My big beef with the Oscars has always been that they are annual. That fact in and of itself seems to assume that Hollywood comes up with sincerely great and timeless motion pictures every single year — which, in what is probably my over-curmudgeonly and certainly non-expert opinion, they don’t.

However, I also think that conservatives as a whole have a tendency to ignore popular culture at their own very great peril, and I’ve heard that there are some genuinely neat flicks up for the big nomination this year.

The Oscars rolled out the red carpet on Sunday for the movie industry’s biggest night, with Iran hostage drama “Argo” and presidential drama “Lincoln” in a tight race for Best Picture.

With several contests too close to call, a slate of big box office hits to celebrate and an unpredictable first-time host in Seth MacFarlane, movie fans could be in for surprises when the curtain rises on the 85th annual Academy Awards.

Before the festivities begin, nominees including Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Sally Field, Jessica Chastain, British singer Adele and “Argo” producer George Clooney, along with performers Barbra Streisand and Jennifer Hudson will parade along the 500-ft long (152 meter) red carpet before dozens of photographers and camera crews.

I haven’t seen either of the two top picks, but I heard “Lincoln” got generally very good reviews and Ed liked “Argo”; here’s the full list of nominees via ABC:

Best Picture:

“Beasts of the Southern Wild”

“Silver Linings Playbook”

“Zero Dark Thirty”

“Lincoln”

“Les Miserables”

“Life of Pi”

“Amour”

“Django Unchained”

“Argo”

I believe the official festivities start at 7 PM on ABC — so if you want to comment on the fashions, discuss the merits of the individual films, or just heckle the heck out of the pomp and pageantry of the entire spectacle, have at it.