85th Academy Awards-Best Actress(predictions)

1.Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook(Predicted Winner)

- Jennifer Lawrence is no stranger to the Oscars.She got her first nomination at the age of 20 for Winter's Bone  two years back. and remains one the youngest actress to earn an Oscar nod .In the Silver Linings Playbook,Lawrence portrayal of the promiscuous Tiffany  who has some issues to sort of.Critics had been raving  her performance as very matured and honest and commended her onscreen chemistry opposite Bradley Cooper.Besides ,she also has a solid  year  playing the lead in the Hunger Games which is a commercial and critical success and her performance as Katniss Everdeen  which was also critically acclaimed. Lawrence definitely has a better chance to win if campaigned as a lead instead of supporting category as that category is quite saturated this year with strong performances from Amy Adams and Anne Hathaway as the frontrunners.

2.Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty

- She appeared in numerous films last year in distinct roles with different looks and accent and gain critical acclaimed for each role.This year in just one film,Jessica Chastain manages to gain Oscar buzz again in her role as the ambitious and fierce CIA agent Maya.She is so far tied with Emmanuelle Riva for the critics awards and truly for being snubbed last year  for her body of work,she definitely deserves a nomination and even a first win.

3.Emmanuelle Riva for Amour

- Emmanuelle Riva spends most of the film on bed as the paralysed Anne and manages to do justice for the role with her realistic performance ,body language and facial expression.She manages to convey both the physical and mental pain ,the determination to no longer live,the shame of her ego shattering for being totally dependant to someone else and happiness in some scene without speaking much.Not to forget her superb chemistry with her co-star who played her husband.

4.Keira Knightley for Anna Karenina

- Based on the Russian classics novel,Joe Wrights adaptation of Anna Karenina is a visual feast packed with memorable performance  from the cast especially Keira Knightley as the titular character.Anna Karenina is a multidimensional character where Knightley has  to embody all side of the Countess,a  doting mother,a young bride in a loveless political marriage,a highborn lady with  expectations and a finally a women in love.That's a huge task and  based on most critics she seemed to succeeded  pulling it off.I know many are not a fan of Knightley's work but I do find her interesting especially in these period  costume flicks where she seem to fit really well.If you had seen Pride and Prejudice,Atonement,A Dangerous Method and Never Let Me Go  ,you will get me.

5.Mary Elizabeth Winstead for Smashed

-The Sundance hit Smashed  chronicles on the relationship of  couple whose relationship is built after their love for alcohol and what happens when one of them try to get sober.Just filmed in 19 days,Mary Elizabeth Winstead performance as the alcoholic teacher is described as raw,perfect and the best of her careers.

Other possible contenders:

6.Marion Cotillard for Rust and Bone

-Marion Cotillard is well known for her  bold choices of films both in french and English. Her portrayal as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose was one of the best performance in a biopic genre film and earned her an Oscar.This year,her portrayal of  the whale trainer Stephanie  who looses both of her leg in the french film Rust and Bone received positive reviews and created major Oscar buzz for Cotillard and her co-star Matthias Schoenaerts

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7.Quvenzhané Wallis for Beast of the Southern Wild

-Quvenzhane basically carried the film  by herself and was so  charismatic and engaging despite being so young .Her age could be the factor for her getting a nod and also working against her as younger actors are usually seen as a  part of a supporting category.

8.Michelle Williams for Take This Waltz

-The talented Michelle Williams playing a women who starts an extra-marital affair only to find out that its doesn't bring her much happiness that she hoped for.A film about monogamy by Sarah Polley packed with strong performance by Seth Rogen and Williams.The only problem is that this  film is released  early of the year and most of the buzz right now is focused on Sarah Polley's documentary  film which is most likely to win the category.