illegal immigrant from Mexico trying to protect his 14-year-old son.

The movie played briefly last year in Sacramento and is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming on iTunes and Amazon.

Some Oscar-nominated films – the short ones – would not play in any theater were it not for independent movie houses such as the Crest. Starting Feb. 10, the Crest will show a program of nominated live- action and animated shorts. Crest general manager Sid Garcia-Heberger said she also wants to show the nominated documentary shorts, if only for one night.

All the better for filling out those long-form Oscar ballots.

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