Oscar Talk: Best Actress
Best Actress -
Sally Hawkins - The Shape of Water
Meryl Streep - The Post
Saoirse Ronan - Lady Bird
Frances McDormand - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie - I, Tonya
Honestly, it was a wonderful year for women in film. With so many female-led stories, I assume it was difficult for Academy voters to narrow the nominees down to just five possible choices, and for the most part, I agree with the women chosen to carry the gauntlet of being nominated Best Actress. For the most part, you might be asking? Well, yeah, I, and pretty much everyone else in the universe, seem to be in agreement with the fact that Meryl Streep probably could have been replaced by someone else this year. Jessica Chastain, Vicky Krieps, and even sweet little Brooklynn Prince are all actresses that gave performances more unique than what we have grown to expect from Streep at this point. No offense to her, but it is time to make room for some newer talent, no matter how much Spielberg wanted The Post to land him another statue on his shelf. The other four nominees; Sally Hawkins, Saoirse Ronan, Frances McDormand and Margo Robbie; would all provide a satisfactory win for me. McDormand has dominated the category this year, and while she would not have been my first pick, did pull off a very difficult performance and deliver with Martin McDonagh's incredible screenplay. Margot Robbie is the underdog we probably are all hoping will upset on Oscar night because her turn as Tonya Harding was truly captivating and believable. It also does contain one of those Oscar-famous transformations that may give her a last minute boost. Ronan and Hawkins are the only two that really stand a chance of beating McDormand, however, as both were major frontrunners until this year's Golden Globes proved otherwise. My vote goes to Hawkins for the fact that she carries the most weight in her performance out of all of the nominees, and without speaking at that.
Who will win: Frances McDormand
Who should win: Sally Hawkins
Images by Fox Searchlight Pictures, A24, Neon, 20th Century Fox
